The crankshaft bearing is the key component of a rotate vector (RV) reducer. However, owing to the harsh working load and restricted available space, the bearing often suffers from fatigue failure. Therefore, this study proposes a novel optimization method for RV reducer crankshaft bearings. A nonlinear constraint optimization model for the design of the bearing considering the crowned roller profile is formulated and is solved by using a crow search algorithm. The goal of the optimization is to maximize the fatigue life of the bearing. The design variables corresponding to the bearing geometry and crowned roller profile are considered. The load working conditions of the bearing and structure of the RV reducer are analyzed. Various constraints, including geometry, lubrication, strength of the bearing, and structure of the RV reducer, are established. Through the optimization design, the optimum crowned roller profile suitable for the working load of the bearing is obtained, and the stress concentration between the roller and raceway is eliminated. Taking the crankshaft bearing of RV-20E and RV-110E type reducers as examples, the bearings were optimized by the proposed method. After optimization, the bearing life of the RV-20E type reducer is increased by 196%, and the bearing life of the RV-110E type reducer is increased by 168%.

Previous lubrication and wear analysis for the planetary roller screw mechanism (PRSM) has mainly concentrated on the isothermal conditions without considering temperature rise. However, the PRSMs applied in aviation and aerospace always operate in intensely varying thermal conditions with intricate thermal convection and thermal radiation environments. For this purpose, a modified Archard wear model is established by incorporating the entraining speed of threads and the load distribution, considering axial thermal errors. The variation of bulk temperature is characterized by the thermal network model (TNM). The modified Weierstrass–Mandelbrot (W-M) function is used to evaluate the lubrication conditions of the machined surfaces. Meanwhile, the contact flash temperature, wear depth, and precision loss rate are investigated in dry contact and lubricated phrase for mixed thermal elastohydrodynamic lubrication (TEHL) point contact. The results reveal that the temperature rise has a more pronounced influence on the precision maintenance capability compared to the uneven load sharing. The wear results are also compared to previous experimental simulation obtained using a rolling-sliding tribometer that utilize a rolling wheel on a rotating disk with similar patterns. It indicates that the wear life span of PRSMs can be improved by reasonable machining trajectory, thermal management, and lubrication parameters.

A new involute-helix gear drive, which is point contact with convex and concave circular-arc tooth profiles, is proposed in this article. The basic principle characterized by the advantages of involute and circular-arc gears is put forward. Based on the theory of conjugates curves, generation and mathematical model of this new transmission are presented. The separability of center distance on involute-helix gear is discussed and meshing characteristic of point contact is also analyzed. Finally, the three-dimensional solid model of a gear pair is developed to demonstrate the properties of this new transmission.