Numerical methods for the research and design of optimal gearbox architectures.

Summary The design of a gearbox requires the initial choice of an architecture, the principle solution of the object to be designed. This choice is very structuring and has a very strong impact on the performance criteria of the gearbox without the engineer having a clear visibility on this impact. Once the architecture has been chosen, it is possible to use continuous optimization techniques to optimize the performance criteria and the respect of constraints with respect to a specification. This kind of optimization aims to optimally determine the structural dimensions of the gearbox such as the positions of the shaft axes in space or the diameters of the pinions. The objective of this thesis is to provide scientific techniques to choose the optimal architecture with respect to this specification. The development of such a method aims to obtain more efficient gearboxes, but also to reduce the engineering development time by ensuring by scientific methods the respect of the constraints expressed in the specifications, and this from the choice of the architecture, which is done by trial and error in the usual design cycle.