Abstract: Movement interference between roller and workpiece appears during continuous indexing cold roll-beating of involute spline. The rotary shaft of roller can be tilted at a setting-angle to reduce the interference. The forming profile of roller changes to cause new forming errors under the action of setting-angle. The principle of interference is analyzed, and the improved structure of roll-beating head is designed. The roller is inclined in the opposite direction at a setting-angle by an inclined copper bearing, which ensures the forming profile of roller. A mathematic model is established for calculating the forming profile curves of roller on the keyway section , and the forming errors are characterized by keyway width errors. The forming errors are still large when the existing structure of roll-beating head is used, although the forming accuracy is improved under the action of setting-angle. The interference and the forming errors brought by the inclination of roll-beating head are eliminated in a suitable range of setting-angles when the improved structure of roll-beating head is used. The roll-beating head is improved for cold roll-beating experiment. The keyway profiles of samples are precisely measured. The result indicates that the measured values of keyway width errors are consistent with the theoretical values without the action of setting-angle, and the measured values of keyway width errors and their relative variations are both very small under the action of setting-angle.

Key words: manufacturing technology and equipment, structure improvement, forming error, interference, setting-angle