The global homoclinic bifurcation and transition to chaotic behavior of a nonlinear gear system are studied by means of Melnikov analytical analysis. It is also an effective approach to analyze homoclinic bifurcation and detect chaotic behavior. A generalized nonlinear time varying (NLTV) dynamic model of a spur gear pair is formulated, where the backlash, time varying stiffness, external excitation, and static transmission error are included. From Melnikov method, the threshold values of the control parameter for the occurrence of homoclinic bifurcation and onset of chaos are predicted. Additionally, the numerical bifurcation analysis and numerical simulation of the system including bifurcation diagrams, phase plane portraits, time histories, power spectras, and Poincare sections are used to confirm the analytical predictions and show the transition to chaos.

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