INTRODUCTION Gear noise has been a problem associated with mechanical equipment for decades with interests in this area steadily increasing in recent years@ especially in the automotive and aerospace industries. In response to this increased interest in the reduction of gear noise@ there has been a corresponding increase in the technical literature published on this subject [Houser 1987]. Much of this literature deals with analytical and computer models for the prediction of noise generated by a gearbox and the optimization of gear noise excitation. There has also been considerable experimental research in the area of gear noise. The majority of this research has dealt directly with the analysis of specific problems involving gear noise generated by existing mechanical equipment. Experimental results which attempt to correlate levels of gear noise excitation with the physical design parameters of a gear pair running under various operating conditions is rather scarce. This information is essential in aiding the gear designer striving to reduce noise and to verify the vast amounts of analytical research that have already been performed. In this study@ a gear noise test facility was constructed which is currently being used to perform parametric studies on the effects of various gear design parameters@ mounting conditions@ and operating environments on the dynamic performance of a gear pair. The facility is oriented towards the testing of automotive type gears. This paper is concerned primarily with the development of the test facility and the measurement of several physical parameters which may be used to evaluate the dynamic performance of a gear pair. However@ only limited experimental data is presented. Detailed parametric studies and the refinement of the various measurement techniques described here will be presented at a later date.