Abstract
This study presents the results of detailed wear process examination on polyformaldehyde gears under both dry and lubricated conditions. A multi-purpose durability test rig was employed to study the wear performance of polyformaldehyde gear pairs. The wear behaviors of polyformaldehyde gears under dry and oil-lubricated operating conditions were characterized via measurements of gear tooth surface micro-topography and tooth profile deviation. Under the dry running condition, a hump and a gully appear on the tooth surface in the pitch line area of the driving gear and the driven wheel, respectively. The largest amount of wear was observed around the tooth root of the driving gear. However, the gear tooth wear pattern with lubrication is different from that under the dry running condition.
Highlights
It is well known that polymer gears show advantages including lightweight, lower vibration, noise reduction, high corrosion resistance, and self-lubrication [1,2,3]
The tooth surface topography, tooth profile deviation, wear accumulation, and running temperature were examined during the test to study the loading capacity and wear performance of the polyformaldehyde gear pairs
A hump was formed around the pitch line area of the pinion owing to the accumulation of wear debris and a lower slide-to-roll ratio, while a corresponding gully was observed in the pitch line area of the wheel
Summary
It is well known that polymer gears show advantages including lightweight, lower vibration, noise reduction, high corrosion resistance, and self-lubrication [1,2,3]. The loading capacity and wear behavior of polymer gears have been intensively studied under dry conditions because of their self-lubrication properties. Fürstenberger [14] illustrated that conventional steel-polyamide gears could transmit a maximum power of approximately 4 kW without instant thermal damage under dry running conditions, while a continuous power of up to approximately 30 kW could be generated under lubricated and cooling conditions. This encouraging level of loading capacity provides new opportunities in power transmission areas such as motorcycle gearboxes. The wear behavior and loading capacity of polyformaldehyde gear pairs were investigated under both dry and oil-lubricated operating conditions. The experimental results of this study shed light on the understanding of the wear mechanism, and improving the loading capacities of polymer gears
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