Can steel gears be easily replaced with plastic ones?
Selected presentation from the 2018 Technology Transfer Congress
The use of plastics in gearboxes is becoming increasingly important. Plastic gears are being used more and more, particularly in gearboxes with low and medium power densities. Thermoplastics offer a number of advantages over conventional steel gears, such as: lower density, lower mass inertia, the ability to run dry, better noise damping, electrical insulation, chemical resistance and much more. Disadvantages include lower strength and the fact that the material properties are highly temperature-dependent.
Nevertheless, plastic gears are replacing conventional steel gears in an ever-increasing number of applications and are being used to transmit ever-higher power levels. In particular, their use in an oil-lubricated environment allows for an increase in the power that can be transmitted.
However, current calculation methods for the design of plastic gears have shortcomings when it comes to taking material-specific properties into account. This highlights a significant need for further research. Current research projects are investigating the load-bearing capacity and operational behaviour of various thermoplastic gear materials, whilst critically examining existing calculation methods for the design of plastic gears and, where necessary, modifying them, so that a validated design methodology for plastic gears will be available in future.
The FZG Branch Office Augsburg is, amongst other things, a member of the TEA network of technology transfer offices in the Augsburg region, which is open to collaboration with businesses.
