Experimental determination of plastic gear durability

Abstract

Abstract There are many plastic materials (POM, PA66, PEEK, …) and material combinations available. The question is which combination is the correct one. It depends on many factors, like expected durability and price, means of production, e.g. injection moulding or cutting, lubrication, microstructure, fillers, etc. The available data bases and data sheets do not present conclusive results. So, it is of the utmost importance for a company to produce effective tests which could present correct results for each individual case. The gear tooth flank profile could be also optimized. S-gear shape is characterized by a convex concave contact in meshing start and end areas. This implies improved properties in comparison to involute gears, like lower contact pressure, less sliding and lower frictional losses, stronger root and improved oil film when lubricated. The paper presents some material properties for the combinations which were tested on the fatigue test benches, presents testing rigs, refers to experiments and discusses results.