In this work, the bending fatigue strengths of injection-molded symmetric and asymmetric nylon 66 gears were evaluated experimentally, and the results were substantiated using numerical studies. The symmetric (20°/20°) and asymmetric (34°/20° and 20°/34°) configurations were subjected to bending fatigue tests under a load controlled mode. The bending stresses of the symmetric and asymmetric gears were predicted by quasi-static simulations using a commercial finite element analysis software. The form factor ([Formula: see text]) and the stress correction factor ([Formula: see text]) were computed using an adapted ISO method. The 34°/20° configuration exhibited the lowest bending stress and highest bending fatigue life among the tested configurations. The form factor exerted a decisive influence on the magnitude of the bending stress compared to the stress correction factor. For the considered loading conditions, deflection-induced load sharing occurred in the 20°/20° and 20°/34° configurations but was absent in the 34°/20° configuration. Failure analysis indicated that a high stress concentration caused multiple cracks in the fillets of asymmetric gears.

The material of the mating gear influences the fatigue life of polymer gears. The bending fatigue characteristics of polyamide 66 asymmetric gears (34°/20° and 20°/34°) corresponding to steel–polymer and polymer–polymer material combinations were investigated. The performance of symmetric gear pairs (20°/20°) was determined to serve as a comparison. Quasi-static numerical simulations were performed in a finite element analysis tool to predict root bending stress, load sharing ratio, and tooth deflection. The bending fatigue strength of steel–polymer and polymer–polymer pairs of each test configuration was determined using bending fatigue tests. The load sharing ratio and root bending stress of polymer–polymer pairs decreased substantially compared to steel–polymer pairs. The extent of deflection-induced load sharing was greater in polymer–polymer pairs. The bending fatigue life of polymer–polymer pairs was lower than that of steel–polymer pairs owing to the higher operating temperature. In polymer–polymer pairs, polymer driving and driven gears increased the heat generated and diminished the heat dissipation to the environment. In steel–polymer and polymer–polymer pairs, the configuration with the highest bending fatigue strength was 34°/20° and 20°/34°, respectively. This divergence was caused by the increase in temperature difference between the two configurations for polymer–polymer pairs. Analysis of hysteresis loops indicated that the loop area was higher for polymer–polymer pairs, signifying the increased amount of dissipated energy. No noticeable variation was observed between the failure modes of steel–polymer and polymer–polymer pairs despite the significant difference in the operating temperatures. The bending stress and operating temperature were the dominant factors affecting the performance of steel–polymer and polymer–polymer gear pairs, respectively.

This study compares the bending fatigue performance of a selective laser sintered Nylon 12 spur gear with an injection moulded Nylon 66 gear. Test gears were subjected to load-controlled, single tooth bending fatigue tests in a custom-built test setup. Cyclic pulsating loads were applied on the test gear using a steel driver gear. The bending fatigue life of selective laser sintered gears was superior compared to the injection moulded gears. In the high cycle fatigue region, the difference between the fatigue life of selective laser sintered and injection moulded gears was higher, whereas it was lower in the low cycle fatigue region. The variation in the fatigue strength of the selective laser sintered gears was due to the different thermal behaviour at low cycle fatigue and high cycle fatigue regimes. The lower surface temperature caused the higher fatigue strength of the selective laser sintered gears in the high cycle fatigue regime. On the contrary, the selective laser sintered gears’ surface temperature was higher than injection moulded gear in the low cycle fatigue regime, which reduced fatigue strength. The crack path was tortuous in selective laser sintered gears and smoother in injection moulded gears. In selective laser sintered gears, the layered structure of the part aided in impeding the propagation of crack.

This study investigates the influence of tooth layer orientation on the bending fatigue behaviour of Nylon 12 spur gears manufactured by a selective laser sintering process in an ‘on-edge’ configuration. The test gears were submitted to single tooth bending fatigue tests, and the thermal response of gears was recorded using Infrared thermography. The surface morphology of failed teeth was examined using microscopy. The effect of tooth layer orientation on the fatigue strength of selective laser sintering gears was evaluated by testing each tooth configuration. The tooth configurations with the highest and lowest strength were 40° and 160°, respectively. The performance of selective laser sintering gears was compared with that of injection moulded Nylon 66 gears. The injection moulded, selective laser sintering 40°, and selective laser sintering 160° gear teeth were tested at multiple loads to investigate the high cycle fatigue and low cycle fatigue behaviour. The bending fatigue life was highest for the injection moulded gears in both low cycle fatigue and high cycle fatigue regimes. The surface temperature was higher in selective laser sintering gears, with 160° configuration exhibiting the highest temperature. The difference between the temperatures of selective laser sintering 40° configuration and injection moulded gear magnified as the applied load increased. Consequently, the strength of the selective laser sintering 40° configuration with respect to injection moulded gear deteriorated in the low cycle fatigue region. Fractography indicated that crack propagation in selective laser sintering 40° and selective laser sintering 160° configurations were cross-laminar and inter-laminar, respectively. In the cross-laminar mode of propagation, the crack propagation was impeded by the layer structure. However, the crack propagation was expedited in the inter-laminar mode, as the crack path was along the interlayer region, which presents a path of least resistance.

The damage tolerance of a component is crucial for achieving a reliable and smooth operation. The crack propagation in a spur gear critically affects the performance of the transmission system. Asymmetric gears are used for enhancing the load-carrying capacity by increasing the pressure angle of a flank beyond the conventional limits. In this study, the effect of initial crack inclination angle and length in the tooth fillet region on the Stress Intensity Factor (SIF) and the crack path of an asymmetric gear (34°/20°) were studied using numerical simulations. Quasi-static analyses were performed in FRANC2D. The crack propagation life was calculated using Paris law. Results revealed that tooth asymmetry has no effect on the crack path. However, asymmetric tooth form caused a reduction in the SIF value and increased the critical crack length, leading to an increased crack propagation life and damage tolerance.