Ultra‐high molecular weight high‐density polyethylene as a gear material

Abstract

Tests have been made for use of a high‐density polyethylene of ultra‐high molecular weight as a gear material. The gears had a diametral pitch of 10 and 30 teeth. They were tested in mesh with a steel gear of the same size in two operating conditions: (1) in still air without lubrication, and (2) in oil with generous lubrication.The effects of speed, temperature, and initial lubrication on the load capacity of the gears were tested and an equation was developed to express the limits of these gears operating without lubrication. In the lubricated conditions, the influence of oil flow and its temperature on the gear teeth temperature were evaluated. The wear of the plastic gear was measured in both operating conditions and wear rate was calculated as a function of the load and gear life. Curves are presented suggesting design limits of the gears in the two operating conditions. There are also recommendations on the center distance setting and the backlash to use.

Studying the Performance of Reinforced Polymer Gear Wheels: Development of an Advanced Test Bench for Wear Analysis

“…The driving gearwheel and the driven gearwheel in the test gearbox are connected to the corresponding gearwheels under test, made of polymer material, through four universal couplings (5). A notable feature of this test bench is the procedure by which the constant torque is maintained for the gearwheels under test (9). The test gearbox is allowed to rotate by hinging it on an independent block, preventing gear wear from affecting the supplied torque.…”

“…By observing the balance of moments concerning the shaft pivot (10), the constant torque provided by the weight (7) applied to the test wheels is counterbalanced by the twisting moments acting on the shafts (9). It can be noted that the two torques T 1 and T 2 have opposite directions to the moment due to the weight.…”

“…Subsequent studies yielded results that contradicted this hypothesis, as it was noted that roughness increased in the final phase of the gear's life. Yelle and Poupard [9] defined wear as the average decrease in tooth width measured at three points. The three mentioned points correspond to the intersection between the tooth flank and the head, base, and pitch line circumferences.…”

A review on materials and performance characteristics of polymer gears

“…As shown in Figure 6, glass fiber, cement and carbon nano tube reinforcement have been investigated with PP to improve their thermal and mechanical properties for gear applications. Yelle and Poupard 56 checked the usefulness of ultra-high molecular weight high-density polyethylene (UHMW/HDPE) for gear material for power transmission systems. ABS and HDPE along with acetal gears have been studied and compared for their performance evaluation by Singh and Singh.…”

Polymer spur gears behaviors under different loading conditions: A review

“…It has excellent sound absorbing feature and show resistance to fatigue and impact. Yelle and Poupard 3 showed that the ultra-high molecular weight high-density polyethylene (UHMW/HDPE) can be used to fabricate gears for power transmission. Although, it is a very expensive material 4 it has good mechanical properties combined with high chemical and abrasion resistance.…”