Gear calculation enters the second round

The calculation of plastic gears for technical applications is still a relatively new field in engineering. Most material models and calculation methods to date have been based on experience with metal gears. However, plastics have a completely different mechanical behavior compared to metals. If this is not taken into account, the load-bearing capacity calculation is unreliable and imprecise. For this reason, IVW and the Chair of Machine Elements, Gears and Tribology (MEGT) at RPTU have been researching for several years a plastic-compatible material description and its integration into the calculation of plastic gears.

In May 2024, the project "FVA 856 II - Design of plastic gears taking into account cyclic loading and time-dependent deformation" was approved as part of the joint industrial research program. This enables IVW to work on the topic together with MEGT for another two and a half years. IVW's research will focus on the interaction of fatigue and creep loads as well as the influence of multi-axial stress states. The object of investigation is a short glass fiber reinforced polyamide frequently used in gears.

The project "Design of plastic gears under consideration of cyclic load and time-dependent deformation" is funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection as part of the "Industrielle Gemeinschaftsforschung" program on the basis of a decision by the German Bundestag. (Funding reference: 01|F23244N)