An investigation on the potential of bio-based polymers for use in polymer gear transmissions

Zorko, Damijan (author), Demšar, Ivan (author), Tavčar, Jože (author)

The potential for replacing the fossil-based Polyoxymethylene (POM) and Polyamide 66 (PA 66) in polymer gear applications with a bio-based Polyamide 6.10 (PA 6.10) was studied and is presented in the article. The use of bio-based plastics is increasing but mostly in undemanding applications like packaging. High-performance plastics are needed in polymer gear transmissions since their operational conditions are far more severe. The potential of bio-based PA 6.10 was studied by means of gear lifespan testing. Additional insights into the process of polymer gear meshing were garnered by simulating all the tested cases with a FEM model of meshing gears. Test gears were manufactured from commercially available materials, making the results useful for gear designers. Encouraging results were observed since the PA 6.10 gears exhibited a 3.5-times longer lifespan than POM gears and a 10-times longer lifespan than PA 66 gears when tested under identical test conditions. The results indicate great potential for replacing fossil-based plastics in polymer gear applications with bio-based polymer materials. The fatigue strength, coefficient of friction, and wear coefficient were determined and compared for the tested materials, facilitating the reliable design of polymer gears.

• Language: English
• Keywords: biopolymers, gears, testing, simulations, wear, fatigue
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: 13 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 93, art. 106994
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-138439
• UDC: 004.942:621.83:577.11(045)
• ISSN on article: 0142-9418
• DOI: 10.1016/j.polymertesting.2020.106994
• COBISS.SI-ID: 43121667
• Publication date in RUL: 20.07.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Polymer testing
• Shortened title: Polym. test.
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0142-9418
• COBISS.SI-ID: 26155008

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: biopolimeri, zobniki, testiranje, simulacije, obraba, utrujanje