Gears made of polymer materials have been used as an alternative to metal gears in many industries and for a whole range of different applications for quite some time. Lubrication represents one of the most important factors that affect operating efficiency and service life of polymer gears. In this bachelor thesis, we delved into the effects lubricating greases have on the behavior of polymer gears and materials during operation. An experiment was conducted using model tribometer in which we tested the effect of the contact between polymer ball and a steel disk on the coefficient of friction during operation at two different operating speeds, one high and one low, which differ by a factor of ten. We used two different lubricating greases for contact lubrication, both intended for lubrication of polymer materials but made of different base oil and thickener type. We found that under predetermined operating conditions, both greases show similar effect on the coefficient of friction after the conditions stabilize.
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