Experimental and numerical analysis of laminated carbon fibre-reinforced polymer gears with implicit model for coefficient-of-friction evaluation

Černe, Borut (author), Bergant, Zoran (author), Šturm, Roman (author), Tavčar, Jože (author), Zorko, Damijan (author)

Laminated composites have so far received little attention as a potential material for gear drive applications. In the presented study, the thermomechanical performance of a newly developed type of epoxy impregnated, autoclave-cured carbon fibre-reinforced polymer gear-running in pair with a steel pinion-was analysed, using a combination of experimental and numerical approaches. The employed methods enabled the identification of the composite’s mechanical, thermal, and tribological characteristics, as related to the studied gear pair application. A newly proposed, finite-element-analysis-based iterative procedure enabled an implicit evaluation of the analysed material pair’s coefficient of friction (COF), which is a key parameter in determining the gear pair’s thermomechanical characteristics. For the considered material pair, a value of 0.34 was identified for the coefficient in the quasi-steady region. As the coefficient is strongly correlated with frictional heat generation and significantly affects the surface shear stress, it can consequently have a meaningful influence on the composite’s wear rate. The developed COF identification procedure was validated using a reciprocating cylinder-on-flat tribological test method. The composite gear’s service life was additionally tested at various running loads, resulting in pitch contact pressures ranging between 400 and 540 MPa. Lifetime gear test results showed a markedly superior performance compared to the high-temperature thermoplastic polyether ether ketone, which is typically employed in the most demanding polymer gear applications. Several methods are additionally proposed that could further improve the developed composite gears’ performance.

• Language: English
• Keywords: carbon fibre, thermomechanical analysis, finite element method, mechanical testing, composites, autoclave
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2022
• Number of pages: Str. 246-262
• Numbering: Vol. 9, iss. 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-135186
• UDC: 536:620.1/.2
• ISSN on article: 2288-5048
• COBISS.SI-ID: 96943363
• Publication date in RUL: 28.02.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Journal of computational design and engineering
• Shortened title: J. computational des. eng.
• Publisher: Society of CAD/CAM engineers, Elsevier
• ISSN: 2288-5048
• COBISS.SI-ID: 96935683

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
• Description: A creative commons license that bans commercial use, but the users don’t have to license their derivative works on the same terms.
• Licensing start date: 03.12.2021
• Applies to: Accepted

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: ogljikova vlakna, termo mehanska analiza, metoda končnih elementov, mehansko preizkušanje, kompoziti, avtoklav