Load Carrying Capacity of Screw Helical Gears with Steel Pinions and Plastic Wheels

The development of a new calculation process has for the first time made it possible to calculate the load carrying capacity of screw helical gears with steel pinions and plastic wheels. This devel- opment has laid the foundation for a technically and economically optimized design of future gear unit generations. The calculation process is based on numerous theoretical and experimental inves- tigations. Management Summary There is an increasing significance of screw helical and worm gears that combine use of steel and plastics. This is shown by diverse and continuously rising use in the automotive and household appliance industries. The increasing requirements for such gears can be explained by the advantageous qualities of such a material combination in comparison with that of the traditional steel/bronze pairing. In order to develop an optimal design of steel/plastic gears in the future, a comprehensive and systematic calculation method has been developed. It enables the designer to calculate the operating life and the load capacity for diverse operating and design parameters. The cal- culation method is based on several experimental and theoretical con- siderations, by which the influence of various parameters on efficiency and damage mechanisms is tested.