Dynamic design and transmission performance analysis based on CF/PEEK composite for short flexspline harmonic drive

The short flexspline harmonic drive has the advantages of a small axial size and a compact structure. However, unlike the ordinary cup-shaped flexspline with a long cylinder, a steel flexspline with a short cylinder often leads to concentrated stress and transmission failure due to inaccurate spatial meshing. This paper proposes a harmonic drive made of carbon fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketone (CF/PEEK) composite to solve this problem. The finite element method is employed to calculate and analyze the key technical performance of the composite material and the traditional steel harmonic drive. Results indicate the good vibration characteristics, fatigue life, and excellent load capacity of the new composite harmonic drive despite sacrificing some transmission accuracy. This work provides a new research method for designing a short flexspline harmonic drive using composite materials and a theoretical basis for designing a CF/PEEK short flexspline harmonic drive.