Contact Performance, Failure Mechanisms, and Tooth Load-Carrying Capacity of Theself-Mated PVDF Gear Pairs

In this paper, extensive testing of the self-mated Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) gears has been conducted to understand the performance of this polymer material in gear drive real-life applications. The experimental testing has been carried out on a test rig specially developed for incremental load testing, i.e. step testing which is suitable forthe engagement of two polymer materials. Incremental load testing procedure enables the establishment of numerous design parameters for polymer gears such as tribological compatibility, endurance limits, parameters of tooth load-carrying capacity, etc. To establish the relevance of the investigatedmaterial in gear drive applications, parallel testing is performed for the self-mated Polyoxymethylene (POM) gear samples.