Polymer gears replace metal ones in many motion and light power transmission applications. This paper presents a numerical method to predict the mechanical behavior of plastic cylindrical gears and its experimental validation. The numerical method uses a viscoelastic model in its linear domain depending on temperature, humidity, and rotational speed. This numerical simulation computes the load sharing between instantaneously engaged gears and provides results such as contact pressure, tooth root stress, or transmission error. The numerical results are then compared to experimental measures on a test bench developed at the LaMCoS laboratory. This comparison allows the validation of the load sharing model.

International audienceThis paper presents a fast and efficient computational method to predict the mechanicalbehaviour of plastic cylindrical gears made of fibre reinforced polyamide 6. Based on this method, aninvestigation on the relation between the fibre orientation and the gear behaviour is done. Thenumerical method uses a viscoelastic model accounting for the temperature, humidity and rotationalspeed dependence of the gear. This model is developed under the assumption that the material isstressed in its linear domain. The method is performed in three steps: the first one consists of definingthe fibre orientation from simulation and experimental results. The second step characterises theviscoelastic behaviour of the material. The third step consists in calculating the load sharing with localmeshing, which integrates the viscoelastic model over the entire surface of the tooth. This modelpermits computation of the load sharing between instantaneously engaged teeth and provides resultssuch as contact pressure, tooth root stress and transmission error. Three fibre orientation models withan increasing complexity are compared. Simulation results show a limited influence of the fibreorientation on the contact pressure and tooth root stress, nevertheless difference up to 10% areobserved on the transmission error amplitude

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