a review of the investigation methods and performance of pure polymer gears

Plastic gears are widely used in various industries. The advantages of these gears include their lightness, automation, low noise, easy production and low cost. However, the high wear rate, limited working temperature and low mechanical strength in polymer gears, compared to metal types, limit their application. Therefore, extensive research has been done on the performance of polymer gears in order to identify the failure mechanisms. Among the conducted researches, the researchers focus on different parts such as determining the critical torque or in other words, load bearing capacity, gear behavior at lower and higher torques than the critical torque, gear fatigue resistance, gear wear behavior on a micro and macro scale, as well as The thermal resistance of the gear is drawn. In addition, the difference in methods and the provision of new methods for checking the mentioned factors in order to check the performance of the gear can be seen in the research. In general, the type of polymer, torque and work cycle have been recognized as factors influencing the wear of polymer gears. In this research, the method and results of the research conducted on various types of gears made with commonly used polymer materials are presented. In such a way that by comparing the performance of all types of gears, it is possible to reach a general conclusion about their use.