Lyon, France. Mechanical transmission components such as gears, rolling element bearings, CVTs, belts, chains, etc. are present in every industrial...

Highly loaded gears are usually casehardened to fulfill the high demands on the load-carrying capacity. Several factors, such as material, heat treatment, or macro and micro geometry, can influence the load-carrying capacity. Furthermore, the residual stress condition also significantly influences load-carrying capacity. The residual stress state results from heat treatment and can be further modified by manufacturing processes post heat treatment, e.g. grinding or shot peening.

Those ancient planetary drives I first got involved with in 1979 (

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Despite the development and availability of a number of newly engineered, rugged materials intended for plastic gear applications, some engineers/designers continue to believe metal is better.

Before we leave our study of materials, I want to share a few thoughts on heat treating, lab tests, and hardness testing. When you start working wi...

Right up there with the dreaded “blank sheet of paper” is the inevitable question of “Can we use this instead?” It came as a real shock to me the f...

So, what exactly do we mean when we say “use good material” for your gears? Once again, the answer is “it depends.” Even the “best” steel may be wr...