Investigation of Wear and Load Carrying Capacity of Polyamide Composites for Gear Application

Abstract: Plastic gears are widely used in mechanical devices such as photocopier machines, printers, automatic teller machines under oil-less conditions. Plastic gear materials undergo degradation from high temperature caused by accumulated heat which results in severe wear or early fracture. This wear can be reduced by using different composites of polymer material. Generally thermoplastic polymers like acetal polymer and nylon polymer are used for gear applications. The objective of this Dissertation work is to evaluate the influence of test speed and load on the wear behaviour of polyamide 66 reinforced with increasing amount of glass fibers under dry condition .Wear tests of PA66 against EN8 steel disc is carried out on pin on disc arrangement. Tribological test are performed at room temperature. Mechanical properties like tensile test and hardness test are investigated in accordance with ASTM standards. Scanning electron micrographs are used to analyze fracture morphologies. The wear loss of the composites are compared at different loads and sliding velocities. Keywords: Polyamide (PA66), Plastic Gears.