24 GEAR SOLUTIONS OCTOBER 2004 gearsolutionsonline.

com
 engineering principles
for
PLASTIC GEARS By Rudy Walter

In many instances, plastic materials perform markedly

better than do metalsespecially in gears. Read on
to learn the details that will allow you to make
the best choice for your operation.

ince founding Timco in 1967, Ive been riding a mating surfaces of high quality), absorbs less moisture

S steep learning curve regarding plastic materials and

the machine parts that we make from engineered
plastics. Just when I thought that this strenuous
curve was about to level off due to my retirement,
my colleagues asked me to write about machined plastic
gears. I hope this information will be useful to you.
The following is written for metric gear calculations, and some
of the metric terminology has been retained. As an example, the
term modul can be equated with diametrical pitch.
Plastic Materials
Properly selected plastic materials offer better performance
than metals when all or some of the following requirements
must be satisfied:
Low maintenance
Wear resistance when running dry
Low noise
Vibration dampening
Corrosion-proof
Low inertia due to low rotating mass, light weight
Low manufacturing cost
Polyamides can be engineered toward one or more require-
ments, as is shown by the following listing of the plastic
materials most commonly used for manufacturing gears:
1) PA 6 (Polyamide 6): this material is wear resistant and
absorbs impact even under rough conditions, but it is
less suitable for small precision gears.
2) PA 66 (Polyamide 66): compared to PA 6, this extruded
polyamide offers better wear resistance (except against
and is dimensionally more stable, but it is also less suit-
able for small precision gears.
3) PA 6 G (Cast Polyamide 6): the high degree of crystal-
lization makes PA 6 G especially wear resistant.
4) Calaumid 612/612-Fe (cast PA 6/12): this polyamide
is engineered toward toughness against shock loads,
with wear resistance similar to PA 6 G. (Calaumid is a
Timco exclusive)
5) Calaumid 1200/1200-Fe (cast PA 12): a lower degree
of moisture absorption gives better dimensional stability. It
has excellent wear resistance and withstands high shock loads.
6) PA 6 G + Oil (Cast Polyamide 6 + Oil): the addition of
lubricating oil into the PA 6 G provides very good dry
running and wear resistant properties.
7) POM-C (Polyacetal-C): this Acetal absorbs very little
moisture, which makes it suitable for precision gears,
but it needs continuous lubrication under high loads.
8) UHMW-PE (ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene):
PE absorbs no moisture, is dimensionally stable, resist-
ant against chemicals, and dampens vibrations, but it is
suitable only for low loads.
There are limitations of speed and load for plastic gears, of
course. Metal gears usually operate well within the tempera-
ture limits of the material. The design of plastic gears, howev-
er, must always take into consideration the increase in tem-
perature which is caused by friction, pressure, and speed. The
following paragraphs will show how ones design can safely
stay within these limits.
Quality of Mating Gear:
The gear which mates with a plastic gear can also be of plastic,
but only in slow and lightly loaded applications. Otherwise,

gearsolutionsonline.com OCTOBER 2004 GEAR SOLUTIONS 25

case-hardened steel is the best mating material because it dissipates
friction heat quickly. The harder the steel, the slower the wear on
the gear wheel and pinion. We recommend a surface quality of
Rt = 8 to 10 m, both for dry and lubricated applications.
The driving pinion is always subject to greater wear, there-
fore the pinion should always be of the more wear resistant
material (e.g., steel pinion/plastic gear wheel; PA pinion/
POM gear wheel).
Lubrication:
Automatic lubrication will improve the break-in performance
and the overall lifetime considerably. Plastics which are engi-
neered with oil additivessuch as PA 6 G + Oilprovide
much longer lifetimes than all other plastics. Continuous oil
lubrication results in better friction heat dissipation and
longer useful lifetime, or higher load bearing capacity. With
grease lubrication, the circumferential speed should not be
higher than 5 m/sec so that the gear does not sling off the
grease. We do not recommend that you lubricate polyamides
with water because the material tends to absorb water.
Noise Generation:
The excellent noise dampening properties of plastics result in a
quieter-running gear. The graph below shows noise generation
in dB of steel against steel a and of steel against plastic b at
increasing speeds. The difference is as much as 9 dB. Steel
against steel generates up to three times as much noise than
does steel against plastic. Noise equals wear: When we replaced
the noisy steel pinion gears in the drying section of a paper mill
with PA6G gears, the noise disappeared, and one could stand a
nickel upright on the housing of the running gear.
Manufacture of Plastic Gears:
Plastic gears are manufactured with the same machining
process as are metal gears, usually milling or hobbing. The
very low cutting forces permit high infeed rates. This reduces
manufacturing cost. Milling with high rates of infeed may
produce a wavy, rough surface which may seem detrimental
to long-term performance. However, the load bearing sur-
faces of the plastic teeth will become smooth during a dry
26 GEAR SOLUTIONS OCTOBER 2004 gearsolutionsonline.com
run-in period. The waviness may even offer lubricant pockets,
but it does not lower the quality of the gear.
Depending on the modul, gears of AGMA 9-10 qualities can
be achieved with the milling of plastic gears. Timco manufac-
tures plastic gears both according to metric standards and
according to ANSI. The load bearing surfaces of plastic gears are
somewhat pliable, and wider tolerances can be allowed due to
the elasticity of the plastic. Therefore, compared to steel gears,
the quality of plastic gears can be reduced by up to two AGMA
grades. The backlash may be increasedcompared to steel
gearsby one to two quality grades in order to allow for the
effect of temperature and moisture upon the plastic.
Design Details
This article concerns itself mainly with spur gear design.
However, plastic can also be used for bevel gears, step gears,
herring bone gears, worm gears, and others.
Face Width:
The face width of a plastic gear tooth may be as wide as the
gear diameter. The minimum width is limited by the axial
stability of the gear wheels. We have no test results for the
connection between face width and lifetime, or about the
most-efficient face width. However, our experience in many
applications indicates that face width should be at least six to
eight times the modul of the gear.
When mating steel and plastic, the plastic gear face should
be slightly narrower than the face of the steel gear. The plastic
gear is then contacted under load over its entire width, and
no groove can be worn into the plastic face.
Module, Pressure Angle, and Number of Teeth:
The load bearing capacity of plastic gears is directly affected by
the choice of modul and pressure angle. The root strength of the
teeth increases if the modul or pressure angle is increased while
the transmitted force stays the same. This increase is smaller with
plastic gears because the contact ratio decreases and it is no
longer possible to engage several teeth simultaneously.
A higher contact ratio, however, can be better for increasing
the load bearing capacity, rather than increasing the root
strength of the individual tooth: For tough elastic thermo-
plastics, a small modul is preferred (contact ratio increased,
several teeth engage simultaneously). For hard thermoplas-
tics, a large modul is preferred (root strength of the teeth is
increased because a higher contact ratio is not possible with
the hard material).
The pressure angle for involute plastic teeth is defined at 20.
Pressure angles <20 result in thinner teeth of less load capacity,
with steep tooth profiles but low running noise. Pressure angles
>20 produce more-pointed, thicker teeth with greater root
strength. The ratio of the number of teeth in high speed gears
should not be an integer multiple. The same teeth should not
always engage, because this would promote accelerated wear.
Helical Gearing:
Helical plastic gears run quieter with a small helix angle than
do spur gears. The increase in load capacity, however, is
smaller than would be expected with steel gears. The face
contact line may be longer and several teeth engage simulta-
neously, but the load is distributed unevenly and the teeth
get deformed. Helical plastic gears are calculated like metal
gears, using a spur gear of similar size. = 10 - 20 is the
preferred helix angle.

Backlash and Clearance:

The material-specific designing of backlash and clearance is
important due to the high thermal expansion rates of plastic
materials. A minimum backlash must be guaranteed. We rec-
ommend a minimum face clearance of about 0.04 x modul.
Thus, the backlash at start-up is:

Se = Seo + 2 l sin (k kF) [mm]

Seo = minimum face clearance in mm
l = total distance in the plastic material between the
rotating axes in mm
= pressure angle
k = factor of elongation
kF = factor for moisture absorption

We recommend an initial clearance of 0.3 x modul. This

allows for temperature variations of 20.C as well as for
tolerance variations.

Power Transmission:
Key and keyway connections are used for plastic gears, too.
The load bearing side of the keyway must be dimensioned so
that the permissible contact pressure of the plastic is not exceed-
ed. This maximum contact pressure is:

Md 103
PF = [MPa]
i rm h b

Ma = torque in Nm
i = number of keys
rm = radius from the shaft center to the center of the key
way in the plastic, in mm
h = height of the key in the plastic gear which engages the
plastic in mm
b = length of key in the plastic gear which engages the
plastic in mm

The resulting value must be compared with Diagram 1.

It may not exceed the values which are permissible for the
specific plastic material. However, this value does not include
a safety factor
for shock loads
or other
reserves. We rec-
ommend a safe-
ty factor of
between 1.5 and
4. Keyways in
plastic should
be machined
with a radius in
the corners, if at
Diagram 1 all possible,

28 GEAR SOLUTIONS OCTOBER 2004 gearsolutionsonline.com

because of the notch sensitivity of the i+1 k2 17100 k
plastic material.
There are several other designs for
1,2 = U + P 136 (

z1,2 + 5i b z1,2 (vm)3/4 A)
+ 7.33 3 [C]

connecting a steel hub to the plastic Where:

gear. A press-fitted steel hub secured
with bolts allows for keyways and keys Index 1 for the pinion
designed according to traditional guide- Index 2 for the wheel
lines for metals.
Another very good alternative design
is the material Calaumid 612 Fe or
Calaumid 1200 Fe. The metallic core
is securely connected with the plastic
gear. Keyways and keys can again be
designed according to traditional guide-
lines for metal.

Calculating Thermoplastic Gears

Thermoplastic gears fail prematurely for
mostly the same reasons, and with the
same symptoms, as do gears made of
steel. Therefore, the calculation of plastic
gears does not use different methods.
The only difference is the inclusion of
material-specific properties in the form
of correction factors. The calculations for
torque, circumferential force, and circum-
ferential speed use the formulas which
apply to steel gears.

Estimated Tooth Temperature in

Continuous Operation:
Temperature plays a major role in estab-
lishing the load capacity of plastic gears.
The tooth body temperature sets the per-
missible loading and deformation of the
tooth base. The tooth face temperature
allows an approximation of the rate of
wear. An accurate determination of both
temperatures is difficult. The heat trans-
mission coefficient on a rotating gear
wheel can only be estimated approxi-
mately. Thus, the calculation of the tooth
face temperature may sometimes result in
a very high number; higher even than the
melting temperature of the plastic.
However, we have not yet observed a
melting of plastic gear tooth faces.
The following formula presents an
estimate of the temperature of the gear.
Because it is an estimate, the calculated
temperature may sometimes result in a
higher value than the actual tempera-
ture. This is used as an extra safety fac-
tor. The calculations below take into
account the friction heat, the rate of
heat dissipation from the gear, and from
the gear housing to the outside. We
arrived at the following formula:

gearsolutionsonline.com OCTOBER 2004 GEAR SOLUTIONS 29

Diagram 2

U = ambient temperatures in C
P = power in kW
= coefficient of friction
z = teeth
i = transmission ratio z1/z2 with z1 = number of
teeth in pinion
b = width of the tooth face in mm
v = circumferential speed in m/sec
m = module in mm Diagram 3
A = surface of the gear box in mm2
k2 = material-related factor
k3 = gear-related factor in m2K/W

For factor k2 the following must be included

depending on the temperature to be calculated:

Factor k2 :

k2 = 7 for mating components steel/plastic

k2 = 10 for mating components plastic/plastic
k2 = 0 in the case of oil lubrication
k2 = 0 at v 1 m/sec

Factor k3 and the coefficient of friction :

k3 = 0 for completely open gear m2K/W

k3 = 0.043 to 0.129 for partially open gear in
m2K/W
k3 = 0.172 for closed gear in m2K/W
Diagram 4
= 0.04 for gears with permanent lubrication
= 0.07 for gears with oil mist lubrication
= 0.09 for gears with automatic lubrication Tooth Temperature in Intermittent Operation:
= 0.2 PA/steel The load capacity of plastic gears increases if they operate intermit-
= 0.4 PA/PA tently because less friction heat is generated. The relative duty cycle
= 0.25 PA/POM ED is considered in the following equation by a correction factor f .
= 0.18 POM/Stahl This relative duty cycle is defined as a percentage of the load time t
= 0.2 POM/POM and the overall cycle time T

30 GEAR SOLUTIONS OCTOBER 2004 gearsolutionsonline.com

 Please note that each operating time which exceeds 75 minutes, even if this hap-
pens only once, must be considered as continuous operation. Considering the cor-
rection factor f, we can calculate the tooth face temperature and the tooth body
temperature:

i+1
1,2 = 9U + P f 136
z1,2 + 5i

(b kz2 17100
1,2 (vm)
3/4
+ 7.33
k3
A )[C]

The values for k2 and k3 and, F and zul and the coefficient of friction can be
taken from the preceding paragraph (Continuous Operation).

T H E S E V E N T H L A R G E S T U S E D M AC H I N E RY WA R E H O U S E I N T H E W O R L D

Diagram 5

t
ED = 100[%]
T

t = total operating time under load

within the cycle time T in min
T = cycle time in min

A total cycle time T = 75 min has
been established for thermoplastic
gears. The sum of all individual oper-
ating times under load during these
75 minutes is the total operating
time t. Using the value which resulted
from this calculation, the correction
factor f can be determined from
Diagram 2.
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gearsolutionsonline.com OCTOBER 2004 GEAR SOLUTIONS 31

Calculation of the Root Strength of the Teeth:
If the tooth root stress f under load exceeds the permissible stress zul,
breakage of teeth is likely. Therefore the tooth root stress must be calcu-
lated and compared with the permissible values. The calculation must be
made separately for either part where both pinion and gear are made of
plastic. The tooth root stress is:

FU
f = KB YF Y Y [MPa]
b m

FU = circumferential force in N
b = tooth width in mm (use smaller width + m for the wider gear when
widths of pinion and gear are different.)
m = modul in mm
KB = operating factor for variations in drive operation
YF = tooth shape factor from Diagram 3
Y = helix factor to allow for the increased load capacity of helical
gears

For plastic gears, use Y = 1.0

Y = contact ratio factor from table 1; Y = 1/ and = 1 + 2

For profile-corrected gears, the factor Y must be adjusted accordingly:

Z1
= (tan1 - tanA1)
2 Diagram 6

There are many things to consider when placing an order with a gear
manufacturer, such as trust, confidence and level of integrity. Spending
money correctly is also a primary concern, but so is getting a reliable
product, on-time that fits YOUR particular gear needs.

Being late due to lost time on the production line or receiving a poor quality
product will NEVER happen with Carnes-Miller Gear, guaranteed! For over
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easy for our customers to buy from us.We want each of our new or existing
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Give us the chance to earn your business by letting us quote on your next
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Let us be a part of your solution. Call us to discuss your gear needs.

Call us at: 1-800-273-6814

Carnes-Miller Gear... The Gear People www.cmgear.com

362 Browns Hill Road P.O. Box 268 Locust, NC 28097

32 GEAR SOLUTIONS OCTOBER 2004 gearsolutionsonline.com

The value tanE1 is dependent on correction value: The values of tanE1 and tanA2 can be taken from
Diagram 5. The effective pressure angles tw and tantw are
dK1
D1 = calculated from the profile correction x1,2 and the number of
dG2 teeth z1,2 where Index 1 stands for the pinion and Index 2 for
the large gear. The effective pressure angles for spur gears are
Where: shown in Diagram 4.
dK1 = outside diameter of pinion
dG2 = base diameter of large wheel
Calculation of Gear Face Load Capacity:
And: Excessive gear face loading may cause pitting or excessive
wear. This wear is concentrated at the root and crest of the
Z2
[
tanA1 = tantw 1+
Z1
] - ZZ
2

1
tanA2 tooth. It leads to a change in the tooth profile and, conse-
quently, to uneven motion transmission.
The tooth face pressure must be checked to determine
The value tanA2 is dependent on the correction value whether it is still within the permissible face pressure H. This
will preclude premature failure due to pitting and/or wear.
dK1 For plastic gears the material factor ZM is added to the stan-
D2 =
dG2 dard formula in order to consider the plastic material:

Where:
FU z1 + z2
dK2 = outside diameter of pinion H = KB Z ZH ZM [MPa]
b d0 z1
dG1 = base diameter of pinion

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gearsolutionsonline.com OCTOBER 2004 GEAR SOLUTIONS 33

 ZM = 0,38 E and E =
E1 E2
E1 E

E1 = modulus of elasticity for the pinion material

E2 = modulus of elasticity of gear wheel material

This takes into consideration the different moduli of differ-

ent materials of pinion and gear. The factor ZM for mating of
plastic with steel may be taken from diagram 6.
The mating of two plastic gear wheels results in ZM(K/K)
1
ZM(K/K) = ZM(K/St)
2
If the gear wheel and pinion are made of different plastics,
the factor ZM(K/St) which is valid for the softer plastic should
be used.

Safety Factors:
We recommend the following minimum safety factors,

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34 GEAR SOLUTIONS OCTOBER 2004 gearsolutionsonline.com

 Please contact Timco concerning the
diagrams for permissible tooth root
stresses and tooth face pressures (con-
tact information at end of article).
Plastic Materials Engineered
for Gear Manufacturing:
The three grades of polyamide listed at
the beginning of this article are particu-
larly applicable for manufacturing gears:
3) Calaumid 1200/1200-Fe: a pure
PA-12 tough-hard polyamide with
less moisture absorption and good
dimensional stability that is suit-
able for shock loads, with metal
core to permit use of standard
steel keyways and keys.

1) PA 6 G + Oil: a polyamide with ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

depending on the type of operation:
Normal operation: 1.2
Frequent reversals: 1.4
Continuous operation with stress
reversal: > 2
an additive of lubricating oil
which makes it most suitable for
dry-running applications.
2) Calaumid 612/612-Fe: a tough
polyamide for shock-load applica-
tions. It has a metal core which
allows the use of standard steel
keyways and keys.
Rudy Walter is the founder and retired
president of Timco, Inc., a manufacturer
and distributor of engineered plastic
parts that is based in Peekskill, New
York. For more information call (914)
736-0206 or send e-mail to
sales@timco-eng.com. The companys
Web site is [www.timco-eng.com].

gearsolutionsonline.com OCTOBER 2004 GEAR SOLUTIONS 35