Study on the meshing surface temperature field of polymer gears under different operating conditions
LI Qianmeng
XU Hualong
LI Donglong
Abstract：[Objective]Polymer gears are widely used due to their lightweight,corrosion resistance,and noise reduction properties.However,their thermal behavior during meshing under complex operating conditions remains insufficiently understood.This study aims to investigate the specific effects of operating conditions and surface roughness on the maximum pressure and temperature rise of the gear tooth surface by coupling thermo-viscoelastic theory with a gear dynamic contact model to provide a basis for design and performance evaluation.[Methods]A thermo-viscoelastic contact model for polymer gears was established.By adjusting operating conditions and incorporating surface roughness factors,simulations were conducted to evaluate the influence of gear rotational speed,load,and surface topography parameters(specifically wavelength and amplitude)on the maximum tooth surface pressure and temperature rise.[Results]The results indicate that gear speed and load significantly affect the maximum temperature rise of the tooth surface.Surface topography exhibits distinct regulatory effects on the meshing pressure and temperature:wavelength shows a negative correlation with pressure,while amplitude shows a positive correlation.The developed model effectively simulates the distribution of pressure and surface temperature under various surface conditions,which is of great significance for optimizing the design and service performance of polymer gears.
Keywords：Polymer gearThermo-viscoelastic coupling effectGear dynamic performanceSurface roughness
Publication Date：2026-03-15
Online Publishing Date：2026-09-12(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：10( 98-107 )