Gear Tribology

A special issue of Lubricants (ISSN 2075-4442).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2019) | Viewed by 16815

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Division of Fluid and Experimental Mechanics, Luleå University of Technology, SE-97187 Luleå, Sweden
Interests: lubricating greases; rheology; lubricant’s fluid mechanics, tribology, space physics; solar-planetary interaction; space plasma flows; fluid mechanics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Gears are unquestionably crucial parts in a mechanical system, responsible for transmitting torque in various applications, and in equally varying characteristic length scales, such as car and truck engines, wind turbines, lawn mowers, and watches. Without a reliable- and fully-functioning gearbox, or as in the case of an old reputable bicycle—just a single gear, it does not matter how powerful engine is set to drive the vehicle. For wind power, the gearbox ensures the rotational energy of the turbine generated by the wind is transmitted to the electrical generator.

A well-functioning gear is directly dependent on the quality of its lubrication, and its lifetime is dependent on the friction- and wear dynamics in the system. To be able to optimize the performance of a gear and its lifetime, an understanding of the tribological mechanisms in the system is vital. This is not a simple task; great advancements have been made the last few decades due to the increased computational capacity enabling more sophisticated numerical simulations and refined experimental and evaluation techniques. However, due to the inherent multidisciplinarity of tribology in general, with intersecting areas such as rheology, fluid and solid mechanics, contact mechanics, material sciences, and chemistry, the complexity of lubrication, friction and wear dynamics in gears is highly prominent. We still have a great deal to discover in this intriguing area of engineering sciences.    

The current Special Issue is devoted to the latest developments and findings in the versatile area of gear tribology. This Special Issue cover both the functionality of gears by means of the tribology aspects, and the modelling of issues related to gear performance such as lubrication and wear.

Prof. Dr. Lars-Göran Westerberg
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Gears
  • Gearboxes
  • Friction
  • Lubrication
  • Wear
  • Modelling
  • Experiments

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 4638 KiB  
Article
Superlubricity in EHL Contacts with Water-Containing Gear Fluids
by Mustafa Yilmaz, Michael Mirza, Thomas Lohner and Karsten Stahl
Lubricants 2019, 7(5), 46; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants7050046 - 27 May 2019
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 6261
Abstract
Fluid friction in elastohydrodynamically lubricated (EHL) contacts depends strongly on the lubricant considered. Synthetic oils can have significantly lower fluid friction than mineral oils. Water-containing fluids have the potential to significantly reduce fluid friction further. The aim of this study is to investigate [...] Read more.
Fluid friction in elastohydrodynamically lubricated (EHL) contacts depends strongly on the lubricant considered. Synthetic oils can have significantly lower fluid friction than mineral oils. Water-containing fluids have the potential to significantly reduce fluid friction further. The aim of this study is to investigate the film formation and frictional behavior of highly-loaded EHL contacts with water-containing fluids. Comparisons are made with mineral and polyalphaolefin oils. Measurements at an optical EHL tribometer show good lubricant film formation of the considered water-containing gear fluids. Measurements at a twin-disk test rig show coefficients of friction smaller than 0.01, which is referred to as superlubricity, for all considered operating conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gear Tribology)
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11 pages, 3015 KiB  
Article
Development of an Oil Free Water-Based Lubricant for Gear Applications
by Nadine Sagraloff, Andreas Dobler, Thomas Tobie, Karsten Stahl and Jens Ostrowski
Lubricants 2019, 7(4), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants7040033 - 10 Apr 2019
Cited by 33 | Viewed by 9304
Abstract
The aim of the current research is to develop a gear transmission fluid based on water and plant extract. Up to now, mineral or synthetic oils are used as lubricants in most gear drive applications. These oils are made of fossil raw materials [...] Read more.
The aim of the current research is to develop a gear transmission fluid based on water and plant extract. Up to now, mineral or synthetic oils are used as lubricants in most gear drive applications. These oils are made of fossil raw materials and are non-biodegradable. Lately, there have been some efforts made to develop lubricants as an alternative to conventional lubrication systems such as triglycerides from native oils or synthetic esters. These lubricants are more biodegradable than mineral oils but also show some difficulties during performance like saponification. Within a former research project, the company Carl Bechem GmbH and the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV developed a cutting fluid based on water and plant extract. With a model sample of this fluid, which also contained gear typical additives, preliminary experimental investigations for a current research study were conducted. The results confirmed the general suitability of this water-based lubricant for gear drives under certain operating conditions. Using water as lubricants can lead to some improved characteristics due to the very high thermal conductivity and the reduced friction. This paper aims to point out the benefits of using water-based lubricants, share the results of some preliminary experimental investigations on a fluid sample based on water and plant extract, and discuss the challenges, which one has to overcome during the development of such new lubricants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gear Tribology)
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