Investigations on aluminium silicon carbide composite spur gears for light duty applications

Abstract

The focus of the manufacturing industry is on the development of newer materials to face the upcoming global challenges in providing safe engineered materials with specific and well defined properties. Composite materials constitute one of the favourable material zones for tomorrowand#8223;s sustainable future through identification of materials with higher strength to weight ratio. Statistics reveal composite produced in India as equivalent to approximately 3% of the world wide output and 6% of Asiaand#8223;s output. The use of composites is only 3.6 % in automobile and 10% in aerospace industries. Therefore, finding some alternative material for automobile and aerospace applications to accelerate the Indian composite industry is imperative. An attempt has been made to develop light weight industrial components with required properties using composite materials. Gears are the most important mechanical components because of their capability for transmitting motion. The gears applied in industries come in diverse weights and sizes. The applications are extensive, from textile loom gears to gears used in the aviation industry and to gear boxes for the elevator industry. Identification of light weight materials in components which are subjected to high force and stresses, such as gears for power transmission is still a challenging task. Only a few researchers are currently working in the area of composite gears. According to a literature survey, their focus is on Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRP) composite gear manufacturing and performance testing. It has become an important topic of concern in the international arena. Hence, this research work is focused on manufacturing and mechanical testing of Metal Matrix Composite material (MMC) spur gears. newline newline newline