Gears serve as essential mechanisms in a wide range of mechanical equipment, helping to transmit torque, adjust rotational speeds, transfer power, distribute load and more. Used in necessary applications such as automobiles, energy systems, aerospace and industrial equipment, gears must be able to operate for long periods without maintenance. While gears can be made from a diverse assortment of materials, carbon and alloy steel offer superior benefits in terms of strength, durability and cost efficiency. As a remarkably recyclable material, steel may also be a preferable choice for environmentally conscious manufacturers.
Much of the existing guidelines for making large, high-performance gears for wind turbine gearboxes exhibit a need for improvement. Consider: the large grinding stock used to compensate for heat treatment distortion can significantly reduce manufacturing productivity; and, materials and manufacturing processes are two other promising avenues to improvement. The work presented here investigates quenchable alloy steels that, combined with specifically developed Case-hardening and heat treatment processes, exhibits reduced distortion and, in turn, requires a smaller grinding stock.
Corus Engineering Steels' formula for its new gear steels: Maintain achievable hardness while using fewer alloys, thereby cutting steel costs for gear manufacturers.