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Strength Evaluation and Failure Prediction of Short Carbon Fiber Reinforced Nylon Spur Gears by Finite Element Modeling

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Abstract

In this paper, short carbon fiber reinforced nylon spur gear pairs, and steel and unreinforced nylon spur gear pairs have been selected for study and comparison. A 3D finite element model was developed to simulate the multi-axial stress–strain behaviors of the gear tooth. Failure prediction has been conducted based on the different failure criteria, including Tsai-Wu criterion. The tooth roots, where has stress concentration and the potential for failure, have been carefully investigated. The modeling results show that the short carbon fiber reinforced nylon gear fabricated by properly controlled injection molding processes can provide higher strength and better performance.

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Acknowledgment

This work was supported by NSF/SD EPSCoR Funds #0554609, NASA EPSCoR Funds #NNX07AL04A, and the State of South Dakota. Computational facility support from the College of Engineering and the Department of Mechanical Engineering at South Dakota State University are gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, 57007, USA

    Zhong Hu

  2. School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99163-2920, USA

    Mohammad Robiul Hossan

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  1. Zhong Hu
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  2. Mohammad Robiul Hossan
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Correspondence to Zhong Hu.

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Hu, Z., Hossan, M.R. Strength Evaluation and Failure Prediction of Short Carbon Fiber Reinforced Nylon Spur Gears by Finite Element Modeling. Appl Compos Mater 20, 315–330 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10443-012-9274-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10443-012-9274-7

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