Composite Metal-Resin Gear Structure for Low Weight and Strength
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gears require weight reduction for energy savings and smooth robot movement, but resin-based gears lack sufficient strength, especially under high loads, posing reliability and safety concerns in industrial and automotive applications.
Innovation Solution
A gear design featuring a metal outer peripheral and central portion with a resin portion in between, incorporating features like groove and convex portions on the metal surfaces to enhance strength and prevent displacement, allowing for both weight reduction and high strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If a resin material is used for the gear, then the weight of the gear is reduced, but the strength of the gear becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The gear is constructed using a composite structure combining metal and resin materials. The metal outer peripheral portion provides high strength for load-bearing tooth portions, while the resin portion reduces overall weight. This composite material approach resolves the contradiction by integrating materials with complementary properties - metal for strength where needed and resin for weight reduction in non-critical areas.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the gear have different material compositions tailored to their functional requirements. The outer peripheral portion containing tooth portions is made of metal for high strength, the central portion is made of metal for structural support, while intermediate portions use resin for weight reduction. This local differentiation of material quality allows the gear to achieve both weight reduction and sufficient strength in critical areas.
2Reliability
If the strength of the gear is increased to ensure reliability under high loads, then the weight of the gear increases
Solution Approach 1:
The composite structure of metal and resin materials allows the gear to achieve high reliability where needed while maintaining low weight. The metal portions ensure reliability under high loads and impact conditions, while the resin portions contribute to weight reduction, thereby resolving the contradiction between reliability and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
High-strength metal material is localized to critical areas (outer peripheral portion with tooth portions and central portion) where reliability is most important for withstanding high loads. Non-critical areas use lighter resin material, achieving reliability where necessary without the penalty of uniform weight increase throughout the entire gear.
Data Source
AI summary
A gear component has an annular form, is made of a metal, and includes tooth portions and a support portion which supports the tooth portions. The tooth portions are provided on an outside of the support portion along an entire circumference thereof, and groove portions are provided along a width direction of the gear component evenly on an annular inner surface of the support portion. At least one groove portion is provided per one tooth portion or two or more adjacent tooth portions, and each groove portion is located to correspond to a position where one tooth portion is present on the support portion.