What are The Materials of Ring Gears?

What is Ring Gear

Ring gear is commonly used part in mechanical transmission, usually refers to an annular part with a circle of teeth mounted on the outer edge of a flywheel or other rotating parts, which is used to mesh with other gears to achieve power transmission and motion conversion.

Features of ring gears:

High transmission efficiency: the ring gear adopts the gear transmission mode, with high meshing accuracy and small friction loss, which can efficiently transmit power, convert the power of high-speed rotation into low-speed and high-torque power, or vice versa, it can also change the direction of rotation and speed, and the transmission efficiency can generally reach more than 95%.

Compact structure: The structure of the ring gear is relatively simple and compact, occupies a small space, can realize power transmission in a limited space, is easy to install and layout, and can meet the space requirements of various mechanical equipment.

Strong bearing capacity: It is usually made of high-strength materials such as carbon steel, alloy steel, stainless steel, etc., and after heat treatment processes such as quenching and carburizing, it has high tooth surface hardness and good core toughness, which can withstand large torque and load, and can adapt to high speed and high load working conditions.

High transmission accuracy: The tooth shape and size of the ring gear have been precision machined and designed, and have high meshing accuracy between the gear and the meshing gear, which can ensure the accurate transmission ratio, smooth motion transmission, reduce vibration and noise, and is suitable for occasions with high requirements for transmission accuracy.

Long service life: Under normal working conditions, the wear of the ring gear is relatively small, and as long as good lubrication and maintenance are ensured, its service life is longer. This is because the material has excellent properties, the tooth surface has been hardened, and the tooth surface contact stress distribution is relatively uniform during the meshing process.

Convenient maintenance: Compared with some other complex transmission parts, the maintenance and maintenance of the gear ring is relatively simple, regularly check the wear of the tooth surface, lubrication status, timely clean up impurities and replace the lubricating oil, etc., you can ensure its normal operation, reduce maintenance costs and downtime.

What are The Materials of Ring Gears?

The commonly used materials for ring gears need to have the characteristics of high strength, high wear resistance, good toughness and processability to meet the requirements of different working conditions. Here are some common ring gear materials:

Metallic materials

Medium carbon steel: such as 45 steel, after heat treatment such as quenching and tempering, quenching, etc., it can obtain a certain strength and hardness, has good comprehensive mechanical properties, and the price is relatively low, the processing technology is good, and it is often used in the general transmission gear ring with small load and low speed.

Medium carbon alloy steel: like 40Cr, 35CrMo, etc., this kind of steel can obtain higher strength, toughness and wear resistance after suitable heat treatment, and the hardenability is also better than that of medium carbon steel, which is suitable for ring gears that bear medium loads and require high wear resistance and fatigue resistance, such as some ring gears in automobile transmissions.

Carburized steel: 20CrMnTi is a typical carburized steel, after carburizing, quenching and low temperature tempering, the tooth surface has high hardness, high wear resistance and good contact fatigue resistance, the core maintains high strength and toughness, and is often used in high-speed, heavy-duty and wear-resistant ring gears, such as ring gears in aero engine transmission systems.

Cast iron: including gray cast iron and ductile iron. Gray cast iron has good casting performance, vibration damping and wear resistance, low cost, and is suitable for some low-speed, light-load ring gears. The mechanical properties of ductile iron are better than those of gray cast iron, with higher strength and toughness, and can be used for ring gear that can withstand certain loads, such as ring gear in some agricultural machinery.

Non-metallic materials

Engineering plastics: common polyamide (PA), polyoxymethylene (POM), etc. Engineering plastics have the advantages of light weight, good self-lubrication, low noise, corrosion resistance, etc., and are suitable for some occasions that require weight, corrosive working environment or need to reduce noise, such as ring gear in office equipment and small household appliances.

Rubber: It has good elasticity, vibration damping and impact resistance, and is often used in some special rings that need to cushion vibration and absorb impact, such as synchronizer rings of automobiles. However, the bearing capacity of rubber ring gear is relatively low, and it is generally used for low-load, low-speed transmission.

What are The Advantages And Disadvantages of Metal Ring Gear And Non-Metal Ring Gear?

Metal ring gears

Merit

High strength and high bearing capacity: metal materials have high strength and hardness, can withstand large loads, and are suitable for heavy-load, high-speed transmission occasions, such as large industrial equipment, aerospace and other fields of transmission systems.

High precision and stability: The manufacturing process of metal ring gear is mature, which can achieve high machining accuracy, ensure the accuracy of tooth shape and the stability of transmission, so as to ensure the accuracy of the transmission ratio, and is often used in equipment with high transmission accuracy, such as machine tools, precision instruments, etc.

Good wear resistance and heat resistance: metal materials have good wear resistance, can maintain the finish and accuracy of the tooth surface in long-term use, and are not prone to transmission failure caused by wear. At the same time, the metal has good heat resistance and can work normally in higher temperature environments, such as the ring gear in automobile engines, which can withstand the high temperatures generated during engine operation.

Strong corrosion resistance: some metal materials have good corrosion resistance after special treatment, and can be used in some harsh working environments, such as in the industrial production environment with certain corrosive media, stainless steel gear rings can maintain good performance.

Shortcoming

Larger weight: The higher density of the metal ring gear leads to its heavier weight, which may increase the overall weight of the equipment and affect its performance and efficiency in some equipment with strict weight requirements, such as aerospace, electric vehicles, etc.

High manufacturing cost: The manufacturing process of metal ring gear is complex, requiring multiple processes such as forging, heat treatment, and machining, and the processing equipment and technology requirements are high, so the manufacturing cost is relatively high.

Loud noise: In the transmission process, the meshing between the metal gear rings is easy to produce noise, especially in high-speed operation, the noise problem may be more prominent, which may become a limiting factor in some occasions with strict requirements for noise control, such as precision instruments and equipment, medical equipment, etc.

Lubrication required: To reduce wear and friction, metal ring gears often need to be lubricated with oil at regular intervals, which increases the maintenance cost and complexity of the equipment, and oil leaks can also contaminate the working environment.

Non-metallic ring gears

Merit

Light weight: The density of non-metallic materials is generally much smaller than that of metals, so the non-metallic ring gear is lightweight, which can effectively reduce the overall weight of the equipment, and has obvious advantages in some weight-sensitive fields, such as drones, small electronics, etc.

Good self-lubrication: many non-metallic materials have self-lubricating characteristics, such as engineering plastics, which do not need to add additional lubricating oil during the transmission process, which can reduce maintenance costs and avoid the pollution problem caused by lubricating oil leakage, and are suitable for some occasions with high cleanliness requirements, such as food processing equipment, medical equipment, etc.

Low noise: When the non-metallic ring gear is running, due to the elasticity and damping characteristics of the material, it can absorb vibration and impact, thereby reducing the transmission noise and providing a quieter working environment for the equipment, which is often used in office equipment, household appliances and other products with low noise requirements.

Low cost: The manufacturing process of non-metallic ring gear is relatively simple, and the cost of materials is also low, especially for some large-scale production products, the use of non-metallic ring gear can effectively reduce production cost and improve the market competitiveness of products.

Good corrosion resistance: Most non-metallic materials have good corrosion resistance, can work normally in corrosive environments such as acid, alkali and salt, and can be applied to chemical, electroplating and other corrosive industrial fields.

Shortcoming

Limited bearing capacity: The strength and hardness of non-metallic materials are relatively low, and the bearing capacity is not as good as that of metal ring gears, which is generally only suitable for light-load, low-speed transmission occasions, such as transmission systems in toys, small instruments and other equipment.

Poor heat resistance: The heat resistance of non-metallic materials is usually not as good as that of metal, and it is easy to deform, soften or even melt in a high-temperature environment, which limits its application in high-temperature environments, such as in the transmission system of some high-temperature industrial furnaces, it is not suitable to use non-metallic ring gears.

Relatively low precision and stability: In the manufacturing process of non-metallic ring gears, due to factors such as the large shrinkage rate of materials and the limitation of molding process, it is difficult to achieve the high processing accuracy and dimensional stability of metal ring gears, and may not be able to meet the requirements in equipment with extremely high requirements for transmission accuracy.

Limited wear resistance: Although some non-metallic materials have certain wear resistance, during long-term and frequent use, the non-metallic ring gear may wear out faster than the metal ring gear and need to be replaced regularly, which increases the maintenance cost and downtime of the equipment to a certain extent.

Supplier of Ring Gears

LTZC Bearings provides a series of services such as R&D, design, production and sales of thin-walled ball bearing products. If you are looking for ring gear bearing supplier, please contact us for the latest quote.