A study of vegetale oils performance as a helical gear lubricant

Abstract

Gears are used as power transmission dates back several hundred years. Before the introduction of iron and steel as the material that makes them, gears consisted of circular wooden wheels with wooden pegs fastened to the rims to serve as teeth. The power that used to operate these mechanisms were provided by man, animal, water or wind. Wear was not a major problem with the crude wood-tooth gears, but later, when cast iron gears came into usage, some form of lubrication is necessary whereby lubrication is other method to reduce noise. Greasy materials are known used to reduce noise those early days. Animal fats were about the only lubricants available, so they were used. They served satisfactorily because speeds and loads were low and mechanical wear on the teeth was not too serious. It was not causing so much trouble when the broken gear teeth are replaced. However, by the time the steam engine was invented, gears were made of iron, which would hold or withstand greater loads and speeds. As the machine begin and continue to develop, gears of greater precision were required. At first, spur and straight bevel gears were enough and satisfactory, but with the advent of the steam turbine and electric motor, gear design became more of a science and the herringbone type was perfected. Then the process of gear cutting really became an art because precision and strength of metal had to be coordinated. Other types of tooth design which accompanied the development of automotive transportation and built in transmission units involved was the helical, spiral, bevel and worm gears. They paved the way for the hypoid gear which is virtually standard in automotive equipment today