Materials Matter Archives - Page 2 of 3

Roughness Measurement Tips: The Scratch Pad

Posted by Mark Michaud on Thursday, January 16th, 2020 in

From the perspective of the shop floor environment, the previous Materials Matter column “Roughness Measurement Tips: 2 V 5” discussed the contact stylus 2-micron radius tip versus a 5-micron radius tip....

Vibratory Media Compositions vs. Attrition and Density

Posted by Bill Nebiolo on Tuesday, October 1st, 2019 in

The third in our multi-part series on vibratory processing of gears is focused on understanding how media of different compositions have varying attrition rates and densities, and why these are important in vibratory finishing of gears. ...

Selecting media for optimum vibe bowl gear finishing

Posted by Bill Nebiolo on Tuesday, August 20th, 2019 in

Choosing the best media depends on structure and shape of the tooth flank, and whether media components should be abrasive, non-abrasive, or a blend....

How-to-set-up-a-vibratory-bowl-for-gear-finishing-07-19-MM

Materials Matter: How to Set Up a Vibratory Bowl for Gear Finishing

Posted by Bill Nebiolo on Friday, July 19th, 2019 in

The vibratory bowl is toroidal-shaped, consisting of a center hub surrounded by an OD wall. Direct drive machines have a motor and driveshaft set inside the center hub....

AN ANALYSIS OF A LOSS OF LUBRICATION TEST OF ISOTROPIC SUPERFINISHED GEARS WITHOUT BLACK OXIDE COATING

Materials Matter : Surface Finishing Rotorcraft Gearing

Posted by Danny Estrada on Wednesday, October 3rd, 2018 in

Rotorcraft gearboxes are designed with the utmost precision to withstand the tremendous demand and loads required to convert thousands of horsepower and RPM into hundreds of RPM and lift torque....

Materials Matter : The State of the Art of Wind Turbine Gearboxes

Posted by Mark Michaud on Wednesday, September 5th, 2018 in

Much has been written here about the global growth in the wind turbine industry. Today, more than 341,320 wind turbines are operating worldwide. In particular, the number of offshore installations has exploded in the past seven years....

Materials Matter: Additive Manufacturing: Challenges, Possibilities, and the Gear Industry

Posted by Justin Michaud on Thursday, March 30th, 2017 in

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a technology that has the potential to fundamentally alter manufacturing, specifically metal manufacturing. The ability to design complex shapes, which could not otherwise be manufactured, coupled with a significant red...

Materials Matter: Gear Corrosion in the Manufacturing Process

Posted by Danny Estrada on Tuesday, January 31st, 2017 in

No matter how well gears are designed and manufactured, gear corrosion can occur during the manufacturing process, which may, in turn, result in catastrophic failure....

Materials Matter: Lambda Ratio

Posted by Justin Michaud on Friday, October 21st, 2016 in

The lambda ratio was originally developed to quantify the quality of lubricant operating regimes relative to bearing performance....

Materials Matter: Wind Turbine Gear Repair

Posted by Mark Michaud on Tuesday, May 31st, 2016 in

Wind turbine gearbox durability has improved significantly over the past ten years. The days of early gearbox failure due to epidemic micropitting are largely in the past....

Materials Matter: Roughness Measurement of Precision Gear Teeth

Posted by Mark Michaud on Wednesday, March 16th, 2016 in

Over the past 25 years, industries such as power generation, aerospace, automotive, and others have continuously increased the operational demands of gearboxes....

Materials Matter: Optimizing Performance with Surface Finish and Lubrication

Posted by Christina Michaud on Thursday, March 17th, 2016 in

Materials and manufacturing processes have evolved to generate lighter, stronger, and more robust components to meet the demand for more efficient, highly loaded mechanical systems....