Material selection is based on Process such as forging, die-casting, machining, welding and injection moulding and application as type of load for Knife Edges and Pivots, to minimize Thermal Distortion, for Safe Pressure Vessels, Stiff, High Damping Materials, etc.
In order for gears to achieve their intended performance, durability and reliability, the selection of a suitable gear material is very important. High load capacity requires a tough, hard material that is difficult to machine; whereas high precision favors materials that are easy to machine and therefore have lower strength and hardness ratings. Gears are made of variety of materials depending on the requirement of the machine. They are made of plastic, steel, wood, cast iron, aluminum, brass, powdered metal, magnetic alloys and many others. The gear designer and user face a myriad of choices. The final selection should be based upon an understanding of material properties and application requirements.
This paper commences with a general overview of the methodologies of proper gear material selection to improve performance with optimize cost (including of design & process), weight and noise. We have materials such as SAE
8620, 20MnCr5, 16MnCr5, Nylon, Aluminium, etc. used on Automobile gears. We have process such as Hot & cold forging, rolling, etc. This paper will also focus on uses of Nylon gears on Automobile as Speedo-gears and now moving towards the transmission gear by controlling the backlash. It also has strategy of gear material cost control.