Gear wheels are used in gears and other mechanisms such as gear pumps or gear couplings. They are an inseparable element of machines and devices from various industries and industries. Their functionality depends on what they are made of and what durability they achieve.
Gear hardening
Hardening is a form of heat treatment that consists of several stages. The first is to heat a given material to a certain temperature. In the second one, it should be kept in such conditions until its structure is rebuilt. Most often they are phase transitions. The third step is quick cooling. Conducting them in appropriate conditions will make them arise in the material stress concentrations that will increase hardness, strength, plasticity, elasticity or wear resistance. Is this, however, is achieved at the expense of brittleness or a decrease in plasticity. Gears most often it is hardened with the induction method - a non-contact process that generates intense and concentrated heat. Specific effects are achieved through the heating cycles, frequency and type of cooling medium. Other hardening methods are used much less frequently.
Hardening possibilities
Designing a gear transmission requires the selection of a material, the use of which will ensure that the wheels will have the appropriate strength and technological parameters. Excellent results can be obtained with wheels made of carburized, frozen, tempered, stabilized and just hardened alloy steel. Carburizing, hardening and nitriding are the methods to achieve the highest load capacity of the working tooth surfaces of gears. However, all these processes can be too costly, so usually only surface hardening of low-alloy steels is sufficient. In this way, teeth with a hardened surface and an elastic core are obtained. Hardened gears get a very hard and damage-resistant coating, which increases their durability in a harsh working environment. Heat treatment in some cases can cause distortions that must be corrected by cutting.