Study on the Friction and Wear Characteristics of ADC12–POM Gear Pairs Considering Temperature

Abstract

ADC12–POM gear pairs are widely used in electromechanical actuators in fields such as automobiles and robotics. Due to the substantial difference in elastic modulus between ADC12 and POM, pronounced offline-contact behavior emerges during meshing. In addition, the contact characteristics of ADC12–POM are highly sensitive to temperature, resulting in more complex variations in curvature radius, contact stress, and sliding velocity during the meshing process, which further affect the friction and wear behavior. However, existing friction and wear models rarely take these factors into account simultaneously. Therefore, this paper presents a modeling and experimental validation of ADC12-POM friction and wear behavior, simultaneously considering temperature, contact stress, sliding speed, and gear curvature radius. A friction coefficient model that accounts for the effects of temperature, contact stress, sliding velocity, and curvature radius is developed based on experimental data obtained from ADC12–POM friction pairs (the ADC12 plate and the POM ball). By integrating the friction formula with the meshing process of gear pairs, the variation pattern of the friction coefficient in gear pairs has been investigated. Wear tests under various working conditions are performed to validate the simulation results. The results show that the simulated wear at different points on the tooth surface agrees well with the experimental data, with a deviation of approximately 5%. The findings are expected to provide a theoretical basis for the performance optimization of ADC12–POM gear pairs.