D. Arunkumar et al., Durability and performance evaluation of surface treated worm drives of similar material pair, TRIBOL INT, 31(7), 1998, pp. 385-392
The present work is concerned with development and analysis on the performa
nce of a similar material pair worm drive. Experiments were carried out on
En-353 steel, case hardened worm mating with Sursulf treated wheel made of
the same material. A constant value of limiting torque has been established
at all tested speeds. It is found that at higher speeds (>1200 rpm) temper
ature increases progressively without attaining a stable value, leading to
thermal instability. Beyond this, lubrication failure has been observed. Ef
ficiency is relatively higher at intermediate torque levels. Reduced effici
ency at higher torque level is due to ineffective lubrication. From the wea
r debris analysis, it was observed that no uncharacteristic mode of wear pr
evailed at any of the tested conditions. A fairly low value of coefficient
of friction based on operating conditions is observed. This can be attribut
ed to the presence of Sursulf treatment. The drive has not exhibited any te
ndency to scuffing or scoring within the range of tested conditions for con
tinuous duty, largely attributed to Sursulf treatment. (C) 1998 Elsevier Sc
ience Ltd. All rights reserved.