THE PERFORMANCE AND LIFE OF FLUID-LUBRICATED HARMONIC DRIVE® GEARS

摘要

It is known that the performance and life of fluidlubricatedrnHarmonic Drive® gears are dependent on arnnumber of parameters. These include speed of rotation,rnoutput load, temperature, and type and amount ofrnlubricant. In this paper we present and compare data onrnthe performance and life of Harmonic Drive® gearsrnlubricated with PFPE and MAC fluid lubricants. Theserndata include in-situ measurements of efficiency,rntorsional stiffness and, uniquely, axial force at thernFlexspline/Wave-Generator interface made possible byrna new test-rig. The latter measurement allows thernfriction at the WG/FS interface to be monitored whichrnin turn provides an indication of the condition andrneffectiveness of the lubricant at this interface. Thernevolution of such parameters during the course of liferntests has provided new insights into the behaviour ofrnHarmonic Drive® gears and, in particular, the fall-off inrnperformance that defines useful life.