Hybrid forming of metal-polymer gears: A feasibility assessment
Diego R. ALBA, Calvin EBERT, Philip REITINGER, Christian BONTEN, Mathias LIEWALD
Abstract. Achieving resource efficiency and lightweight design can be significantly improved by selecting materials specifically suited to the required loads and occurring conditions. Hybrid components, particularly metal-polymer composites, fulfil these needs by integrating materials with contrasting properties. For example, polymers offer low density and enhance damping and vibration reduction, while metals provide greater strength and stiffness. Despite their advantages, manufacturing these composite components is complex due to the differing characteristics of the materials. Forming processes hold promise for joining such dissimilar materials, however the current state-of-the-art for using polymers in tandem with cold metal forming is still limited. In this context, this research paper aims to assess a forming manufacturing process to produce a hybrid spur gear using polymer as an active medium for forming the metallic material. In preliminary phases, special attention was given to material characterization to optimize processing parameters, ensuring strong bond strength between the selected materials: aluminum alloy 6060-T66 and glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene. Based on the optimized parameter set and additional findings, this paper aims to evaluate the manufacturing of a spur gear through finite element method simulations, followed by experimental validation. The numerical simulation was carried out to assist in tooling design and analyze material flow. Subsequent validation experiments were conducted, with results correlated to the numerical findings by comparing the final geometry and force-displacement curves.
Keywords
Hybrid Forming, Polymeric-Metallic Components, Numerical Simulation
Published online 5/7/2025, 10 pages
Copyright © 2025 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Diego R. ALBA, Calvin EBERT, Philip REITINGER, Christian BONTEN, Mathias LIEWALD, Hybrid forming of metal-polymer gears: A feasibility assessment, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 54, pp 1354-1363, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644903599-147
The article was published as article 147 of the book Material Forming
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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