Project description
Innovative gear designs keep gears turning smoothly even if lubrication is lost
Moving parts generate friction and heat. Lubricants are instrumental in reducing wear and, in the case of components like geared turbofans, catastrophic failures. While significant time and money are invested in developing gear designs to account for all foreseeable operating conditions, not all situations are foreseeable. The EU-funded LUBGEAR project will address this critical challenge through the design of gears that avoid catastrophic damage even in the event of loss of lubrication during 'off-design' conditions. The focus will be on designs that withstand double the load before mechanical abrasion occurs and reduce frictional losses by more than 50 % for a tremendous enhancement in behaviour under loss-of-lubrication conditions.
Objective
LUBGEAR aims at demonstrating gear design solutions which can withstand off-design conditions in geared turbofans without additional means (secondary/auxiliary lubrication). Those solutions combine 1) optimized gear geometry providing low power loss conditions; and 2) Surface and material combinations providing low friction. The solutions aim at reducing friction losses and frictional heat, leading to reduced temperatures and risk of scoring. This will allow producing gears which do not face catastrophic damage even under loss of lubrication in off-design conditions.
An investigation of new enabling technologies regarding off-design conditions will be carried out in simulation and experiment at contact level (TRL2). The combination of material systems (roughness, coating and hardening), contact load, sliding speed, rolling speed, lubricant type and lubricant supply will be considered through a Design of Experiments, allowing LUBGEAR to create a unique database and extend contact modelling tools.
Gear Design Optimisation takes into account the results from contact level and derives solutions coming from geometry, material systems, operating conditions and passive lubrication. A demonstration of the most promising design and technology solutions for gears will be validated in an experimental component test rig at TRL3 level. Gear modelling addresses the predictive design of off-design conditions.
LUBGEAR project gathers 4 strategic partners based on a multidisciplinary approach combining uniquely engineering, tribology, mechanics and advanced chemistry. This will allow developing a gear design with an increase of over 100 % in scoring load and a reduction of over 50 % of frictional losses resulting in remarkable improvements in loss of lubrication conditions. LUBGEAR will assess the benefits of different gear designs including gear geometry, new material systems and passive lubrication technologies in reaching the efficiency and load capacity required for gearboxes.
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Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
20014 San Sebastian
Spain