Investigation of the Mechanical Properties of Spur Involute Gearing by Infrared Thermography

The work aims at validating a methodology for 3D printing of gears with involute gearing and evaluating their mechanical properties using infrared camera. A general methodology for the setup of 3D printing of gears made of polymeric materials has been developed, which can be used in technical practice in order to replace parts produced by conventional methods. An experiment was prepared determination of the distribution of the 1st invariant of the stress tensor and phase shift using a modal exciter and an IR camera. The values of the 1st invariant of the stress invariant were found. For these measurements, the lock-in thermography method was used, using a modal exciter we force loaded a gear in which the response to the load was registered. The aim was to obtain the distribution of the strain or stress field on the loaded tooth. The experimental method used also belongs to the field of non-destructive testing (NDT), and with suitable experimental parameters we can also obtain information from the layers below the surface, as demonstrated in the phase images. The practical benefit is to provide a competitive advantage to companies that will exploit the properties of polymeric materials by knowing the mechanical properties of these materials.