Traditional time-varying meshing stiffness models for polymer gears ignore viscoelasticity, leading to inaccurate material response under alternating stress and limited dynamic prediction accuracy. This paper aims to propose a viscoelasticity-integrated meshing stiffness method for PEEK-metal gears and clarify temperature’s influence on meshing stiffness.
A generalized Maxwell model characterizes PEEK viscoelasticity. The constitutive relation is integrated into stiffness calculation via the micro-element method and viscoelastic correspondence principle. ANSYS finite element models are established, and analytical/FE methods are cross-validated. Temperature effects (25°C–120°C) are analyzed.
Analytical/FE error is 5%–8% with consistent trends. PEEK’s modulus decreases by 32%–40% in 25°C–120°C, reducing stiffness peaks by 7%–26% and fluctuations by 14%–21%. Viscoelasticity causes stiffness curve flattening, and metal gear square-wave models are unsuitable for plastic gears.
This reveals temperature’s mechanism via viscoelasticity, improving plastic gear theory. It provides theoretical support for polymer transmission system analysis, vibration suppression and optimization, guiding subsequent PEEK-metal gear research.
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-08-2025-0395/
