表面改質による宇宙用波動歯車装置の長寿命化

抄録

Grease-lubricated strain wave gearings for space applications demand to prolong its lubrication life for future missions. In this study, a carburizing processing and shot peening was applied to the flexspline inside surface and the teeth surfaces of flexspline and circular spline for improving their wear-resistant characteristic. A life test of the surface-modified strain wave gearing was performed in a vacuum. As a result, the strain wave gearing with surface modification reached about 516 000 revolutions of output shaft which corresponded about 14 times longer life compared with the case which has no surface modification. By the visual inspection after the life test, there were no remarkable wear at the interface between flexspline and wave generator and the teeth surfaces. It is considered that higher hardness of the flexspline inside surface than the wave generator outside surface and dimpled surface roughness of the flexspline contribute toward extension of lubrication life.