Gears with top in-service performance developed for
hybrid and electric vehicles
TOPGEAR project in a nutshell
The stringent CO2 emissions targets are boosting the sales of hybrid /electric vehicles (HEV/ EV). In a near future, the gears rotating speed in HEV/EV is expected to triple the combustion cars one. However, gears produced through the conventional process are not able to withstand the demanding working conditions of these future cars.
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The EU-project TOPGEAR funded within the RFCS programme aims to develop of new production routes
leading to gears with top performance to met the in-service conditions of future vehicles.
Objectives
The main goal of TOPGEAR is
to develop new manufacturing routes, combining new steels and surface hardening techniques, which enable to produce a new generation of gears for future HEV/EV that must work at 15,000 rpm and keeping actual torque values avoiding fatigue and scuffing failures.
Develop new carburizing and quenching process to boost the gears in-service performance.
Enhance machinability of nitriding/nitrocarburizing steels by: 1) the addition of Bi to a Q&T steel and 2) the replacement of Q&T steels by a F-P microalloyed steel.
Conduct an integral Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate the conventional and new manufacturing routes of future gears for HEV/EV.
