XFEM-Based Simulation of Polymer Gear Pair for Time-Dependent Mesh Stiffness Estimation Considering Viscoelastic Behaviour

XFEM-Based Simulation of Polymer Gear Pair for Time-Dependent Mesh Stiffness Estimation Considering Viscoelastic Behaviour | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article XFEM-Based Simulation of Polymer Gear Pair for Time-Dependent Mesh Stiffness Estimation Considering Viscoelastic Behaviour Akash Yadav This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8559255/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The growing popularity of polymer gears in modern mechanical systems is due to their lightweight, self-lubricating characteristics, and excellent vibration and noise damping compared to metallic gears. Nevertheless, the viscoelastic behaviour of polymers under dynamic loading significantly affects gear performance, which has usually been overlooked in conventional elastic studies. This study investigates the evolution of gear mesh stiffness (GMS) and failure behaviour of polymer spur gears over time by integrating viscoelastic material modelling with the extended finite element method (XFEM). The viscoelastic response is defined through the Prony series coefficients obtained from stress relaxation test and implemented in Abaqus using the generalized Maxwell model (GMM). A cohesive zone traction-separation law was used to simulate crack initiation and propagation, allowing mesh-independent crack growth. Additionally, dynamic modelling of a polymer gear pair has been done by employing GMS obtained from XFEM. The response of the dynamic model is experimentally validated. The model effectively predicts the time-dependent GMS degradation and vibration characteristics of cracked polymer gears. Mechanical Engineering Polymer gear Viscoelastic behaviour Extended finite element method Gear mesh stiffness Generalized Maxwell model Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8559255","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":571950740,"identity":"61b6c353-4823-465c-b72a-7b0da95644d4","order_by":0,"name":"Akash 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