Application Description
Thirty-seven Vespel® polyimide parts serve as wear pads, thrust washers and seal rings in a new top-of-the-line 16x16 gearbox for Ford New Holland midsize tractors.
Benefits Gained
Low friction, low wear. Ford New Holland’s tests and experience show good durability under extreme PV (pressure X velocity) conditions. During gear changes, shift pads and thrustwashers are subjected to instantaneous PVs up to 4 million psi • fpm (8.4 GPa • m/min) in a forced lubrication environment. Hardened steel washers frequently do not work under such conditions, according to Ford New Holland.
Reliability. Ford New Holland reports no field failures of Vespel® parts in earlier transmissions using such components under similarly rigorous conditions.
Quality assurance. The DuPont plant in Mechelen, Belgium, that makes these Vespel® parts has received coveted Ford Q1 and ISO 9002 certifications.
Short development time. Owing to previous experience with Vespel® parts, Ford New Holland engineers were confident that the Vespel® parts would meet their design objectives. They were, therefore, able to concentrate precious design and engineering resources on other demanding transmission components.
Materials Selected and Why
Vespel® parts meet needs for low friction and wear over a broad range of PVs, creep resistance, reliable sealing, resistance to chemical attack by transmission oil and proven performance in tractor gear boxes.
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