Cumulative Energy Demand Analysis of Commercial and Hybrid Metal-Composite Gears at Different End-of-Life Strategies
Gears remain a fundamental component in mechanical power transmission, with ongoing research focused on enhancing performance and sustainability. This study addresses the process of gear lightweighting, a key factor for efficiency improvements in automotive and aerospace sectors. Traditionally, mate...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2504-4494/9/1/14 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832588308623917056 |
|---|---|
| author | Francesco Borda Rocco Adduci Domenico Mundo Francesco Gagliardi |
| author_facet | Francesco Borda Rocco Adduci Domenico Mundo Francesco Gagliardi |
| author_sort | Francesco Borda |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Gears remain a fundamental component in mechanical power transmission, with ongoing research focused on enhancing performance and sustainability. This study addresses the process of gear lightweighting, a key factor for efficiency improvements in automotive and aerospace sectors. Traditionally, material removal from gear bodies results in weight reduction, but at the cost of increased noise and vibration. A novel approach using hybrid gears, which combine a metal rim and hub with a composite material web, offers a promising solution. This research proposes a comparative environmental analysis among a conventional full steel, a lightweight and a hybrid gear using a life cycle energy quantification. The study considers two End-of-Life (EoL) scenarios: a conventional open loop scenario with partial recycling and a closed loop scenario with comprehensive recycling, including a thermal recycling for carbon fiber-reinforced plastics. The Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) has been conducted by applying a cradle-to-grave approach. The CED has been evaluated for each gear configuration quantifying the impact of each unit process involved in the production of the gear, from raw material extraction to product manufacturing and from use phase to different EoL scenarios. The cumulative results, performed preserving the same mechanical performance, indicate that the CED of the hybrid gear in the conventional open loop scenario is comparable to the one of the full gears, with an increase of 12.58%. In contrast, in the closed loop scenario, the hybrid gear exhibits substantial energy recovery benefits, with an overall CED difference of 7.50% compared to the lightweight gear and of 28.82% compared to the full gear. These results underline the potential of hybrid gears to improve efficiency, being able to achieve a 20% weight reduction with respect to the full gears, and to reduce environmental impact if effective recycling strategies were implemented. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cce1f56a907f41d788bd11bc4a62e357 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2504-4494 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing |
| spelling | doaj-art-cce1f56a907f41d788bd11bc4a62e3572025-01-24T13:36:26ZengMDPI AGJournal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing2504-44942025-01-01911410.3390/jmmp9010014Cumulative Energy Demand Analysis of Commercial and Hybrid Metal-Composite Gears at Different End-of-Life StrategiesFrancesco Borda0Rocco Adduci1Domenico Mundo2Francesco Gagliardi3Department of Mechanical, Energy and Management Engineering, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, CS, ItalyDepartment of Mechanical, Energy and Management Engineering, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, CS, ItalyDepartment of Mechanical, Energy and Management Engineering, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, CS, ItalyDepartment of Mechanical, Energy and Management Engineering, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, CS, ItalyGears remain a fundamental component in mechanical power transmission, with ongoing research focused on enhancing performance and sustainability. This study addresses the process of gear lightweighting, a key factor for efficiency improvements in automotive and aerospace sectors. Traditionally, material removal from gear bodies results in weight reduction, but at the cost of increased noise and vibration. A novel approach using hybrid gears, which combine a metal rim and hub with a composite material web, offers a promising solution. This research proposes a comparative environmental analysis among a conventional full steel, a lightweight and a hybrid gear using a life cycle energy quantification. The study considers two End-of-Life (EoL) scenarios: a conventional open loop scenario with partial recycling and a closed loop scenario with comprehensive recycling, including a thermal recycling for carbon fiber-reinforced plastics. The Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) has been conducted by applying a cradle-to-grave approach. The CED has been evaluated for each gear configuration quantifying the impact of each unit process involved in the production of the gear, from raw material extraction to product manufacturing and from use phase to different EoL scenarios. The cumulative results, performed preserving the same mechanical performance, indicate that the CED of the hybrid gear in the conventional open loop scenario is comparable to the one of the full gears, with an increase of 12.58%. In contrast, in the closed loop scenario, the hybrid gear exhibits substantial energy recovery benefits, with an overall CED difference of 7.50% compared to the lightweight gear and of 28.82% compared to the full gear. These results underline the potential of hybrid gears to improve efficiency, being able to achieve a 20% weight reduction with respect to the full gears, and to reduce environmental impact if effective recycling strategies were implemented.https://www.mdpi.com/2504-4494/9/1/14cumulative energy demandgearcomposite materialhybrid componentstatic transmission error |
| spellingShingle | Francesco Borda Rocco Adduci Domenico Mundo Francesco Gagliardi Cumulative Energy Demand Analysis of Commercial and Hybrid Metal-Composite Gears at Different End-of-Life Strategies Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing cumulative energy demand gear composite material hybrid component static transmission error |
| title | Cumulative Energy Demand Analysis of Commercial and Hybrid Metal-Composite Gears at Different End-of-Life Strategies |
| title_full | Cumulative Energy Demand Analysis of Commercial and Hybrid Metal-Composite Gears at Different End-of-Life Strategies |
| title_fullStr | Cumulative Energy Demand Analysis of Commercial and Hybrid Metal-Composite Gears at Different End-of-Life Strategies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cumulative Energy Demand Analysis of Commercial and Hybrid Metal-Composite Gears at Different End-of-Life Strategies |
| title_short | Cumulative Energy Demand Analysis of Commercial and Hybrid Metal-Composite Gears at Different End-of-Life Strategies |
| title_sort | cumulative energy demand analysis of commercial and hybrid metal composite gears at different end of life strategies |
| topic | cumulative energy demand gear composite material hybrid component static transmission error |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2504-4494/9/1/14 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT francescoborda cumulativeenergydemandanalysisofcommercialandhybridmetalcompositegearsatdifferentendoflifestrategies AT roccoadduci cumulativeenergydemandanalysisofcommercialandhybridmetalcompositegearsatdifferentendoflifestrategies AT domenicomundo cumulativeenergydemandanalysisofcommercialandhybridmetalcompositegearsatdifferentendoflifestrategies AT francescogagliardi cumulativeenergydemandanalysisofcommercialandhybridmetalcompositegearsatdifferentendoflifestrategies |