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Plastic doesn't get stronger under heat-treatment. This type of heat
treatment is used to control the crystallization of metals, and long-chain
polymers like plastic just don't behave like that.
If you need stronger gears, double them. It is the axles that are the weak
point generally, though.
--Jack Gregory
Mark R. Nusekabel <zedot@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message
news:GsHIJ7.DBI@lugnet.com...
> In lugnet.technic, Thomas Avery writes:
> > I recently received an email from someone about strengthening gears. This
> > person claims that by boiling the gears and then cooling them with cold
> > water, their strength will increase.
> >
> > Has anyone tried this? What were your results?
> >
> > TJ
>
> This sounds like the basic technique for "tempering". You've probably • heard
> of tempered glass or tempered metal. From what I remember, this just
> changes the way the strength is handled in the material. A normal • material
> bends more instead of breaking. A tempered material won't bend as much,
> which gives the impression of it being stronger; however, it is more • likely
> to shatter than a normal material. Of course, if anyone is a materials
> expert (I'm not) then feel free to set me straight here. In any case,
> google finds many hits on "tempered glass", but none on "tempered • plastic",
> and there's probably a reason for that ;-).
>
> +Z+
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In lugnet.technic, Jack Gregory writes:
> Plastic doesn't get stronger under heat-treatment. This type of heat
> treatment is used to control the crystallization of metals, and long-chain
> polymers like plastic just don't behave like that.
Yes, this is true.
> If you need stronger gears, double them. It is the axles that are the weak
> point generally, though.
Now that's quite a statement! I got an email yesterday from someone saying
that the axles were the weak point too.
I don't know how you're using your gears, but when something breaks in my
models, it's the gears!
http://www.texbrick.com/ideas/gears/
(see bottom of page)
TJ
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I have never broken a gear. But then, I am a mechanical engineer; I am nice
to my gears. But I fry a lot of electronics!
My experience is that the torsional stiffness of the axles is the limiting
factor of high-torque designs. I have permanently deformed only one,
though, and I avoid high-torque applications for this reason. There are too
many weak points in LEGO to subject to high forces.
I was surprised when I looked at the gear breakage when it first came up
about a month or so ago. I simply can't imagine how you can do that with a
single axle driving it, but I don't doubt you did. I just think something
else is stressing them besides axles.
--Jack Gregory
Thomas Avery <thomas.avery@intec-hou.com> wrote in message
news:GsI86K.IK2@lugnet.com...
> In lugnet.technic, Jack Gregory writes:
> > Plastic doesn't get stronger under heat-treatment. This type of heat
> > treatment is used to control the crystallization of metals, and • long-chain
> > polymers like plastic just don't behave like that.
>
> Yes, this is true.
>
> > If you need stronger gears, double them. It is the axles that are the • weak
> > point generally, though.
>
> Now that's quite a statement! I got an email yesterday from someone saying
> that the axles were the weak point too.
>
> I don't know how you're using your gears, but when something breaks in my
> models, it's the gears!
> http://www.texbrick.com/ideas/gears/
> (see bottom of page)
>
> TJ
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