FEATURE GEARS & GEARBOXES GEARS IN THE MILITARY
Over the next decade, the UK will spend £178 billion on military equipment. The equipment may range from torches to high calibre weapons, but it all requires the ability to adapt to a variety of conditions. Much of this equipment requires high precision gears, as Graham Mackrell, managing director of Harmonic Drive UK, explains
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n the military, all equipment must be able to cope with a range of
environmental challenges, including extreme fluctuations in temperature, high levels of rainfall, and sandstorms. Reports show that British troops in Iraq were exposed to temperatures of over 60°C, and at the other end of the scale, Indian troops have been given specialist gear to help them brave temperatures of up to -50°C. To combat this issue, products for
military applications must be manufactured with extreme temperature variations in mind and be built using the right materials. For electromechanical equipment that includes moving parts, engineers must also choose the right lubrication to ensure that gearing systems remain functional under severe
22 FEBRUARY 2017 | DESIGN SOLUTIONS
operating conditions. Harmonic Drive’s Flexolub M0 lubricant, for example, is effective at temperatures ranging from -70°C to 150°C. Military equipment must be resistant to
all weather conditions including heavy rain in the tropics, for example. The parts must have corrosion protection, either through a paint coating or other finishing, or they should be made out of non-corrosive materials. To protect them, gears should have a suitable level of ingress protection. Sand can cause pitting and corrosion on the surface of the equipment, so it is essential that they are fully sealed to protect them against these harsh environments. Another challenge for military
equipment is that it often travels over rough terrain, and is subject to high
levels of shock and vibration, especially on tracked vehicles. Harmonic Drive gears have a rugged output bearing which is able to withstand high loads and high levels of vibration. Military gears and all military
equipment must be reliable. Of course, in the heat of battle, operators need to trust that the equipment will work correctly. By using high precision gears with a low part count, military engineers can reduce the amount of maintenance required and increase reliability. Bomb disposal robots use Harmonic Drive military gears for their high level of accuracy and zero backlash. As the gears are lightweight and compact, engineers can easily fit them in a robot without dramatically increasing its size. They are used in the CUTLASS robot, which has
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