Systems and methods for implementing tailored metallic glass-based strain wave gears and strain wave gear components
AssigneeCalifornia Institute of Technology
InventorsDouglas C. Hofmann, Brian H. Wilcox
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Abstract
Systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention implement tailored metallic glass-based strain wave gears and strain wave gear components. In one embodiment, a method of fabricating a flexspline of a strain wave gear includes: forming a MG-based composition into a flexspline using one of a thermoplastic forming technique and a casting technique; where the forming of the MG-based composition results in a formed MG-based material; where the formed flexspline is characterized by: a minimum thickness of greater than approximately 1 mm and a major diameter of less than approximately 4 inches.
Claims20
A method of fabricating a flexspline of a strain wave gear comprising:
- providing a mold having a shape of a flexspline;
- forming a MG-based composition into the flexspline using a forming technique comprising:
- heating an MG-based composition to a temperature greater than the glass transition temperature of the MG-based composition,
- depositing the MG-based composition into the mold,
- conforming the MG-based composition to the shape of the mold while the temperature of the MG-based composition within the first region is greater than its respective glass transition temperature of the MG-based composition,
- quenching the MG-based composition sufficiently rapidly to maintain at least some amorphous structure in the MG-composition,
- removing the MG-based composition from the mold, and
- wherein the forming of the MG-based composition results in a formed flexspline comprising a MG-based material;
- and
- wherein the formed flexspline is characterized by:
- at least a portion having a thickness of greater than approximately 1 mm and a major diameter of less than approximately 4 inches.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.