title: Castable Bulk Metallic Glass Strain Wave Gears: Towards Decreasing the Cost of High-Performance Robotics.
abstract: The use of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) as the flexspline in strain wave gears (SWGs), also known as harmonic drives, is presented. SWGs are unique, ultra-precision gearboxes that function through the elastic flexing of a thin-walled cup, called a flexspline. The current research demonstrates that BMGs can be cast at extremely low cost relative to machining and can be implemented into SWGs as an alternative to steel. This approach may significantly reduce the cost of SWGs, enabling lower-cost robotics. The attractive properties of BMGs, such as hardness, elastic limit and yield strength, may also be suitable for extreme environment applications in spacecraft.
authors.affiliation: Engineering and Science Directorate, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr. Pasadena CA 91109, USA.|Keck Laboratory of Engineering Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena CA 91125, USA.
authors.forename: Douglas C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Hofmann
authors.affiliation: Engineering and Science Directorate, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr. Pasadena CA 91109, USA.
authors.forename: Raul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Polit-Casillas
authors.affiliation: Engineering and Science Directorate, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr. Pasadena CA 91109, USA.
authors.forename: Scott N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.affiliation: Engineering and Science Directorate, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr. Pasadena CA 91109, USA.
authors.forename: John-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Borgonia
authors.affiliation: Engineering and Science Directorate, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr. Pasadena CA 91109, USA.
authors.forename: Robert P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Dillon
authors.affiliation: Engineering and Science Directorate, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr. Pasadena CA 91109, USA.
authors.forename: Evan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hilgemann
authors.affiliation: Keck Laboratory of Engineering Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena CA 91125, USA.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kolodziejska
authors.affiliation: Engineering and Science Directorate, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr. Pasadena CA 91109, USA.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Montemayor
authors.affiliation: Engineering and Science Directorate, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr. Pasadena CA 91109, USA.
authors.forename: Jong-Ook
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Suh
authors.affiliation: Keck Laboratory of Engineering Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena CA 91125, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hoff
authors.affiliation: Engineering and Science Directorate, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr. Pasadena CA 91109, USA.
authors.forename: Kalind
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Carpenter
authors.affiliation: Engineering and Science Directorate, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr. Pasadena CA 91109, USA.
authors.forename: Aaron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parness
authors.affiliation: Keck Laboratory of Engineering Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena CA 91125, USA.
authors.forename: William L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Engineering and Science Directorate, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr. Pasadena CA 91109, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kennett
authors.affiliation: Engineering and Science Directorate, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr. Pasadena CA 91109, USA.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wilcox