Open AccessThe paper offers to use a curve of changing vibration amplitude of the rotating moment on the worm shaft of reducer in the process of growing brake (loading) moment as one of criteria of the worm reducer operability. A condition of reducer operability at the nominal moment is lack of vibrations of the rotating moment with a critical value of amplitude.
It is shown that vibrations of rotating moment on a shaft of the electric engine, by their nature, are self-vibrations in the system with "negative friction". Values of the brake moment at which there is a sharp increase of vibration amplitude leading to operability loss correspond to the nominal moment for this reducer or to the brake moment, corresponding to the maximum efficiency. It is shown that different lubricants differently influence on the generation of self-vibrations. The most efficient damping occurs when using oil with the additive "Striboil", and the reason of falling efficiency at the excess of the nominal moment is essentially increased energy losses at generation of vibrations with "negative friction", especially when approaching to the resonance area. Thus, taking into account a nature of damping vibrations, with using different lubricants, allows us to increase the permissible tension since the more is a damping value the more is a brake moment corresponding to the maximum efficiency. It is noted that, when using the additives to oils, a growth of the permissible tension is caused by the processes of film formation increasing the real contact area, which increases its share of the nominal contact area determined by the Hertz formula.