Spur and Helical Chapter 8: Spur and helical gears ears Chapter 8 ‘There are many types of gears used in engineering asset out in Australian Standard AS2075- Glossary of Terms end Notations for Gears. Some of the types encountered include + spur + elisa + double heal (herringbone) + bevel + hypoia ‘Two gears in msshae called a gear pair. Normally gears mesh externlly but sometimes the ‘mesh may be intemal, thats, one ofthe gearshas the zeth cut internally, The smale gear ofa ‘air is called the pinion whereas the larger is caled the whee. In a pair of gears, the peat ‘eanamitting input torque and poweris called the driver whereas the gear transmitting output {torque and powers known asthe driven. Normally ia mechanical power transzsson, the ‘tver isthe pinion so the wheel rotates ata slower speed than the pinion that is, there is & reduction in speed through the gear pai. (You might lke 1o discuss the reason wy thi sso) ‘Usually gears are cyindsical but other fom are possible of which the most commonisthe rack «and pinion. Here the wheel is at (of infinite diameter) and is known as a rack ‘When more than two gears ae in continoous mesh, this is known asa gear rain There are severaltypes of geartrainusedin mechanicalpower transmission, including simple compound and planetary. These are usrated in Figure 1 Compound Figure I: Gear trains Planetary Inthe ase ofthe simple gear rin the intermediate gear (or gears) ate known as idler gears ‘because they donot change the ratio between te driven and driver gears. You might keto iscuss the purpose of idler gears) Ofte varios types of gars used in enginerng, the most common are spar and helical gears These are illustrated in Figure 2 Ey awa 1 al‘Spor and Helical Gears Chapter 8 ‘Spur gears have the teeth cut parle tothe axis ofthe shat. Helical gearshave the teeth ut stan angleto the axis of the shaft, The ange called te bein. ‘gle, cand is usually about 20°for single belical gears or about 30-35° for double helical (Gerringbone) gears, ‘Note : With helical gear pir, one helix must be right-hand and the other left-hand |——. a 3 Figure 2: Spur and helical gears Velocity ratio ‘Forallgearsother than the worm and wheel, the velocity ratio ofa gear pairs the rato ofthe ‘number of eethineach gear. Forexampleifa 20 toothpinion meshes witha 40 tooth wheel. the velocity rato is vR 20 Inthe case of compound gear tain, the overall velocity ratio isthe munication ofthe velocity ratio ofeach gear pai. Ifinthe shove example the wheelhad 420 tooth pinion attachedto it, ‘that meshed with a 60 tooth whee, the overall velocity ratio is 0, 0 vr 2 x @ ¥ 20 “20 x326 Inthe case ofa wormand wheel, he veloctyrtiois the number ofteeth inthe whee divdedby the numberof stars inthe worm. So if 12 start worm meshed with a 61 tooth whee, the velocity tio is vr = 2» 083, 2 Mgtmeg. uae Oe Met 159 nwaSpurand Helical Gears Chapter § ‘Number of teeth tis impractical have gears withtoo few teeth ust ry and draw a gear with say 3teeth) To _getareasonabl tooth profi without undercutting and with asmooth transfer of power kom pinion to wheel arue-of thumbisthat spur gears should have atleast 17 teethonthe pitionand heical gears (20° helix angle) should have atleast 14 teeth on the pinion. Formaximumlife with meshing garitisdesirableto tribute the wear uniformly amongst all (eeth that snot to have the same teth in mesh for every evolution of the wheel. The best situation possible tha the same teth mesh together again ony afer the pinion revelations ‘equals the number of teeth nthe wheel. hiss also known ashavingallthe teeth hunting. For example there are 40 tethinthe wheel, the best possible sation ie that r-meshing ofthe smeteth occurs only after he pinion as made 0 revolusons, Te condition forthisis thst he velcityratio cannotbe reduced toa.mpler rai, thats, thereis no common factor between the numberof teth inthe pinion and the numberof teeth nthe gear. ‘Some possible combinations ae given in Table 1 Teeth in Teethin whee! | Revoluiions ofthe inion inion hen cycle repeas 8 38 9 19 38 2 20 | » a | 38 8 0 20 9 40 20 2» « 2 a «| «o Table 1 Pinion-whee! combinations Itcanbeseen therefore, thet there canbe a huge differenceinthe way wear willbe distributed ‘orapproximatelythe same velocityratic. However, inpractice, exact velit ratios are often ‘needed (for example, for acamshaft) and in such cases, hunting teth cannot be provided 160Spur and Helical Gears Chapter § Limiting velocity ratio ‘Foraworm-wheel gear pair, the smallest velocity rato cbsiable in practic is about 5, Forall ‘other gear pars, the smalls ratios 1. Thereisno theoretical upper imtto the velocity aio, ‘howeverhigh velocity ratios are undesible because ofthe age number ofteeththatneed tobe cutinthe wheel Thismales accurate machining dificult (not impossible) andreauites large centre distances which are also not usualy desiree Forexample, considera velocity rato of 125 obtained with single pair of spur gears. With pinion of 17 teeth and PCD 17 ram, the whee! would equi 2125 teeth and & PCD of 2125 ‘mm The total numberof teeth to be cutis 2142! ‘Thosame velocityrato canbe obtained with compound gear train with’ pairs of gearsinmesh, «ach witha Velocity ratio of. Then he to:al umber ofteth that need tobe cuts 306 (times Jess) and the maximum wheel PCD is only 85 rom, Role-of thumb limits fr a gear par are given in Teble 2 Type of gear pair | VR lower limit | VR upper limit Worm aod whee! 5 o ‘Allothers 1 5 Table 2 Rale-of shumb VR limits fora gear pair. Efficiency ‘The ellcieny ofa gear pir depends upon a numberof factors, * Accuracy nd finish. The bette tis sth highertheeficiency. Jnmostcases, gers are accurately cut and machined afinefnish. Howeverinsome cases gears may becast and not machined, ‘Bearings usedto support the gear shafts. Thelower the bearing ction, thehigherthe eficieney. Ih most cases, roling-element bearings ae used, + Lbrication ofthe gears and bearings. Th beter the hibrication, the higher the efficiency. In most cases the gears are oibluriated but pre-eeled roling-element bearings are also used ‘With wellmschined nd librcsted gears supported by rolling element bearings, the effciencyis ‘usually about 95-96% for each gear paiz. With a gear train, the overall elliiency is spproximately the product ofthe efficiency of each ger pai. For example witha three pait compound geartran, ifeachpairhas anefficiency of 96%, the oeraleffciency willbe about 0.96 x0,96x 0.96 = 0.885, — fat nwSpur and Helical Gears ter ‘Spurand Helle Gears chapters Gear parameters Consider two gears in mesh as shown in Figure 3 Figure 3 Meshing gears Ifthe pinion has n eth and PCD eX. 2 nina and the wheel has teeth and PCD = D thea. ‘The nominal cence distance Cis C= 05 +D) ‘This i known asthe nominal centre distance because the actual centre distance is usally somewhat greater than this ‘Tre height of toothabove the PCD lnc isknown asthe addendim A. Theteight ofatooth below the PCD line is known a te dedendim B ‘The angle made by the tangent to the gears tthe point of contact called the pressure angle 8 This angle is usually 20° and shouldbe assumed so unless otherwise stated ‘The pint of contact isclled the pitch point P. Inorder to obtain aconstant velocity rato the Pitchpointshouldnot moveasthegearsmove nto andout of mesh. the ptchpoint dd move ‘nandout with each mesh, then this woud cause acceleration/deceeaton witheach mesh ithe sears are rotating at relativelyhigh speedsthis would causchigh accceraion/doceleraion with high inertia forces and accelerated wear. ‘The ich point remains sed when the gears are cut withan volute profile Taeinvolte role anes be demonsratedby unvinding thin cord ftom rounda cylinder as shown in Figure 4 = [rare] “ane‘Spur and Helical Gears Chapter § Figure 4 Involue profile Inthecase ofa rack and pinion, he mating profletotheinvoteonthepinionsastreght sided rackasllustatedin Figure. cea aaa WA \ = ape Clearance ‘Tominimise friction, the teeth shoul contact only along the font face ofthe driver andthe back face ofthe driven, There shouldbe both circumferential andradalclerenceasshownia Figure C L ets DX cra Fig. 6 Clearances Ratial clearance (or bottom clearance) isobiained by making the dedendum greterthan the addendum, Usually =1.25. Czcurferentalelesranceisusully very small whenthe gears scenew because weer utomaticllyinceasest Itcan be obtanedby making the centedstance lglg thn he nominal entre distance, Circumferential clearance causes backlash and can temeasuredbyhoklng one gear fixed and moving the other gearback and forth lativeto it iu 163Chapter 8 Module Mt (One ofthe most important parameters in gear design's the module which maybe defined ashe itchcircle diameter divided bythe mamber of teeth, Fora gear pir, the module rst be the sam for pinion and wheel Hence w- 4.2 nN ‘Standard modules (fist choice) ia mm are 11215 225 3 4 5 6 &§ 10 12 6 2 2 2 40 50 ‘Asthemodul increases, these ofthe pear teeth increase, Thats the gars become stronger ‘and can transmit more torque and power. Forexample witha PCD of 200 mm, s modi of | ‘mm would mean 200 small teeth whereas moduleof 10 mm woul! mean 20lrge teeth, This js llustrated in Figure 7, SVL Modute 4mm ‘Module 10 mm Figure 7 Module - tooth size comparison (PCD 200 mm) Theaddendum, dedendumand depthof gear eeth are directly related othe module, For gear teeth of standard proportions te following relationships apply Addendum A Dedendurn B=1.25.M Tooth depth = A+ B= 2.25 M The fave wid of gears is also related othe module bt i also dependent upon the gear oad (oxque). Thefolowingral-of thumb face widths Wot the whee are usualin mechanical power Relatively igh loads, W= 8M Moderate loads Heavy loads Note ‘The ace width othe pinonis usually 5-10% larger thanthe wheel (depending ‘upon assembly tolerance). waa se MetteSpurand Helical Gears Chapter § Example ‘A spur gear pai re to have a velocity reduction ratio in the range 2.5 to 2.7. The proposed numberof teeth inthe pinion is 18 witha module of S mm. Determine (@)Asuitableaumberofteet nthe wheel and hereductom raion onder to hve al hunting (©) PCD of pinion and whee, (©) Nominal centre distance, (@)_ Addendum, éedendaum and tooth depth, (©) Face with of pinion and whee if lads canbe described as moderate, Solution (2) Variouscombinatonsoftesth nthe whee, velocityratio andrevolasons ofthe pion when the cycle repeats are set ou in the table below: Teeth in pinion | Teeth in wheel | Velocity raxio | Pinion revolutions when cycle repeats 8 s 23 5 8 6 256 2 ee zou | _at (os [« 26 | 8 “Hence it isseen that the only combination that gives velocity ratio inthe required range ‘ithallteth hunting isthe 18:47 rato. Hence choose 47 eethin the whee with velocy rio 2.856, © © © (@) For moderate loading assure face width ofthe wheel W=10.M = 50mm Face width ofthe pinion, say 7% larger = 1.07 x 50 = $3.5 mm. 16s naSpur and Helical Gears Chapter 8 Goar design ‘Acomprchensive design procedure for gears is very complex ad outside the seope of this ‘manual, Forexample, AS2938 -Gears- Spur and Helical - Guide to Specification and Rating lists 88 ciferent variables and constants and contains 32 different chats! ‘The most important factor to determine when designing gears fr certain application isthe ‘odie, Ashasbeen stated the greater the loading, the larger the size ofthe gearteth andthe larger the module, A simplified apprgach to moul elections the use of achat suchas the one givenas Figate 8. This cart has Been drawn fr spur gers with face widths = 10 M and with 18 teeth inthe pinion. Ttmaye used for face widths inthe range 8-12.M and for inions with 17-19 teeth, It may also be used for helical gears withelix angles upto 20°. However, because helical gears are inherently stronger thanspur gears a somewhat smaller module willbe satisfactory (sayone standard size down), Example 2 ‘A heal pion transmits 20 KW @ 1500 revimin toa mating gear. Loading s moderate, Determine suitable values for (@) The module for pinion and gear (©) The face width ofthe pinion andthe gear (©) The PCD ofthe pinion Solution (@) From Figure 8, the module lis between 6 and £. A module of 7 not standard (frst choice). Because the gears helical one, the cove ofthe smaller module is justified, Hence choose M =! (©) With t= 6andface widtnofihegear= 10 M (moderate loading), therefore the fae width of the gear = 60 mm, For the pinion, make the fave width about 7% larger, say 64 mm, (©) Male the numberof teth onthe pinion = 19, ‘Then the pinion PCD =6 x 19 = 114 mm. rare] ves aesPower (KW) Power (W) 10 20 0 40606080100 200 300 400500700 1000 2000 3000 S000 Pinion Speed (revimin) Figure 8 Module selection chart 167 aSpur and Hotcal Gears Chapter 8 Gear tooth forces ‘The forees ecting on gears in mesh occurs athe point of contacto the gears (the pitch point), ‘The force is Fas shown in Figure 9, Fig. 9. Gear tooth forces Inthis diagram F = resultant trnsverte force on the tooth atthe pitch point. This is also the resultant transverse load on the shaft at the locstion of the gear, Note thet this force acts perpendicular to the tooth atthe pitch point. ‘separating (orradial force on the tooth the pitch point. Its ine of ation passes through the centelnes ofthe two gears, This force is needed to keep the gears together and Without it, the gears would simply slip out of mesh and not transmit ay torque. tangential force scting onthe tothst the pitch point, This force muitpie bythe pitch circle radius gives the torque tansnited bythe gear. ‘the pressure angle, that isthe angle between forces Fand F, For most gears, this angle {is 20° and should be asswned so unless otherwise state. ww etn en 168‘Spur and Hebizal Gears Chapter 8 Spur gear forces ‘Because torque isthe tangential force mukipled by the pitch circle radius itis clear that F,-20 Tengen force on a gear Where P= torque in Nm and d= PCD of the gear in mx = PE a Helical gear forces Because the teeth arecutat an ange (the helt angle), there i aso an axial force onthe gears. ‘The tangential fore isthe same as for spur gears but the formula for the separting force becomes Fun 8 Fe Separating force on a heel gear ‘Where ais the helix angle ‘The axial force on the gear given by RoR tna ‘Axis foree on « helical gear eee stn 169Spur and Helical Gears Chapter 8 Example 3 Aspur gear PCD 100 metransmits 800 Neuoftore. Determine the tangential, separating and resultant force on each gear. Solution ‘The tangential force ie 27 _ 2x 800 a 16 IN The separating fare is F=Rtn@ — =16tn 20? = 5.82 kN (assuming « pressure angle of 20°) ‘The resukant force is AG + SP = 17 ew F-\FoF Example 4 ‘Repeat Example’ for aheicl gears with belx angle 20°(allotherdatabeing the same). Also calculate the axial force. As before. B= AT 2 2x80 Lig py @° Or F, tan @ 16 tan 20° Now rime, 16 62 * cos a ‘eos 20° ww The estan forces Fo (B+ FE = fi 62 « 2 (not very diferent tothe spur gear) ‘The axial fore is =F, tan a = 16tan200=5,82 kN econ Des aa ao 1 as