11.

Gear Design

11. Gears Objectives

Understand basic principles of gearing.
Understand gear trains and how to calculate ratios.
Recognize different gearing systems and relative advantages and
disadvantages between them.
Understand geometry of different gears and their dimensional properties.
properties.
Recognize different principles of gearing.
Recognize the unorthodox ways gears can be used in different motion
motion
systems.

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Introduction
Gears are the most common means used for power
transmission
They can be applied between two shafts which are
Parallel
Collinear
Perpendicular and intersecting
Perpendicular and nonintersecting
Inclined at any arbitrary angle
Introduction
Gears are made to high precision
Purchased from gear manufacturers rather than
made in house
However it is necessary to design for a specific
application so that proper selection can be
made
Used to be called toothed wheels dating back
to 2600 b.c.

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An 18th Century Application of Gears for

Powering Textile Machinery

http://www.efunda.com/DesignStandards/gears/gears_history.cfm
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1
 11.2 Types of Gears

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Gear Types Gear Parameters

Spur gears Number of teeth
Internal gears Form of teeth
Most common form Size of teeth
Face Width of teeth
Used for parallel shafts
Style and dimensions of gear blank
Suitable for low to medium speed application Design of the hub of the gear
Relatively high ratios can be achieved (< 7) Degree of precision required
Steel, brass, bronze, cast iron, and plastics Means of attaching the gear to the shaft
Can also be made from sheet metal Means of locating the gear axially on the shaft

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Spur gear Gear Types

nomenclature

Helical gears
Teeth are at an angle
Used for parallel shafts
Teeth engage gradually reducing shocks

Kalpakjian Schmid
August 15, 2007 Manufacturing Engineering 11
and August 15, 2007 12
Technology, Prentice Hall

2
 Helical Gears Helical Gear

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Helical Gear Characteristics Herringbone Gears

Helix angle 7 to 23 degrees Two helical gears with opposing helical angles
More power side-
side-by-
by-side
Larger speeds Axial thrust gets cancelled
More smooth and quiet operation
Used in automobiles
Helix angle must be the same for both the mating
gears
Produces axial thrust which is a disadvantage

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Herringbone Gears Herringbone Gear

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 Herringbone Gear Machining Gear Types
Bevel gears
They have conical shape

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Bevel Gears (Miter gears) Bevel Gears

For one-to-one ratio

Used to change the
direction

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Bevel Gears Gear Types

Worm gears
For large speed reductions between two perpendicular
and non-
non-intersecting shafts
Driver called worm looks like a thread

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 Rack and pinion
A rack is a gear whose pitch diameter is
infinite, resulting in a straight line pitch circle.
Involute of a very large base circle approaches
a straight line
Used to convert rotary motion to straight line
motion
Used in machine tools

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Fig. 11.7 Rack and pinion Rack and pinion

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Internal spur gear Internal spur gear

Provides more compact drives compared to
external gears
They provide large contact ratio
Relatively less sliding and hence less wear
compare to external gears

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 Internal spur gear Internally Meshing Spur Gears

Figure 14.14 Internally

meshing spur gears.

1998 McGraw-Hill, Hamrock,

Jacobson and Schmid
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Gear Assemblies Fig. 11-

11-9 Velocity Ratio

Identified based on the input and output shaft

positions

Parallel shaft Perpendicular Other types

shaft
Spur gears Bevel and Miter Rack-
Rack-and-
and-pinion
Helical gears gears Ng Dg
Cross-
Cross-helix Vr = =
Np Dp
Worm gears
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Velocity Ratio Velocity Ratio

Ng Dg
Velocity ratio is defined as the ratio of Vr = Velocity ratio Vr = N p = D p
rotational speed of the input gear to that of the Np = Number of teeth on pinion
output gear Ng = Number of teeth on gear
Dp = Pitch diameter of pinion
Ng Dg Dg = Pitch diameter of gear
Vr = =
Np Dp

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Example Problem 11-1: Velocity Ratios and Gear Trains Example Problem 11-1: Velocity Ratios and Gear Trains
(contd.)
(11-1)
For the set of four gears shown below, calculate output speed, output
torque, and horsepower for both input and output conditions and overall N2 N4
Vr =
velocity ratio: N1 N3

60 60 9
Vr = =
20 20 1

Output speed:

n1
n4 =
Vr

1
3600 rpm = 400 rpm
9

Output torque:

T4 = T1 Vr

9
T4 = 200 in-lb = 1800 in-lb
1

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Example Problem 11-1: Velocity Ratios and Gear Trains Example Problem 11-2: Velocity Ratios and Gear Trains
(contd.)

For the gear train shown below, determine the train value, output speed,
Input horsepower: output direction, output torque, and output power.

(2-6)

Tn
hp =
63,000

200 in-lb 3600 rpm

hp =
63,000

hp = 11.4

Output horsepower:

1800 in-lb 400 rpm

hp =
63,000

hp = 11.4

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Example Problem 11-2: Velocity Ratios and Gear Trains Example Problem 11-2: Velocity Ratios and Gear Trains
(contd.)
(contd.)
Direction:
Train value: NB N N
Vr = D E (11-1) If: Gear A clockwise
NA NC ND
Gear B counterclockwise
65 60
Vr = = 9.75 / 1 Gear C counterclockwise
20 20
Idler cancels out and has no effect on overall train value. Gear D clockwise

Gear E counterclockwise
Output speed:
NA 3000 rpm
nE = = = 307.7 rpm
Vr 9.75 / 1 Output power:

rev min
P = TnE = 97.5 Nm 307.5
min 60 sec

Output torque:
TE = T A Vr P = 1571 Nm/sec or
J
or W
s
TE = 10 Nm (9.75 / 1) = 97.5 Nm
P = 1.57 kW
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 Spur Gears Pinion Gears

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Internal Gears Spur gear geometries

Pitch circle: is the imaginary circle on which most
gear calculations are made. When two gears meet
their pitch circles are tangent to each other
Pitch diameter (D (Dp) and pitch radius (r): These are
the diameter and radius of the pitch circle.
Pitch point: The point on the imaginary line joining
the centers of the two meshing gears where the pitch
circle touch
D-d
2

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Pitch circle

Figure 14.1 Spur gear drive.

1998 McGraw-Hill, Hamrock,
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Text Reference: Figure 14.1, page 616 Jacobson and Schmid

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 Spur gear geometries
Addendum circle: It is the circle that bounds the
outer ends of the teeth and whose center is at the
center of the gear (Fig. 7.2).
7.2).
Dedendum circle: It is the circle that bounds the
bottoms of the teeth and whose center is at the
center of the gear (Fig. 7.2).
7.2).
Addendum (a): is the radial distance from the
7.2).
pitch circle to the outer end of the teeth. (Fig. 7.2).
Dedendum (b): is the radial distance from the
pitch circle to the bottom of the teeth. (Fig. 7.2).
7.2).
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Spur gear geometries
Circular pitch (Pc): is the distance between
corresponding points on adjacent teeth measured
along the pitch circle (Fig. 7.2).
7.2).
Diametral pitch (Pd): specifies the number of teeth
per inch of pitch diameter.
Tooth space: is the space between the adjacent teeth
measured along the pitch circle (Fig. 7.2).
7.2).
Tooth thickness: is the thickness of the tooth
measured along the pitch circle (Fig. 7.2).
7.2).
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Spur gear geometries

Face width (W): is the length of the tooth measured
parallel to the gear (Fig. 7.2).
7.2). Figure 14.8 Pitch
Face: is the surface between the pitch circle and the and base circles
top of the tooth (Fig. 7.2). for pinion and gear
7.2).
as well as line of
Flank: is the surface between the pitch circle and the action and
bottom of the tooth (Fig. 7.2). 7.2). pressure angle.
Pressure angle ( (): is the angle between the line of
action and a line tangent to the two pitch circles at the rb = r cos
pitch point. (Fig.
(Fig. 14.8 Hamrock).
Hamrock).
D b = D p cos
1998 McGraw-Hill, Hamrock,
Jacobson and Schmid
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Spur gear geometries Gear terminology

Line of action: is the locus of all the points of
contact between two meshing teeth from the time the
teeth go into contact until they lose contact.
Pinion: is the smaller of the two meshing gears.
Backlash: is the difference (clearance) between the
tooth thickness of one gear and the tooth space of the
meshing gear measured along the pitch circle (Fig. 7.5)
7.5).
Clearance (c): is the addendum minus dedendum.
dedendum.
Working depth: is the distance that one tooth of a
meshing gear penetrates into the tooth space.
Base circle: is an imaginary circle about which
the tooth involute profile is developed.
Fillet: is the radius that occurs where the flank of
the tooth meets the dedendum circle.
Module: replaces diametral pitch in metric
system.

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 Basic formulas for spur gears Specifications for standard gear teeth
NP
Diametral pitch, Pd = Item Full depth & pitches Full depth & 14
14 full
DP coarser than 20 pitches finer than depth
20
DP
Circular pitch, Pc = Pressure 20
20 25
25 20
20 14
14
NP angle
1
Addendum, a = Addendum 1.0/ Pd 1.0/ Pd 1.0/ Pd 1/ Pd
Pd (in.)

Dedendum, b = 1.250
Dedendum, Dedendum
(in.)
1.250/ Pd 1.250/ Pd 1.2/ Pd + 0.002 1.157/ Pd

Pd

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Basic formulas for spur gears Basic formulas for spur gears
0.250
Clearance, c = b a = Center to center distance
Pd D + D pp Ng + Np
Where CtoC = pg =
2 2 Pd
Dp = pitch diameter of pinion Where
Np = number of teeth on the pinion Dpp = pitch diameter of pinion
Np = number of teeth on the pinion
It can be shown that
Dpg = pitch diameter of gear
Pd Pc =
Ng = number of teeth on the gear
Pd = Diametral pitch

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Metric System Metric System

1 1
Module (m) = Pd Diametral pitch, Pd =
m
See Table 11.1 for equivalents

Circular pitch, Pc = m
Normally they are not converted
Addendum, a = m
Dedendum,
Dedendum, b = 1.25 m

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 Inch units Metric units
A spur gear of the 14 degree involute system A spur gear of the 14 degree involute system
has 32 teeth of diametral pitch 8. Find has a module of 8 mm and 35 teeth. Find
The pitch diameter The pitch diameter
The circular pitch The circular pitch
The outside diameter (addendum diameter) The outside diameter (addendum diameter)

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Example Problem 11-3: Pressure Angle

For the set of gears shown in Figure 11-17, if diametral pitch is 8, find the pitch
Example Problem 11-3: Pressure Angle (contd.)
diameter, circular pitch, and shaft center-to-center distance.
The pinion has 16 teeth and the gear has 32 teeth.

Centerline distance:
Pitch diameter:
(11-4)
Dp =
Np
or
Ng (11-2)
Pd Pd

Pinion: Dp Dg Np + Ng
C-C = + or C - C =
Dp =
16
= 2 inches
2 2 2Pd
8

Gear: 16 + 32
32 C-C =
Dp = = 4 inches 2 (8)
8

Circular pitch: C C = 3 inches

(11-3)
Dp
Pc =
Np
Circular pitch would be the same
2 in
Pc =
16
= .393 inch for both pinion and gear.
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11
 Summary
To understand the gears one should be familiar with the
gear terminology.
Spur gears are most commonly used for transmission of
power.
Speed of mating gears is inversely proportional to the
number of teeth.
Mating gears should have the same diametral pitch.
A number of gear manufacturing methods are available.
Good gear design should take care of the power, speed, life
and material properties.

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