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In most applications, gearbox reliabil- design team the design intent. Includ- If this value is positive, the fit is clear-
ity is critical to the productivity of the ing features to facilitate disassembly, ance, if it is negative, the fit is interfer-
overall plant operation. So it follows minimizes repair cycle time and helps ence. If the value is zero, the parts could
that when industry is looking at the to prevent damage to components that theoretically slide together, but in prac-
best ways to increase efficiency, reduce could radically compromise their de- tice a small amount of force or thermal
downtime, and increase profitability, sign life or performance. difference is needed for assembly. The
gearbox performance and reliability are clearance value needed to slide parts
key factors. Basic Types of Component and together easily is generally assumed to
Designing for repair, and writing ef- Assembly Interfaces be at least 0.001 inches. For long fits and
fective repair procedures, can speed First we should examine the basic large diameters, more clearance may be
the service time, and provide a quality methods of attachments. Figures 1–4 required; evaluating the tolerance and
refurbishment. The best practices listed illustrate some basic diagrams for the run-out of the parts will help determine
below are proven, effective methods different types of common connec- an appropriate value.
used to install and remove bearings, tions. Clearance fits. Clearance fits are
seals, gears, couplings and shafts within Components that have sustained used for easy assembly, in typically low
a gearbox. damage in operation may not retain speed applications. Set screws can be
their original dimensions. The design used to connect the shaft to the hub
Introduction intent of the fit will have to be deter- and transmit torque.
When industry is looking at the best mined to appropriately determine the • Straight bore clearance fits slide
ways to increase efficiency, reduce values for the repaired component. together easily. There is no axial
downtime and increase profitability, There are technical documents for location control with this fit
alone, and limited radial location.
gearbox performance and reliability are designing each of these types of fits. Shoulders, set screws and pins can
key factors. In most applications gear- Please see the references for some of be used to control axial locations.
box reliability is critical to the produc- the relevant technical specifications for • Splined connections fit multiple-
tivity of the overall plant operation. more detailed information. tooth internal teeth against external
Repair is often required with a swift Each of these interfaces can be made teeth. There is clearance on both the
turnaround, as down time is very ex- with different types of fits, clearance or sides and diameters of the teeth.
pensive. Designing for repair, and writ- interference. To determine which fit • Keyways transmit the torque
ing effective repair procedures, can type you have, calculate the fit using between the shaft and hub. Parts
assemble easily. Set screws can be
speed the service time, and provide Equation 1: used to fix the key and shaft in the
(1)
a quality refurbishment. Minimizing bore.
F = d − D
down time and extending service life • Interference fits. When assembled,
where:
will contribute significantly to achiev- F = maximum fit the bore expands and/or the shaft
ing the lowest overall operation costs. d = smallest diameter of bore contracts so that the interface is in
The best practices listed below are compression. Interference fits can
D = the largest shaft diameter transmit more torque than clearance
proven, effective methods used to in- fits. There are several different
stall and remove bearings, seals, gears, Measure the bore and shaft at several methods for assembly, which will
couplings and shafts within a gearbox. locations, and use the smallest diam- be discussed later. These fits are
These techniques are not new, and are eter bore and largest diameter shaft. If typically used to control location of
usually obtained by hard-won experi- the shaft and bore tolerances are avail- the components, axial and radial, as
well as transmit torque. Interference
ence. Collecting them in one location able, the entire expected fit range can fits are also used to maintain balance
is an attempt to document the best be calculated. (To calculate the mini- of components in high speed
practices and provide a reference for mum fit, you would use the largest bore applications.
design engineers. Engineers write the diameter minus the smallest shaft di- • Straight. A straight interface
procedures for assembly and disassem- ameter.) transmits torque while maintaining
bly, they also dictate to the rest of the both axial and radial location control
of the components.
Printed with permission of the copyright holder, the American Gear Manufacturers Association, 1001 N. Fairfax Street, Fifth Floor,
Alexandria, VA 22314-1587. Statements presented in this paper are those of the author(s) and may not represent the position or opinion
of the American Gear Manufacturers Association.
Lifting holes or fixtures for holding heaters, ovens, or hot oil baths. Thor- eters, contact thermometers, or even
the components are especially impor- ough heating and consistent tempera- temple sticks, (wax crayons that melt at
tant in thermal differential assembly. ture is required. The best method is a specific temperature).
The fixtures need to be able to with- dependent mainly on economics and Cooling. Cooling can be done with
stand the temperature, and also be out available resources. freezers, dry ice or liquid nitrogen.
of the way for assembly. Planning the Ovens make sense for large parts, When using liquid nitrogen, use cau-
methods for lifting must be done before high volume production, or for time tion that freezing the components will
the components have changed temper- savings. Many ovens can run unattend- not damage them. There are some heat
ature. ed, so parts can be loaded at the end of treated components that should not be
Having components level during as- a shift and heated overnight for assem- cryogenically treated.
sembly seems like a simple thing, but is bly the next morning. This allows thor- There is always a chance of conden-
often overlooked. It is easy to get com- ough heating and efficient use of time. sation forming on frozen parts. Wiping
ponents jammed if they are not aligned. Induction heaters are fast and ef- them down with isopropyl alcohol be-
Occasionally this can be overcome with ficient. Load the part, press the but- fore assembly will help to dissipate the
gentle taps, but careful alignment can ton — and the heater runs. It monitors moisture. This should also be done as
eliminate this need. the temperature and shuts off when the parts return to ambient tempera-
Components that have been assem- temperature is achieved. Most ma- ture if condensation appears.
bled using heat or cold can creep apart chines will monitor the temperature Freezers are very convenient because
as they cool. A bearing that is seated and reheat the part if the temperature parts can be placed in the freezer over-
against a shoulder can move apart ever drops more than five degrees. night and assembled in the morning.
so slightly, and this can impact opera- Hot oil baths are a time-proven solu- Dry Ice can be packed around parts
tion later. Clamping the parts or gently tion for heating parts. However, careful that need to be cooled. It is more dif-
tapping a spacer down repeatedly as monitoring is required to prevent the ficult to get a consistent cooling of the
things normalize can prevent this. Nev- oil from catching fire, and additional parts due to it being solid. Use a ther-
er tap a bearing across the rollers. It is safety procedures must be observed to mometer to get an accurate tempera-
OK to gently tap an inner race seating protect the operator from the hot oil. ture, realizing that it is a surface tem-
on a shaft, or an outer race without roll- No matter what the method, care perature. Parts may need to soak for a
ers into the housing. must be taken to prevent overheating considerable time to be cooled through.
Heating. There are several meth- of the parts. There are various methods It is not often that both cooling and
ods of heating components: induction available such as, infrared thermom- heating are required. This high amount
of interference may better be obtained
by pressing the parts together. There is
a high risk of the parts cracking from
thermal shock when heat and cold are
both required.
Press. Parts can be pressed together
using a mechanical or hydraulic press.
Caution must be taken when using a
press, as the forces are very large and
the process can be
dangerous. As with all work, proper
personal protective equipment and
protective guarding around the equip-
ment is recommended.
Basic equation. See Figure 5 for visual
depiction of press fit.
(3)
F = A μ P
(4)
A = π d L
(5)
P = δ
where:
F = force to press
A = area of interface
μ = co-efficient of friction
0.0005 inches per inch of diametral sist of either a coil or fixed diameter that add a small cost to the initial produc-
interference. Apply a generous service wraps around the OD of the component tion but can save significant time, and
factor to these calculations. to be removed. The heat must be ap- therefore cost, in the future.
Higher fits than the rule-of-thumb plied very quickly so that the external Lifting hole sizing. Size lifting holes
fits are possible. It is also possible that part grows enough to release the fit be- not only for the weight of the part to be
the fit is galled, which will require ad- fore the internal component begins to lifted, but also the weight of any addi-
ditional force to remove. Make sure that grow also. This method is typically used tional components that could be added
the press equipment being used is ad- in combination with a press. The heat to the part. Also consider using these
equately sized for safe operation. expands the hub and much lower press holes for removal of spacers and bear-
Level the parts during setup to give force is required to remove the shaft. ings. Size each lifting hole assuming it
an even press force on the shaft. It is possible to remove parts using will be used vertically. This will give ad-
Rods similar in diameter to the shaft gravity and a torch with a large diame- ditional margin if the parts are rigged
being pressed or other fixturing com- ter tip. This method must be monitored differently.
ponents are often necessary. In addi- closely to make sure that the compo- Even smaller components that could
tion a method for catching the part that nents are not heated beyond their tem- be lifted by hand can benefit from small
is being pressed out is also necessary. perature limits. Apply the heat to the threaded holes for lifting if the assem-
The parts will separate abruptly so this outside of the part and keep the keep bly is complicated or the parts must be
must be considered in advance. the heat moving so as not to overheat lubricated at assembly. For instance,
Other techniques may need to be ap- any one location. Closely monitor the spacers that must be heated for assem-
plied in addition to the press to release temperatures of the components and bly may be small enough to be lifted by
a very heavy press fit. Both thermal and discontinue attempts if too much of the hand, but assembly is much easier if
hydraulic methods are commonly com- heat is transferring into the shaft. there are taps so that the components
bined with press fits to remove large- There is a real possibility that the can be picked up level and lowered eas-
diameter, heavy fits. Use caution when component being heated may pass its ily on to a pre-leveled shaft.
combining methods and consider op- thermal limit before removing. For this Removal taps. Are taps located in
erator safety. reason, this method is mostly used for the part so that bolts (sometimes called
Pullers. Pullers operate similarly removing parts that are being replaced, push bolts or jacking bolts) can be in-
to presses except the parts are pulled such as bearing races. Caution must be serted to push two components apart?
apart. There are both mechanical and taken to make sure the part being re- Size and location of removal taps.
hydraulic pullers. A jaw-type puller can used is not damaged. Placement of removal taps in covers
be used anywhere you can get the jaws Hydraulic assist. Hydraulic removal and spacers can prevent damaging
around the part. There are also bolt-on of hubs works the same as assembly, ex- these components at repair. Two extra
plates to extend the reach of the fingers. cept the location of the stop is different. taps on a bolt pattern can be used to re-
Designing in slots big enough for the There could also be no O-rings present lease a pilot without damage or bend-
jaws or shoulders wide enough to get if the hub was applied using heat. It is ing a flange. Always add taps that are
puller jaws or plates behind makes dis- important to provide a stop for the hub sized to be able to take the loading to
assembly faster and easier. to prevent it from being damaged. Once release the fit on the part. See the cal-
If slots or shoulders are not practical, the hub is pressurized with oil, it will culations above to see what the force is
taps of sufficient size can be located on begin to slide down the taper. This may required to release the fit.
the part and a puller similar to a wheel happen suddenly and with some force, Caution must be used on the location
puller can be used. These pullers are so a fixture to stop the hub is advisable. of removal taps. It is possible to bend
constructed of high strength threaded Hydraulic release may also be used in hubs with thin flanges or gear rims if
rods and thick plates and are available addition to a press in cases of extremely the force from the puller rods is suffi-
with either hydraulic or mechanical high fits. These may also appear on a cient to overcome their strength. Keep
jacks. straight bored shaft with a very heavy taps as close to the diameter of the fit as
This method can also be used in com- press fit. possible. If these components are dam-
bination with hydraulic and thermal aged at disassembly it will increase the
techniques for stubborn fits. Always Design Features to Assist cost of that repair. Damaging compo-
consider operator safety when combin- Assembly/Disassembly nents can make repair of the gearbox as
ing methods. Frequently a component is designed by costly as buying a new replacement.
Thermal differential. Heating or one team and another one assembles it, Hydraulic assist. If high torques and
cooling the components for disassem- then yet another team does the repair. high interference fits are required, es-
bly is difficult because the parts are This can cause a lack of communica- pecially on tapered shafts, adding the
physically connected and naturally tion that can make assembly and repair taps for hydraulic assembly and disas-
want to reach the same temperature. more time consuming and thus costly sembly is highly recommended. This
There are commercially available in- than it could be. Adding small features process is very efficient when com-
duction heaters for removal. They con- to assist assembly or disassembly may pared with other methods. When a pro-