3.7.

BEVEL GEARS
Bevel gears consisted of two conical gear wheels are used when the axes of the shafts,
between which the rotation is transmitted, are intersecting.
In comparison with spur or helical gears, the bevel gears have a more complex
technology. Also, the large axial forces from these gears are complicating the construction of the
bearings sustaining the gear.
Bevel gears can be straight bevel gears (angrenaje conice cu dantură dreaptă), and spiral
bevel gears (angrenaje conice cu dantură curbă sau înclinată).
Straight bevel gears are used for reduced speed (v = 2...3 m/s), when pitch and profile
inaccuracy do not produce high dinamic loads and noise. Those gears are very sensitive to less
precise mountings and to shaft deformations.
Spiral bevel gears with curved tooth direction (cu dantură curbă) are used for higher
speed, up to 40 m/s. These gears have a noiseless performance due to a higher contact ratio,
higher reliability, good manufacturing productivity and also giving the possibility to increase the
gear ratio.

Fig. 3.23
Spiral bevel gears with inclined tooth direction (cu dantură înclinată) have a good
performance for up to 12 m/s speed and are manufactured on the same machines like the straight
bevel gears but with reduced productivity. From this reason, instead of inclined tooth direction,
the curved tooth direction is prefered. These bevel gears are usually used when the wheels have
large dimensions and cannot be manufactured with curved tooth direction.

3.7.1. Bevel Gears Geometry

The rolling surfaces of the bevel gear wheels are conical surfaces, tangent along a
common generator. The tips of the two rolling cones met on the wheel’s axes intersection, point
0 (fig. 3.24).

a b c d
Fig. 3.24
 The rolling cone of a bevel-gear wheel is defined by the generator and its angle with the
wheel axis, called rolling cone angle δ1,2.
The bevel gear is based on the two rolling cones with a common generator having the
rolling cone angles δ1 şi δ2, and the axes angle
Σ = δ1 + δ 2 (3.66)
One bevel-gear wheel can work with different wheels, even with different rolling cone
angle δ2 (fig. 3.24,a...3.24,d). In these way the axes angle Σ can be different. The gear with axes
angle Σ = 900 (v.fig. 3.24, b) is called ortogonal bevel gear and is the most used in gear
transmission.
In the special case when δ2 = 900, the gear wheel becomes a face gear (roată plană), and a
gear including such a wheel is called, bevel face gear (angrenaj conic cu roată plană) (fig.3.24,
d). This gear is rarely met in practice, having a theoretical importance for the definition of
different types of bevel gears and bevel-gear wheels. The face gear, equivalent to the reference
rack of the cylindrical gear is the reference wheel of the bevel gear.
The cylindrical gear can be see as a bevel gear with the intersection axes point moved to
infinite. As a remark, by moving this point to a finite distance, the parameters of a spur gear
become parameters of the bevel gear. The gearing plane of the spur gear will turn to a sphere
with the center in the intersection axes point. The equivalent parameters are:
• the planar circles, from the spur gear, become circles on a sphere, and the cylinders
become cones;
• the planar involute becomes a spherical involute ;
• the gearing line becomes a gearing circle, and the theoretical gearing line becomes
gearing arc;
• the reference rack becomes reference face gear;
The profiles of the face gear tooth are not straight (planar) because, at limit, the base
circle becomes a diametral circle of a sphere and not a line as for the reference rack.
In order to simplify the manufacturing technology of bevel-gear wheels, the tooth profile
of the reference face gear is considered straight. As a result, the real gear won’t be a perfect
involute gear. Because, by this modification, the theoretical diametral gearing circle of the
spherical involute bevel gear (fig. 3.25, a), turns to a spherical octoid (fig. 3.25, b), the real gear
being an octoidal gear (angrenaj octoidal), an aproximation of the involute gear.
Because, in practice, the real bevel gears are not perfect involute gears, these gears are
manufactured only as non – addendum correction gear or zero – addendum correction gear

Fig. 3.25
because addendum correction gears are a specific for involute gears. As a result, the rolling cone
and the pitch cone of any bevel-gear wheel are coincident (δw=δ).
The geometrical elements of an ortogonal bevel gear are presented in fig. 3.26. From fig.
3.26 it can be seen thar most of the elements values are variable along the rolling (pitch) cone
generator. From that reason, the geometrical dimensions of a bevel-gear wheel are established in
one of the frontal cones. Usually, for a bevel-gear wheel, three frontal cones are considered: the
exterior, the medium and the interior cone (v. fig. 3.26); the geometrical parametrs of a bevel-
gear wheel are noted with indexes e, m and i, depending on which frontal cone they belong.

Fig. 3.26

3.7.3. Face Gear (Roata plană)

In the special case when δ2 = 900, the gear wheel becomes a face gear, and a gear
including such a wheel is called, bevel face gear (fig.3.30). This gear is rarely met in practice,
having a theoretical importance for
the definition of different types of
bevel gears and bevel-gear wheels.
The face gear, equivalent to the
reference rack of the cylindrical
gear is the reference wheel of the
bevel gear.
The face gear is bounded by
the exterior frontal cylinder (see a b
fig. 3.30, a), with the radius Re. By Fig. 3.30
unfolding this cylinder, which
contains the profiles of the face gear teeth, a planar rack is obtained (fig. 3.30, b).
 The intersection of the pitch (reference) plane of the face gear with the tooth profile
defines the tooth direction of the bevel gear. The shape of the tooth direction on the pitch plane
of the face gear defines the types of bevel gears: straight bevel gears and different spiral bevel
gears.
The profile of the reference face gear tooth (fig. 3.31, a), asociated to the straight bevel
gear, is defined on the exterior frontal cylinder, unfolded (fig. 3.31, b) as a reference rack and is
called the reference profile of the tooth.

a b
Fig. 3.31
Geometrical elements of the face gear, for straight bevel gears, are:
De(Re) – diameter (radius) of the exterior frontal cylinder of the reference face gear;
Dm(Rm) – diameter (radius) of the medium frontal cylinder of the reference face gear;
Di(Ri) – diameter (radius) of the interior frontal cylinder of the reference face gear;
pe – pitch (exterior);
⎛ p ⎞
me – exterior module ⎜ me = e ⎟;
⎝ π ⎠
hae – the height of the addendum of the reference tooth (exterior);
hfe – the height of the deddendum of the reference tooth (exterior);
he – the reference height of the tooth (he=hae+hfe);
c – the clearance at the deddendum of the tooth (c=hfe-hae);
ha* – reference addendum coefficient ( ha* = hae me );
c* – reference clearence coefficient ( c* = c me );
α – profile angle;
z0 – number of teeth of the reference face gear.
For the face gear of a straight bevel gear, the following parameters are standardized:
exterior module me, coefficients ha* and c* and the profile angle α, defined on the reference face
gear.
Unlike for cylindrical gears, in the case of bevel gears, tangential addendum corrections
are used. The tangential addendum corrections assure the equlize of the bending strength of
pinion and wheel teeth. The tangential addendum corrections (see fig. 3.30,b) is the modification
value of the solid part and the blank part of the rack along the reference line. As a result, by the
tangential addendum correction, ussually the width of the tooth from the pinion is increased and
the width of the tooth from the wheel is decreased. Due to the fact that bevel gears are non –
addendum correction gears or zero – addendum correction gears the addendum corection
coefficients are always following the relation xs2 = - xs1.
For spiral bevel gears, the parameters of the reference face gear are not standardized
because they are depending on the machining technology and are given by the machine tools
constructors.
 3.7.4. Straight Bevel Gear
For the straight bevel gears, tooth direction is a line that intersects the axis of the face
gear in the center point O (fig. 3.32).

Fig. 3.32 Fig. 3.33

These gears are machined using cutting tools with straight edges. During the machining
process the cutting tool edges are describing the planar profiles of the generating face gear (roata
plană generatoare) (fig. 3.33). The tooth on the blank wheel results as a virtual gearing with the
generating face gear (materialized by the cutting tool).
The tangential addendum corrections result by the adjustment of the cutting tools C1 and
C2 positions (see fig. 3.33) that materialize the profile of one tooth of the generating face gear.

3.7.5. Spiral Bevel Gear With Circular Tooth Direction (Angrenaj

conic cu dantură în arc de cerc)

For the spiral bevel gear with circular tooth direction, known as Gleason bevel gear,
tooth direction is following an arc
(fig. 4.14). The Gleason gear is
machined with a cutting tool head
(cap port cuţite) consisted of
several cutting tools disposed
along a circle and having straight
edges. During the gearing process,
through the movement of the
cutting tool head, the cutting edges
are describing the circular profiles
of the generating face gear teeth
(see fig. 4.14). Tooth profile of the
blank wheel results as a virtual
gearing with the generating face
gear (materialized by the cutting
tool). The Gleason bevel gears can
Fig. 3.34
be machined through several
techniques (single-sided, double-
sided or FORMATE UNITOOL).
The face gear of the Gleason bevel gear (fig. 3.35,a) has the tooth direction disposed on
circles with radius dc / 2, distributed with center points at egual distance on a circle with radius
de/2.
A special Gleson bevel gear is the zerol gear (fig. 3.35, b), at which the medium angle of
the tooth direction is βm=0. Zerol bevel gears are developing reduced axial forces.
The parameters of the reference face gear of the Gleason bevel gear (see fig. 3.35, a) are:

a b
Fig. 3.35

met –exterior frontal module;

z0 – number of teeth of the reference face gear;
βm – medium pitch angle of the tooth direction;
αn – normal pitch profile angle;
hat* – reference frontal addendum coefficient;
ct* – reference frontal clearance coefficient;
xhm1,2 – frontal radial addendum corection coeficients;
xs1,2 - frontal tangential addendum corection coeficients.
The values of these parameters cannot be standardused because they depend on the
parameters of the cutting tools and on the type of machining process.

3.7.6. Oerlikon - Spiromatic Bevel Gear (Angrenajul conic cu dantură

eloidă)

For the Oerlikon - Spiromatic bevel gear, the tooth direction is following an elongated
epicycloid (fig. 3.36), and the height of the tooth is constant.
Unlike the machining of the other bevel gears, in the case of the Oerlikon - Spiromatic
bevel gear the machining is continuous. From that reason the machine tools used in this process
are called bevel teething rolling machine tools.
 The name of this type of bevel gears comes from the most used machining procedure, the
Oerlikon – Spiromatic procedure. It is using a cutting tool head on which the tools are disposed
on groups on different curves (spirals). During the machining process the cutting tool head is
rolling without sliding its rolling circle (rulete) over the base circle of the face gear (fig. 3.36).
Each group, consisted of two or three cutting tools, is describing – for each rotation – a different
tooth of the generating face gear. Several groups of cutting tools are describing several teeth of
the generating face gear. The cutting tool head presented in fig. 3.37, is cutting the root of tooth
(golul dintre dinţi) 1 with P1 cutting tool group, the root of tooth 2 with P2 cutting tool group and
the root of tooth 3 with P3 cuttting tool group. Teething continues with the root of tooth 1' with
P1 cutting tool group.
During teething, the cutting tool head and the blank wheel have a contunuous rotation.
The cutting edges of the tools materialize the profiles of the generating face gear in a gearing
process with the blank wheel.

Fig. 3.36
Fig. 3.37

3.7.7. Strength Calculus Of Bevel Gears

3.7.7.1. The Substitute Gear (Virtual Gear)

By analogy with the spur or helical gear, that have been studied on a planar frontal
section, the study of a bevel gear should be performed on a sphere with the center point on the
intersection of the axes of the bevel gear. Study on a spherical surface is difficult, so the
aproximation of the spherical surface as a planar surface is prefered. Because the spherical
surface cannot be unfolded, the spherical surfaces containing the teeth profiles are aproximated
with conical surfaces (fig. 3.28, a), tangent to the sphere (Tredgold aproximation). These cones
are the frontal cones from fig. 3.26.
By planar unfolding of the frontal cones 1 şi 2 (fig. 3.28, a), a planar gear is obtained as a
substitute (virtual) for the bevel (spherical) gear (fig. 3.28, b). In the same way can be build any
substitute gear for any of the three sections of the bevel gear (interior, medium or exterior frontal
cones).
 a b
Fig. 3.28
By this aproximation, the face gear is bounded by a frontal cylinder (v. fig. 3.28,a şi fig.
3.29). By planar unfold of the frontal cylinder containing the teeth profiles of the face gear, a
substitute planar rack is obtained (v. fig. 3.28,b).
Because the tooth profile of the substitute rack is aproximated to a straight line, the
substitute gear is an involute gear.
Calculations on the bevel strength are performed on the substitute gear corresponding to
the medium frontal cones (fig. 3.29), this gear being called the substitute (virtual) gear. The
results of the study of spur and helical gears can be applied to the substitute (virtual) gear.
The diameters of the pair wheels of the substitute gear (see fig. 3.29) are:
d m1, 2
d v1, 2 = (3.67)
cos δ1, 2
where dm1,2 are the medium pitch diameters of the bevel-gear pinion and wheel.
Because the substitute gear has the same medium frontal module mmt with the bevel gear,
relationship (3.67) becomes
mmt z1, 2
mmt zv1, 2 = (3.68)
cos δ1, 2
where: zv1,2 are the numbers of teeth from the substitute gear; z1,2 – the numbers of teeth from the
bevel gear.
From relationship (3.68)
z1, 2
z v1, 2 = (3.69)
cosδ1, 2
The gear ratio of the substitute gear is
z z cos δ1
uv = v 2 = 2 (3.70)
zv1 z1 cos δ 2
In the case of the ortogonal bevel gear (Σ=900),
z d
u = 2 = m 2 = tg δ 2 ; (3.71)
z1 d m1
 cos δ1 sin δ 2
= = tg δ 2 = u . (3.72)
cos δ 2 cos δ 2
Considering relationships (3.71) and (3.72), for the ortogonal bevel gear, the gear ratio of
the substitute gear is
uv = u 2 . (3.73)
The center distance of the substitute gear is
d + dv2
av = v1 . (3.74)
2
Strength calculus of bevel
gears is performed in the medium
section (medium frontal cone) the
calculus relations from cylindrical
gears, being applied to the
substitute gear. The replace of the
bevel gear with a cylindrical
substitute gear is valid for any
type of bevel gear. Straight bevel
gears have a substitute spur gear
and the spiral bevel gear have a
substitute helical gear with β = βm.
For gear strength calculus,
the non-ortogonal spiral bevel
Fig. 3.29
gear (Σ≠900), is considered as a
general case. Calculus relations for any kind of bevel gear results by applying their specific
features to the calculus relations obtained for the general gear.
The wheels of the substitute gear of the spiral bevel gear (fig. 3.38) are helical gear
wheels with the following properties :
• the tooth angle of the substitute gear is equal with the medium pitch angle βm of the
bevel gear;
• the pitch radiuses dv1,2 / 2 of the substitute gear wheels are equal with the length of the
medium frontal cones generators of the bevel-gear wheels;
• the normal module of the substitute gear is equal with the normal medium module of
the bevel gear;
• the height of the substitute gear teeth is equal with the medium height of the bevel gear
teeth;
• The tangential force from the substitute gear is equal with the one of the real bevel
gear, calculatet at the medium pitch diameter.
Some specific relationships between the geometrical parameters of the bevel-gear wheels
and the substitute gear wheels (like the one from rel. 3.67…3.74) must be established, in order to
perform the strength calculus.
For a bevel gear,
d m1, 2 = 2 Rm sin δ1, 2 , (3.76)
where Rm is the length of the medium frontal cones generators.
 Fig. 10.38
The center distance of the substitute gear is
d v1 + d v 2 1 ⎛ d m1 d ⎞
av = = ⎜⎜ + m 2 ⎟⎟ = Rm (tg δ1 + tg δ 2 ) . (3.80)
2 2 ⎝ cos δ1 cos δ 2 ⎠
Between the torque at the pinion shaft from the substitute gear Tv1 and the one from the
real bevel gear T1 can be established the relationship
Tv1 Ft1d v1 1 T
= = ; Tv1 = 1 , (3.81)
T1 Ft1d m1 cos δ1 cos δ1
where Ft1 is the tangential force from the real bevel gear, calculated at the medium pitch
diameter.

3.7.7.2. Contact Strength Calculus

Same as for the cylindrical gears, contact strength calculus is performed in order to avoid
the tooth failure by pitting on the active tooth profile. The calculus consists in the determination
of contact effective stresses and their limitation to admissible values.
Because the substitute gear, like the bevel gear, is a zero – addendum correction gears (αt
= αwt) and
d +d
av = v1 v 2 = v1 (uv + 1) ,
d
2 2
the verification relation, for contact in the gearing pole C, established for helical gears and
applied to the substitute gear (see fig. 3.38), becomes
2Tv1 uv + 1
σ HC = σ H 0 = Z E Z β Z H Z ε Z K K A K v K Hα K Hβ ≤ σ HP . (3.82)
beH d v21 uv
 There must be considered the following remarks:
• factors ZE, Zβ, ZH, Zε, KA, Kv, KHα, KHβ have the same meaning with the one used for
contact strength calculus of the helical gears;
• factor ZK is specific to bevel gears and is considering the variation of the superficial
hardness along the length of the tooth; for crowning (bombare) on the height of the
tooth profile, ZK = 0,85, and for simple gears, ZK =1,0;
• beH is the actual width of the gear loaded with contact stress, beH = 0,85b;
The final verification relation is
T1 sin Σ
σ HC = σ H 0 = Z E Z β Z H Z ε Z K K A K v K Hβ K Hα ≤ σ HP ,
2beH Rm2 u sin 3 δ 1
being used for the calculus in the gearing pole, the σH0 stress being called the base contact stress.
The maximum contact stresses take place in the one pair gearing points (line BD of the
real gearing line of the substitute gear from fig. 3.39). As a result, contact calculus is
reccomended to be performed also in the the one-pair gearing points B and D (see fig. 3.39). The
contact stresses in these points are established with relations:
σ HB = Z B σ H 0 ; σ HD = Z D σ H 0 ,

Fig. 10.39
where ZB and ZD represents the gearing factors at points B and D.
B
 Same as for the helical gears, factors ZB and ZD are established with relations:
B

tgα vt
ZB = ;
⎛ d2 ⎞ ⎡ 2 ⎤
⎜ va1 − 1 − 2π ⎟ ⎢ d va 2 − 1 − (ε − 1) 2π ⎥
vα
⎜ d vb2
z v1 ⎟ ⎢ d vb
2
zv 2 ⎥
⎝ 1 ⎠⎣ 2 ⎦
tgα vt
ZD = ,
⎛ d2 ⎞⎡ 2 ⎤
⎜ va 2 − 1 − 2π ⎟ ⎢ d va1 − 1 − (ε − 1) 2π ⎥
vα
⎜ d vb
2
zv 2 ⎟ ⎢ d vb
2
zv1 ⎥
⎝ 2 ⎠⎣ 1 ⎦
where: αvt is the frontal profile angle of the substitute gear; εvα- the contact ratio of the substitute
gear; dva1,2- the addendum diameters of the substitute gears (see fig. 3.39); dvb1,2 – the base
diameters of the substitute gears diametrele cercurilor de bază ale roţilor înlocuitoare.
The maximum contact stress, considered for verification calculus is
σH=max(σHB, σHD).

3.7.7.3. Bending Strength Calculus

The calculus at has the purpose to avoid the fatigue tooth breakage. The calculus consists
in determination of effective stresses at bending and their limitation to admissible values.
The relation for verification the bending strength with the effective stresses (for pinion
and for wheel) at the root of the tooth, taken from helical gears and applied to the substitute gear
of the bevel gear, becomes
2Tv1 z v1
σ F 1, 2 = K A K v K Fβ K FαYεYβYSa1, 2YFa1, 2 ≤ σ FP1, 2 . (3.83)
beF d v21 cos β m
Relation (3.83) is considering the a zero – addendum correction substitute gear (αt = αwt)
and av = v1 (uv + 1) .
d
2
In order to use relation (3.83) for the verification of the general spiral bevel gear, the
following remarks must be considered:
• factors KA, Kv, KFβ, KFα, Yε, Yβ, YSa1,2, YFa1,2 have the same meaning with the one
used for contact strength calculus of the helical gears;
• shape factors YFa1,2 and the correction factors for bending stress YSa1,2 are established
depending on the radial addendum correction coefficients and the numbers of teeth
of the equivalent substitute gear (spur gear)
z1, 2
z vn1, 2 = ; (3.84)
cos δ1, 2 cos 2 β vb cos β m
• beF is the actual width of the gear loaded with bending stress; for any type of bevel
gear beF = 0,85 b;
The final relation is
T1 z1 K A K v K Fβ K Fα
σ F 1, 2 = Yε Yβ YSa1, 2YFa1, 2 ≤ σ FP1, 2 ,
2beF Rm2 sin 2 δ 1 cos β m
usedfor bending strength verification of any general non-ortogonal spiral bevel gear.