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Worm Gears Formulas PDF
Worm Gears Formulas PDF
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Worm Gears
Introduction..... Nomenclature..... Design Parameters..... Specifications..... Designation..... Worm Gear Profiles..... Materials.....
Design Process..... Thermal Design..... Worm Gear Formulue..... Friction Factors..... Strength Design to BS721..... Strength Design to
AGMA.....
Introduction
A worm gear is used when a large speed reduction ratio is required between crossed axis shafts which do not
intersect. A basic helical gear can be used but the power which can be transmitted is low. A worm drive consists of a
large diameter worm wheel with a worm screw meshing with teeth on the periphery of the worm wheel. The worm is
similar to a screw and the worm wheel is similar to a section of a nut. As the worm is rotated the wormwheel is caused
to rotate due to the screw like action of the worm. The size of the worm gearset is generally based on the centre
distance between the worm and the wormwheel.
If the worm gears are machined basically as crossed helical gears the result is a highly stress point contact
gear. However normally the wormwheel is cut with a concave as opposed to a straight width. This is called a single
envelope worm gearset. If the worm is machined with a concave profile to effectively wrap around the wormwheel the
gearset is called a double enveloping worm gearset and has the highest power capacity for the size. Single enveloping
gearsets require accurate alignment of the worm-wheel to ensure full line tooth contact. Double enveloping gearsets
require accurate alignment of both the worm and the wormwheel to obtain maximum face contact.
The worm is shown with the worm above the wormwheel. The gearset can also be arranged with the worm below the
wormwheel. Other alignments are used less frequently.
Nomenclature
As can be seen in the above view a section through the axis of the worm and the centre of the gear shows that , at this
plane, the meshing teeth and thread section is similar to a spur gear and has the same features
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The worm gear action is a sliding action which results in significant frictional losses. The ideal combination of gear
materials is for a case hardened alloy steel worm (ground finished) with a phosphor bronze gear. Other combinations
are used for gears with comparatively light loads.
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Specifications
Very simply a pair of worm gears can be defined by designation of the number of threads in the worm ,the number of
teeth on the wormwheel, the diameter factor and the axial module i.e z1,z2, q, m .
This information together with the centre distance ( a ) is enough to enable calculation of and any dimension of a worm
gear using the formulea available.
The sketch below shows the normal (not axial) worm tooth profile as indicated in BS 721-2 for unit axial module (m =
1mm) other module teeth are in proportion e.g. 2mm module teeth are 2 times larger
Typical axial modules values (m) used for worm gears are
0,5 0,6 0,8 1,0 1,25 1,6 2,0 2,5 3,15 4,0 5,0 6,3 8,0 10,0 12,5 16,0 20,0 25,0 32,0 40,0 50,0
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6) Complete design of gearbox including design of shafts, lubrication, and casing ensuring sufficient heat transfer area
to remove waste heat.
Formulae
Rg=z2/z1
eg a 30 tooth wheel meshing with a 2 start worm has a reduction of 15
F wt = F ga = 2.M 1 / d 1
M 2 = F gt * d 2 / 2
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Relationship between the Worm Tangential Force F wt and the Gear Tangential force F gt
The efficiency of the worm gear is determined by dividing the output Torque M2 with friction = µ by the output torque
with zero losses i.e µ = 0
First cancelling [( M 1 . d 2 / d 1 ) / M 1 . d 2 / d 1 ) ] = 1
Denominator = [(cos α n / (cos α n . tan γ ] = cot γ
V p = 0,00005236,d 2 . n 2
Friction Coefficient
The information below relates to BS721 Pt2 1983 Specification for worm gearing � Metric units. BS721 provides
average design values reflecting the experience of specialist gear manufacturers. The methods have been refined by
addition of various application and duty factors as used. Generally wear is the critical factor..
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The permissible torque (M in Nm) on the gear teeth is obtained by use of the equation
X b.2 = speed factor for bending (Worm wheel ).. See Below
σ bm.2 = Bending stress factor for Worm wheel.. See Table below
l f.2 = length of root of Worm Wheel tooth
d 2 = Reference diameter of worm wheel
m = axial module
γ = Lead angle
The table below is derived from a graph in BS 721. I cannot see how this works as a small worm has a smaller diameter
compared to a large worm and a lower speed which is not reflected in using the RPM.
Additional factors
The formula for the acceptable torque for wear should be modified to allow additional factors which affect the Allowable
torque M c
M c2 = M c . Z L . Z M .Z R / K C
The torque on the wormwheel as calculated using the duty requirements (M e ) must be less than the acceptable torque
M c2 for a duty of 27000 hours with uniform loading. For loading other than this then M e should be modified as
follows
M e2 = M e . K S * K H
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Thus
uniform load < 27000 hours (10 years) M e ≤ M c2
Other conditions M e2 ≤ M c2
Lubricant (Z M )..
Z L = 1 for Oil bath lubrication at V s < 10 m /s
Z L = 0,815 Oil bath lubrication at 10 m/s < V s < 14 m /s
Z L = 1 Forced circulation lubrication
Surface roughness (Z R ) ..
Z R = 1 if Worm Surface Texture < 3µ m and Wormwheel < 12 µ m
else use less than 1
Starting factor (K S ) ..
K S =1 for < 2 Starts per hour
=1,07 for 2- 5 Starts per hour
=1,13 for 5-10 Starts per hour
=1,18 more than 10 Starts per hour
Speed Factors
X c.2 = K V .K R
Note: This table is not based on the graph in BS 721-2 (figure 7) it is based on another more easy to follow graph. At
low values of sliding velocity and RPM it agrees closely with BS 721. At higher speed velocities it gives a lower value
(e.g at 20m/s -600 RPM the value from this table for X c.2 is about 80% of the value in BS 721-2
Stress Factors
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Wear ( σ cm )
( σ bm )
Metal
(Wormwheel)
MPa MPa
Phosphor Bronze
69 8,3 8,3 9,0 15,2
Centrifugal cast
Phosphor Bronze
63 6,2 6,2 6,9 12,4
Sand Cast Chilled
Phosphor Bronze
49 4,6 4,6 5,3 10,3
Sand Cast
Grey Cast Iron 40 6,2 4,1 4,1 4,1 5,2
0,4% Carbon steel 138 10,7 6,9
0,55% Carbon steel 173 15,2 8,3
Carbon Steel
276 48,3 30,3 15,2
(Case hardened)
If b a < 2,3 (q +1) 1/2 Then Z = (Basic Zone factor ) . b a /2 (q +1) 1/2
If b a > 2,3 (q +1) 1/2 Then Z = (Basic Zone factor ) .1,15
Duty Factor
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The table below allows selection of q value which provides a reasonably efficient worm design. The recommended
centre distance value "a" (mm)is listed for each q value against a range of z 2 (teeth number values). The table has
been produced by reference to the relevant plot in BS 721
Example
If the number of teeth on the gear is selected as 45 and the centre distance is 300 mm then a q value for the worm
would be about 7.5
Important note: This table provides reasonable values for all worm speeds. However at worm speeds below 300 rpm a
separate plot is provided in BS721 which produces more accurate q values. At these lower speeds the resulting q
values are approximately 1.5 higher than the values from this table. The above example at less than 300rpm should be
increased to about 9
Good proportions indicate that for a centre to centre distance = C the mean worm dia d 1 is within the range
Imperial (inches)
The formula will result in a life of over 25000 hours with a case hardened alloy steel worm and a phosphor bronze wheel
C s = Materials factor
b a = Effective face width of gearwheel = actual face width. but not to exceed 0,67 . d 1
C m = Ratio factor
C v = Velocity factor
σ a = W t / ( p n . b a . y )(N)
W t = Worm gear tangential Force (N)
y = 0,125 for a normal pressure angle α n = 20 o
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V s = π .n 1 . d 1 / (60,000 )
T G = W t .d 1 / 2000
H loss = P in ( 1 - η )
C s values
C s (Chilled cast gears ) = 1000 for d 1 ≤ 200 mm ...else ... 2052 -456 log (d 1 )
C s (Centrifugally cast gears ) = 1000 for d 1 ≤ 635 mm ...else ... 1503 - 180 log (d 1 )
C m values
C v values
f values
f (V s = 0) = 0,15
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