Measurement and Instrumentation Lab

Experiment No.6 Gear Tooth thickness measuring gauge

Name: Abdul Rehman
Roll no: 002
Group no: A1
Teacher: Professor Mudassar Shareef
Instructor: Sir M. Waleed
Submission date: 17th November 2022

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Nilore, Islamabad
 Table of Contents
6.1 Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... 3
6.2 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 3
6.3 Apparatus .................................................................................................................................. 4
6.4 Procedure .................................................................................................................................. 4
6.5 Observations and Calculations .................................................................................................. 4
6.6 Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 5
6.7 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 6

List of Figures
Figure 1: Gear Nomenclature.......................................................................................................... 3

List of Tables
Table 1: Thickness and Depth for different Gears .......................................................................... 5
6.1 Abstract
In this experiment, a gear tooth thickness gauge was used to simultaneously measure the tooth
thickness and depth of different gears. Before the measurement, the meter was checked for zero
error. Zero error was present on the horizontal gauge for which the zero correction was applied.
However, there was no zero error in the vertical scale. The values measured for the gear tooth of
five different gears are given in the table .

6.2 Introduction
Gears are used to transfer motion and torque between machine components in mechanical
devices. Depending on the design and construction of the gear pair employed, gears can change
the direction of movement and/or increase the output speed or torque. The specification and
requirements of the applications—i.e., whether they need to change direction, increase speed or
torque, or both—influence the required and optimal gear type, design, and configuration. Gears
serve two main purposes: increasing speed or increasing force. To increase one of these,
compromises must be made. For example, to increase the speed of a bicycle's wheels the force
applied to the pedals must be increased. Similarly, to increase the force on the wheels the pedals
must be turned faster. This experiment provided an understanding of various gear terminologies
and provided direct experience in measuring various gear parameters i.e., gear tooth depth and
thickness. Gear tooth thickness gauge is used for allowance measurement, circular pitch
measurement, tooth pitch line thickness measurement, and can also be used for rolling, forming,
and threading tools measurement, etc.

Figure 1: Gear Nomenclature

6.3 Apparatus
Experiment required following apparatus:

• Gear tooth thickness measuring gauge

• Five gears of varied sizes
• Micrometer screw gauge

6.4 Procedure
The procedure for performing the experiment was:
1. Measured the major diameter (addendum circle) using micrometer screw gauge.

2. Checked the zero error in both scales i.e., depth measuring scale (vertical) and thickness
measuring scale (horizontal) by fully closing the jaws together.
3. Measured the least count for both scales of gauge.

4. Opened the jaws of thickness measuring scale and settled the height using height defining
scale to the depth of the up to a point where there was no light visible between the gear
surface and the scriber tip.
5. Closed the jaws of thickness measuring scale with gentle pressure so that jaws have firm
contact with tooth.
6. Pointed the gauge towards a light source to see the scale.

7. Noted the main scale readings for tooth depth and tooth thickness scale. Also noted, the
vernier scale reading of both scales.
8. The thickness or depth value has been found as:

𝑉𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 = 𝑀𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 + (𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 ∗ 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡)

6.5 Observations and Calculations

Least Count (Both scales) = 0.02 mm
Fixed Vertical Height = 2.1 mm
Zero Error (Thickness gauge) = + 0.06 mm
Zero Correction (Thickness gauge) = - 0.06 mm
Zero Error (Depth gauge) = 0 mm
Zero Correction (Depth gauge) = 0 mm
 Table 1: Thickness and Depth for different Gears

Reading
Sr. No. Scale Main Scale (mm) Vernier Scale (mm) Corrected (mm)
(mm)
Vertical 2 0.7 2.7 2.7
1
Horizontal 2 0.52 2.52 2.46
Vertical 3 0.66 3.66 3.66
2
Horizontal 2 0.74 2.74 2.68
Vertical 2 0.58 2.58 2.58
3
Horizontal 2 0.52 2.52 2.46
Vertical 2 0.5 2.5 2.5
4
Horizontal 2 0.64 2.64 2.58
Vertical 3 0.02 3.02 3.02
5
Horizontal 2 0.66 2.66 2.6

6.6 Discussion
Use a tooth thickness gauge to measure the thickness and depth of the teeth in your experiment.
The gauge had two scales, vertical and horizontal. The horizontal scale measures the thickness of
the teeth. While the vertical scale measures the depth of the teeth. Each scale consists of a main
scale and vernier. These scales are like vernier scales. The smallest number was found using the
smallest division of the main scale and the total division on the vernier. The smallest number
calculated for both scales was 0.02 mm.
The measured gear depth is the sum of the dedendum and addendum. Clearance is also included
in dedendum. The difference between the radius of the heel (radius of the dedendum circle) and
the radius of the tip (addendum) is called the full depth (h) of the gear. Gear tooth thickness is
defined as the arc length between opposing tooth faces, measured around a standard pitch circle.
This is a length that cannot be measured directly, so in practice another dimension of the gear is
measured, from which the tooth thickness is then calculated. Generally, thickness is measured as
the straight length between opposing tooth faces around a standard pitch circle at the end of the
dedendum and the beginning of the increment. A pitch circle whose radius is equal to the
distance from the center of the gear to the pitch point. This is where the gear speed is measured.
During the experiment, the vertical meter had no zero error, but had a fixed vertical scale height.
The gauge cannot measure gear tooth depth less than the fixed vertical height. But zero error was
present in the horizontal scale, which was addressed by zero correction. These zero errors are a
type of instrumental error. It is a type of error where the instrument gives a reading when the
actual reading at that time is zero. A zero error occurs when the zero of the main scale moves to
the left or right. Zero error was -0.06 mm.
Other errors may have occurred due to poor handling of the experiment, human error, poor
instrumentation, and parallax error. The effect due to Temperature is very small and can be
neglected.

6.7 Conclusion
The experiment made it possible to measure the thickness and depth of the gear tooth. The zero
error of the vertical scale was zero, while the horizontal scale had an error of -0.06, which was
corrected by measurement.