Gears Nomenclature

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 Gears Nomenclature

Gears
A gear is a rotating machine part having cut teeth, or
cogs, which mesh with another toothed part in order to
transmit torque.
QuickTime™ and a
GIF decompressor
are needed to see this picture. Two or more gears working in tandem are called a transmission
and can produce a mechanical advantage through a gear ratio and
thus may be considered a simple machine.

Geared devices can change the speed, magnitude, and direction of

a power source.
animated gif
The most common situation is for a gear to mesh with another
gear, however a gear can also mesh a non-rotating toothed part,
called a rack, thereby producing translation instead of rotation.
 Gears Nomenclature

The gears in a transmission are analogous to the wheels in a pulley. An advantage of gears is that the
teeth of a gear prevent slipping. When two gears of unequal number of teeth are combined a mechanical
advantage is produced, with both the rotational speeds and the torques of the two gears differing in a
simple relationship.

QuickTime™ and a
GIF decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

animated gif
The earliest known reference to gears was circa 50 A.D. by Hero of Alexandria, but they can be traced back
to the Greek mechanics of the Alexandrian school in the 3rd century BC and were greatly developed by the
Greek polymath Archimedes (287-212 BC).
 Gears Nomenclature

Law of Gearing

The common normal to the tooth profiles at the point of contact must always pass through a
fixed point (the pitch point) on the line of centers (to get a constant velocity ration).

Consider one end of a piece of string is fastened to the OD of one cylinder and the other end of the string is fastened
to the OD of another cylinder parallel to the first and both cylinders are rotated in the opposite directions to tension
the string(see figure above). The point on the string midway between the cylinders P is marked. As the left hand
cylinder rotates CCW the point moves towards this cylinder as it wraps on. The point moves away from the right hand
cylinder as the string unwraps. The point traces the involute form of the gear teeth.
 Gears Nomenclature

Gear
Nomenclature

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Gears Nomenclature
 Gears Nomenclature

Nomenclature

Rotational frequency, n Measured in rotation over time, such as RPM.

Angular frequency, ω Measured in radians per second.

How many teeth a gear has, an integer. In the case of worms, it is the number of thread starts that
Number of teeth, N
the worm has.

Gear, wheel The larger of two interacting gears.

Pinion The smaller of two interacting gears.

Path of contact Path followed by the point of contact between two meshing gear teeth.

Line along which the force between two meshing gear teeth is directed. It has the same direction
as the force vector. In general, the line of action changes from moment to moment during the
period of engagement of a pair of teeth. For involute gears, however, the tooth-to-tooth force is
Line of action, pressure line
always directed along the same line—that is, the line of action is constant. This implies that for
involute gears the path of contact is also a straight line, coincident with the line of action—as is
indeed the case.
 Gears Nomenclature

Nomenclature

Axis Axis of revolution of the gear; center line of the shaft.

Pitch point, p Point where the line of action crosses a line joining the two gear axes.

Circle centered on and perpendicular to the axis, and passing through the pitch point. A
Pitch circle, pitch line predefined diametral position on the gear where the circular tooth thickness, pressure angle and
helix angles are defined.

A predefined diametral positon on the gear where the circular tooth thickness, pressure angle and
helix angles are defined. The standard pitch diameter is a basic dimension and cannot be
Pitch diameter, d 
measured, but is a location where other measurements are made. Its value is based on the
number of teeth, the normal module (or normal diametral pitch), and the helix angle.

A scaling factor used in metric gears with units in millimeters who's effect is to enlarge the gear
tooth size as the module increases and reduce the size as the module decreases. Module can be
Module, m 
defined in either the normal (mn), transverse (mt), or axial planes (ma) depending on the design
approach employed and the type of gear being designed Module is typically an input value into
the gear design and is seldom calculated.

It is the amount by which the width of a tooth space exceeds the thickness of the engaging tooth
Backlash
on the pitch circles.
In cylindrical gears, cylinder formed by projecting a pitch circle in the axial direction. More
Pitch surface  generally, the surface formed by the sum of all the pitch circles as one moves along the axis. For
bevel gears it is a cone.
 Gears Nomenclature

Nomenclature

Angle with vertex at the gear center, one leg on the point where mating teeth first make contact,
Angle of action 
the other leg on the point where they disengage.

Arc of action  Segment of a pitch circle subtended by the angle of action.

The complement of the angle between the direction that the teeth exert force on each other, and
the line joining the centers of the two gears. For involute gears, the teeth always exert force along
Pressure angle, θ 
the line of action, which, for involute gears, is a straight line; and thus, for involute gears, the
pressure angle is constant.

Outside diameter, Do  Diameter of the gear, measured from the tops of the teeth.

Root diameter  Diameter of the gear, measured at the base of the tooth.

Addendum, Ha  Radial distance from the pitch surface to the outermost point of the tooth. Ha = (Do − D) / 2

Dedendum, Hf  Radial distance from the depth of the tooth trough to the pitch surface. Hf = (D − rootdiameter) / 2

Center Distance The distance between the centers of Gear and Pinion
 Gears Nomenclature

Nomenclature

The distance from the top of the tooth to the root; it is equal to addendum plus dedendum or to
Whole depth, ht 
working depth plus clearance.

Clearance  Distance between the root circle of a gear and the addendum circle of its mate.

Working depth  Depth of engagement of two gears, that is, the sum of their operating addendums.

Distance from one face of a tooth to the corresponding face of an adjacent tooth on the same
Circular pitch, p 
gear, measured along the pitch circle.

Ratio of the number of teeth to the pitch diameter. Could be measured in teeth per inch or teeth
Diametral pitch, pd 
per centimeter.

In involute gears, where the tooth profile is the involute of the base circle. The radius of the base
Base circle 
circle is somewhat smaller than that of the pitch circle.

In involute gears, distance from one face of a tooth to the corresponding face of an adjacent tooth
Base pitch, normal pitch, pb 
on the same gear, measured along the base circle.

Interference Contact between teeth other than at the intended parts of their surfaces.

Interchangeable set  A set of gears, any of which will mate properly with any other.
 Gears Nomenclature

Module of Gear

Contact Line Path of action Line of Action

Gears Nomenclature

Animation Environment

Enter a value of module. A gear wheel will

be sketched representing all the explained
terms.
 Gears Nomenclature

User Interaction

By varying the value of module, the corresponding dimensions of the gear changes and
it is visualized in the animation.
Module =
Gear Size =
Number of teeth =

As per requirements: user interaction is to be presented.

 Gears Nomenclature

Some common types of Gears

Herringbone gears Helical Gears

Rack Gears

Spiral Bevel Gears Worm Gears Non-metal Gears Spur Gears

Comparison with other drive mechanisms:

The definite velocity ratio which results from having teeth gives gears an advantage over other drives
(such as traction drives and V-belts) in precision machines such as watches that depend upon an exact
velocity ratio. In cases where driver and follower are in close proximity gears also have an advantage
over other drives in the reduced number of parts required. The automobile transmission allows
selection between gears to give various mechanical advantages.

The downside is that gears are more expensive to manufacture and their lubrication requirements may
impose a higher operating cost.
 Gears Nomenclature

Questions

The Gear size is specified by?

•Diametrical Pitch
•Circular Pitch
•Shape of Gear
1.Module of Gear
 Gears Nomenclature

Questions

The shape of gear tooth to avoid interference is

•Cycloidal shape
• Involute
1.Truncated cone
2.Square
 Gears Nomenclature

Questions

Gear drive is a ______ Drive

Positive drive
1.Negative drive
2.Positive drive with more slip
3.Negative drive with no slip.
 Gears Nomenclature

Questions

Spur Gears used in desktop printers are made of

1.Cast iron
2.Aluminum
3.PVC
4.FRPs.
 Gears Nomenclature

Books

Theory of machines by Thomas bevan

Theory of machines and mechanisms by shigley and uicker.

References

1.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gear
2.http://science.howstuffworks.com/gear1.htm
3.http://www.technologystudent.com/gears1/geardex1.htm
4.http://www.technologystudent.com/gears1/gears1.htm
5.http://hobbing.com/topics/
6.http://www.gearinfo.com/