M3: Mechanical transmission systems This section will cover an introduction on, Gears Drives Belts/pulleys Power screws

ews M 3.1 Gear Drives A gear wheel is a toothed machine part that meshes with another toothed part to transmit motion or to change speed or direction. Gears can produce mechanical advantage through a gear ratio and can be viewed as a simple machine. Gear wheels are often used for conversion of torque and speed of a power source. These can transfer large torques to drive very large loads. These are often used when speed changes are required. A gear setup which increases speed is called a step up gear while a setup which decreases speed is called a step down gear box. Some gear boxes are capable of achieving large reductions even in a small physical package M3.1.1 Gear Nomenclature Pitch circle - is a theoretical circle upon which all calculations are based. Pitch circles of mating gears are tangent to each other. Pinion - is the smaller of two mating gears. Gear is the larger. Circular pitch - is equal to the sum of the tooth thickness and the width of space measured on the pitch circle. Diametral pitch - is the ratio of the number of teeth to the pitch diameter. Module - is the ratio of the pitch diameter to the number of teeth (SI). Addendum - is the radial distance from the top land to the pitch circle. Dedendum - is the radial distance from the bottom land to the pitch circle. Whole depth - is the sum of the addendum and dedendum. Clearance circle - is a circle that is tangent to the addendum circle of the mating gear. Clearance - is the amount by which the dedendum in a given gear exceeds the addendum of its mating gear. There are factors to be considered when selecting gears. These are, Pitch Number of teeth Face width Material used to manufacture the gear Style of hub, bore, etc M3.1.2 Gear Relationships M3.1.4 Problems with gears drives 1. Interference Interference is the contact between gear teeth in an area other than intended point contact. This can be corrected by removing the interfering tooth tips or undercutting the shaded portion or the tooth flanks of the mating gear. Interference reduces the efficiency and strength of gear drives. 2 Backlash Backlash is the clearance between the meshed gears. It can best be described as the amount of lost motion due to clearance or slackness when movement is reversed and contact is reestablished. For example, in a pair of gears, backlash is the amount of clearance between mated gear teeth. In an ideal system the backlash should be zero. Backlash is sometimes required to leave a space between the gear tooth and the mating gear, so that it is possible to have a film of lubricant in between for smooth operation or to prevent it from binding from heat expansion or to counteract eccentricity or manufacturing inaccuracies. In practice backlash can reduce the gear efficiency. 3.1.5 Types of gears Spur Gears This is the simplest type of gear. These are used to transmit power when the shafts are parallel with each other. These gears are very economical for many applications. These have a simple

shape and a design. These also encounter no thrust loads from tooth engagement. Helical Gears These are ideal for a system which switches gear ratios frequently. These ensure a gradual tooth engagement which results in lower noise during operation. These could be used when the shafts are at an angle. Resulting thrust loads from teeth reaction forces generated during engagement could cause problems. Bevel Gears These gears are often used when the two shafts are an angle of 90 degrees; however, these could also be used when the two shafts are at other angles. The teeth of the two gears are on a conically shaped surface. These could have either straight or helical teeth. Worm Gears In this type of gears a worm, which has the form of a screw, meshes with a worm gear wheel. They can be used to obtain higher speed reductions allowing higher torques to be transmitted. There is greater friction between the worm and worm-wheel introducing higher losses and thus reducing the efficiency. Rack and Pinion A rack is the toothed linear drive and pinion is the toothed wheel of the gear train. A rack and pinion converts rotational motion into linear motion thus they can also be considered as a type of a linear actuator. The rack and pinion is used in the steering mechanism of automobiles. It provides less backlash and greater feedback, or steering "feel" for the driver. 3.1.6 Examples Example 1: A simple speed reducer is composed of 2 spur gears. The pinion gear has a pitch diameter of 0.75 and 36 teeth while the driven gear has a pitch diameter of 4.0 and 192 teeth. 1. What is the Diametral pitch of each gear? 2. If an electric motor rotating CCW at 3000 rpm is coupled to the pinion, what is the rotational speed of the driven gear? 3. If the torque delivered to the pinion is 1 N-m, what is the torque on the driven gear? 4. What is the power transmitted by the gear train? Example 2: Compound Gear Set Problem: A motor rotating at 3000 rpm drives a 50 tooth gear that is coupled in turn to a 100 tooth gear. The 100 tooth gear is mounted on a common shaft with an 80 tooth gear that is coupled to a 200 tooth gear. The 200 tooth gear is mounted on a shaft that drives the load. 1. What is the rpm of the load? 2. In which direction (relative to the motor) is the load rotating? 3. If the motor is delivering 2 Hp, what is the torque on the output shaft (assuming the losses associated with the power transmission system are negligible)?