EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Maintenance engineering is the occupation that uses engineering theories and practices to plan
and implement routine maintenance of equipment and machinery. This must be done in
conjunction with optimizing operating procedures and budgets to attain and sustain the highest
levels of reliability and profit. The onslaught of high-tech machinery, multiple infrastructures
and systems, and intricate computerized manufacturing and production systems over the past few
decades has elevated these jobs to new levels of responsibility and qualification requirements.

A gearbox is a mechanical method of transferring energy from one device to another and is used
to increase torque while reducing speed. Torque is the power generated through the bending or
twisting of a solid material. This term is often used interchangeably with transmission.

This report focuses on the maintenance aspects of the Manual Gear box. The failure analysis
such as Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) are presented in
this report. In addition to this, a brief introduction to the basic components of a gear box is also
given. Moreover, some suggestions are also provided for the better maintenance of the gear box.

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Contents
1. executive summary ................................................................................................... i

2. Introduction ...............................................................................................................1

3. Background ............................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

4. Scope of Work ..........................................................................................................2

5. Maintenance objective ..............................................................................................3

6. Equipment Summary .............................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Types of Transmission ................................................................................................................ 5

7. Overview of Maintenance ....................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

8. Methods for Inspecting a Gearbox .......................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

9. FMEA ..................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

10. Fault Tree Analysis ...................................................................................................4

11. Health and Safety ......................................................................................................1

12. Assembly instructions ...............................................................................................4

13. Operating temperature ..............................................................................................5

14. Equipment to Use for a Gearbox Inspection .............................................................5

15. Conclusion ................................................................................................................7

16. Refrences...................................................................................................................8

]\

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 1. INTRODUCTION

Every manufacturing facility wants production systems and equipment to operate and be
operated in a reliable fashion. When the equipment does what it needs to do when it needs to do
it, plant output and profitability is maximized. No organization wants its production systems or
processes to break down, to produce poor quality products, or to operate inefficiently. We want
them to operate perfectly. Unfortunately, we do not live in an ideal world; no physical asset
operates flawlessly forever. In most organizations, breakdowns are the norm. Quality and
productivity losses are high. Scheduled shipments are missed. Since the majority of these
deficiencies are manifest as equipment-related problems, for example, breakdowns or
maintenance-related corrective actions, maintenance is too often blamed for all problems that
plague most plants, facilities, and corporations. In truth, the reasons for these inherent problems
are shared by all functional groups.

The only time anyone pays attention to maintenance is when production demands that they “get
it running again, and quickly!” The majority of work is done on a reactive basis. Performing
sustaining levels of maintenance is a fundamental requirement of long-term survivability of all
plants. Ignoring this requirement is a guarantee that the plant will incur unacceptably, ever-
increasing higher operating cost that will assure the loss of the ability to compete in today’s
world market.

Achieving high reliability in manufacturing and maintenance operations minimizes waste,

maximizes output, as well as minimizes cost. It allows us to get the most out of the assets we
have. By redefining the role of maintenance as part of a total plant reliability program provides
the infrastructure, processes, and employee involvement that result in improved throughput and
lower total cost of goods sold (COG). Specifically, changes such as lower production unit cost,
reduced maintenance cost, better process stability, and the like.

1.1 Background
Although a comprehensive on-site gearbox inspection is desirable in many situations, there may
be constraints that limit the extent of the inspection such as cost, time, accessibility and qualified
personnel.

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Cost and shutdown time might be perceived as prohibitive by management, but catching a
problem in its earliest stages can save time and money in the long run. While it may seem too
difficult to do a comprehensive inspection, a simple visual inspection of gear contact patterns
through an inspection port can prevent future catastrophic failures. If in-house inspection
expertise is not available, an expert can be hired to perform the inspection and train personnel.

Overcoming constraints in order to allow an inspection can help to extend gearbox life and avoid
catastrophic failure. This might save time, money, injury to personnel and damage to adjacent
equipment.

This report describes the equipment and techniques necessary to perform an on-site gearbox
inspection.

1.2 Scope of Work

The scopes of the study are categorized as:

 Process to install a gearbox with proper lubrication.

 Identification of various components of Gear box and their potential failure.
 Failure tree analysis (FTA) and failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) of Gear box
 Inspection, adjustments, parts, replacements, overhauls, and the like, for Gearbox.
 Provide maintenance procedure.

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 2. MAINTENANCE METHODOLOGY

2.1 Literature review and survey

An automobile requires high torque when climbing hills and when starting, even though they are
performed at low speeds. On other hand, when running at high speeds on level roads, high torque
is not required because of momentum. So requirement of a device is occur, which can change
the vehicle’s torque and its speed according to road condition or when the driver need. This
device is known as gear box

2.1.1 Function of gear box

The transmission box which is also known as the gear box is the second element of the power
train in an automobile. It is used to change the speed and torque of vehicle according to variety
of road and load condition. Transmission box change the engine speed into torque when
climbing hills and when the vehicle required. Sometimes it is known as torque converter. Main
functions of a gear box are as follow:

1. Provide the torque needed to move the vehicle under a variety of road and load conditions. It
does this by changing the gear ratio between the engine crankshaft and vehicle drive wheels.
2. Be shifted into reverse so the vehicle can move backward.
3. Be shifted into neutral for starting the engine.

2.1.2 Main components of a gear box:

In any device two or more component works together and fulfills the required function. In a
transmission box four components are required to fulfill its function. These components are-

1. Counter shaft:

Counter shaft is a shaft which connects with the clutch shaft directly. It contains the gear which
connects it to the clutch shaft as well as the main shaft. It may be run runs at the engine speed or
at lower than engine speed according to gear ratio.

2. Main shaft:

It is the shaft which runs at the vehicle speed. It carries power form the counter shaft by use of
gears and according to the gear ratio, it runs at different speed and torque compares to counter
shaft. One end of this shaft is connects with the universal shaft.

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3. Gears:

Gears are used to transmit the power form one shaft to another. They are most useful component
of transmission box because the variation is torque of counter shaft and main shaft is depend on
the gear ratio. The gear ratio is the ratio of the driven gear teeth to the driving gear teeth. If gear
ratio is large than one, the main shaft revolves at lower speed than the counter shaft and the
torque of the main shaft is higher than the counter shaft. On other hand if the gear ratio is less
than one, than the main shaft revolves at higher speed than the counter shaft and the torque of the
main shaft is lower than the counter shaft. A small car gear box contains four speed gear ratio
and one reverse gear ratio.

4. Bearings:

Whenever the rotary motion, bearings are required to support the revolving part and reduce the
friction. In the gear box both counter and main shaft are supported by the bearing.

Figure 1 Main parts of gear box

2.1.3 Working of a principle gear box:

In a gear box, the counter shaft is mashed to the clutch with a use of a couple of gear. So the
counter shaft is always in running condition. When the counter shaft is bring in contact with the
main shaft by use of meshing gears, the main shaft start to rotate according to the gear ratio.
When want to change the gear ratio, simply press the clutch pedal which disconnect the counter
shaft with engine and change connect the main shaft with counter shaft by another gear ratio by
use of gearshift lever. In a gear box, the gear teeth and other moving metal must not touch. They

4
must be continuously separated by a thin film of lubricant. This prevents excessive wear and
early failure. Therefor a gearbox runs partially filled with lubricant oil.

Figure 2 Section view of gear box

2.2.4 Types of Transmission

The transmission may be classified into the manual and the automatic types.

1. Manual Transmission

Sliding mesh type of gear box is the oldest type of manual transmission used in automobiles.
However in this type the mechanical efficiency was very low and the noise level was quite high.
Moreover the driver required considerable skill in changing the gears.

2. Sliding Mesh type of Gearbox

This is the simplest type of gear box. The power comes from the engine to the clutch shaft and
thence to the clutch gear which is always in mesh with a gear which is always in mesh with a
gear on the layshaft. All the gears on the lay shaft are fixed to it and as such they are all the time
rotating when the engine is running and the clutch is engaged. Three direct and one reverse
speeds are attained on suitably moving the gear on the main shaft by means of selector
mechanism.

3. Constant Mesh Gear Box

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In this type of gear box, all the gears are in constant mesh with the corresponding gears on the
layshaft. The gears on the main shaft which is splined are free. The dog clutches are provided
which are free to slide on the main shaft. The gears on the layshaft are, however fixed.

When the left dog clutch is slid to the left by means of the selector mechanism, its teeth are
engaged with those on the clutch gear and we get the direct gear. The same dog clutch, however
when slid to right makes contact with the second gear and second gear is obtained. Similarly
movement of the right dog clutch to the left results in low gear and towards right in reverse gear.

4. Synchromesh Gear Box

This type of gear box is similar to the constant mesh type in that all the gears on the main shaft
are in constant mesh with the corresponding gears on the lay shaft. The gear on the lay shaft is
fixed to it while those on the main shaft are free to rotate on the same. Its working is also similar
to the constant mesh type, but in the former there is one definite improvement over the latter.
This is the provision of synchromesh device which avoids the necessity of double declutching.

2.2. Maintenance Procedures

Based upon the possible failure causes, procedures for inspection for the problems and
preventive and predictive maintenance procedures are developed for each of the critical
components of the system. Possible corrective maintenance procedures are also presented.

There are essentially only four types of tasks in a scheduled maintenance program. Mechanics
can be asked to:

 Inspect an item to detect a potential failure.

 Rework an item before a maximum permissible age is exceeded.
 Discard an item before a maximum permissible age is exceeded.
 Inspect an item to find failures that have already occurred but were not evident to the
equipment operating crew.

2.3 Objective
 Lower production unit cost
 Reduce maintenance cost
 Better Process stability

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 Extended equipment life
 Reduced maintenance spare part inventory
 Reduce overtime

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 3. FAILURE ANALYSIS AND MAINTENANCE

3.1 Failure Mode, Effect and Criticality Analysis (FMECA)

FMECA is a methodology developed to identify potential failure modes in a product or process,
to determine the effect of each failure on system operation and to identify and carry out
corrective actions. It may also incorporate some method to rank each failure to its severity and
probability of occurrence. A successful FMECA activity helps to identify potential failure modes
based on past experience with similar products or processes or based on common failure
mechanism logic. An FMEA is conducted with the following steps:

i. List all the components

ii. The potential failure mode(s) for each component will be identified. Failure modes will
include:
1. Complete failures
2. Intermittent failures
3. Partial failures
4. Failures over time
5. Incorrect operation
6. Premature operation
7. Failure to cease functioning at allotted time
8. Failure to function at allotted time
It is important to consider that a part may have more than one mode of failure. For each failure,
the mode will be identified, the consequences or effects on system, property and people will be
listed. Then the severity or criticality rating will be given with the help of statistical analysis,
which will indicate how significant of an impact the effect will have on the system.
iii. For each mode of failure, the cause(s) are identified. The probability of occurrence can be
determined from field data or history of previous. A subjective rating also may be made
based on the experience and knowledge of the cross-functional experts.
iv. The controls currently in place will be identified that either prevent or detect the cause of the
failure mode. The effectiveness of such control will be rated and estimated how well the
cause or failure modes are prevented or detected.

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Risk Priority Number (RPN) plays an important part in the choice of an action against failure
modes. After ranking the severity, occurrence and detect ability, the RPN can be easily
calculated by multiplying these three numbers:
RPN = S × O × D

Finally, actions will be taken to reduce risk of failure, which is the most crucial aspect of an
FMEA. The FMEA should be reviewed to determine where corrective action should be taken

and when all failure modes of the system will be identified, documented and suitable actions
will be recommended. Further action also may be taken in the form of design improvements,
changes in component selection, the inclusion of redundancy in the design, or may incorporate
change for improving safety aspects

Table 1 Severity

Rating Severity End effect

1 None No effect on gear box opertion

2 Minor Gear box operate with minimial interference

3 Marginal Gear box operable with significant degradation of performance

4 Crirtical Gear box operable with equipment damage

5 Catastrophic Gear box inoperable with destructive failure without warrning

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Table 2 Occurrences

Rating Lable Description

1 Almost certain Root cause very easy to detect

2 High High chance of detection of root cause

3 Medium Moderate chance of detection of root cause

4 Low Low chance of detection of root cause

5 Impossible Root cause cannot be detected

Table 3 Detection

Rating Lable Description

1 Extremely unlikely Failure almost never occurs

2 Rare Rare and irregular failures

3 Occasional Occasional buit not necessarily regular failures

4 Frequent Repeated failures with regular occurances

5 Inevitible Failue will definitely occurs

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Table 4 FMECA of Gear box

Item Potential Potential S Potential O D RPN Recommended actions with NEW

failure effect of Causes remedy
mode failure
(maintenance)
S O D RPN

Bearing Wear Loss of 5  Normal& 3 3 45  Polishing 4 2 2 16

material, abrasive  Draining of oil

plastic flow wear,  Free from foreign material

 Scratching  Decrease load
 Overload.  Proper selection of material

Breakage Damage of 3  Overload 3 3 27  Proper selection of material 3 2 3 18

system  Fatigue  Estimation of load
 Scoring  Heat treatment and metallurgical
hardening

Handling Unbalance 3  Higher Load 2 3 18  Check for mishandling and noise 2 2 2 8

driving, Wear  Low  Replace the bearing and check
out components Lubrication lubrication
die to friction  Improper
Installation

Lubricati Frictional Wear in 3 Low level of 2 4 24  Refill the lubrication, Drain if 3 2 2 12

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on Wear components, lubricant more dirt

Heating, Impurities

Smoke  Leakage in

Engine Seize sump tank

Main Wear Loss of 4  Normal& 4 3 48  Smoothing 4 2 2 16

Shafts material, abrasive wear,  Polishing

and plastic flow  Scratching  Draining of oil

counter  Free from foreign material

Overload.
shaft  Decrease load
 Proper selection of material

Vibration Power loss 4 Misalignment 2 2 16 Proper placement of shafts 5 1 1 5

Gear Wear Loss of 5  Normal& 4 5 100  Smoothing 3 2 2 12

tooth material, abrasive wear,  Polishing

plastic flow  Scratching  Draining of oil

 Overload.  Free from foreign material
 Decrease load
 Proper selection of material

Fatigue  Breaking of 3  Repeated 3 2 18  Polish down the surface 2 1 2 4

tooth pitting irregularities
 Formation of  Metallurgical surface hardening

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 cavities  Grinding of tooth

Scoring  Removal of 4  Slight scoring 4 2 32  Extreme pressure lubrication 3 2 2 12

material  Severe  Polished tooth
 Tears and scoring  Metallurgically hardening
scratches  High surface
 Degree of stress
welding

Burning  Surface 3  over speed 2 1 6  Extreme pressure lubricants 3 1 1 3

detonations  High  Not being run in excess of their
 Irregular stress temperature rated load and speed capacities
distribution  material selection
 discoloration

Breakage Damage of 4  overload 3 3 36  Proper selection of material 4 2 2 16

system  fatigue  Estimation of load
 scoring  Heat treatment and metallurgical
hardening

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3.2 Fault Tree Analysis

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3.3 Maintenance procedure
Getting Prepared

Before beginning an inspection, we should prepare an inspection form for documenting

observations. It should be designed for own specific application. Next task is the assemble the
necessary equipment.

Good Housekeeping is Essential

There are several sources of gearbox contamination, including those that are built-in, internally
generated, ingressed and added during maintenance. Many gearboxes operate in dirty
environments. Therefore, good housekeeping methods should be used during inspections. Areas
around inspection ports and other openings should be cleaned before they are opened. Inspectors
should take care not to drop anything into the gearbox. Shirt pockets should be empty, and tools
should be stored in a tool belt. Ports should never be left open during breaks and should be
closed and secured after the inspection is complete.

Walk around for Visual Inspection

We should perform a thorough external examination before the gearbox inspection port is
opened. Use an inspection form to record important data that would otherwise be lost once
cleaning is completed. For example, before cleaning the exterior of the gear housing, inspect it
for signs of overheating, corrosion, contamination, oil leaks and damage. Measure the tightening
torque of structural fasteners that carry significant loads such as torque arm bolts. Look for
evidence of movement including cracked paint or fretting corrosion at structural interfaces. Note
the condition of the fasteners and inspect load-bearing surfaces of components for fretting
corrosion or other evidence of movement.

Detecting Overheating

The following are signs of overheating:

 Smoke from shafts, seals or breathers

 Discolored or burnt paint on housings
 Water sprayed on the housing or shafts evaporates quickly, boils or crackles
 Temper colors on unpainted surfaces

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  Melted plastic components such as shipping plugs
 Low oil level in sight glass or on dipstick
 Dark oil in sight glass or on dipstick
 Foam in sight glass
 Water in sight glass or sludge on filter element (may indicate oil cooler failure)
 Metal chips on magnetic plugs, chip detectors or filters (may denote gear or bearing
failure caused by overheating)

Inspect the Breather

The breather should be located in a clean, non-pressurized area away from contaminants. It
should include a filter and desiccant to prevent ingress of dust and water. Also, ensure that the
breather is shielded from water during washdowns.

Check Shaft Seals

Look for oil leaks at the shaft seals. If there are signs of oil leakage, the seals are probably
allowing ingression of dust and water. If the gearbox has labyrinth seals, it should have external
seals such as V-rings to prevent contaminant ingression.

Inspect Structural Interfaces

Figure 1 shows cracked paint at an interface, which indicates there was movement. The 45-
degree direction of the cracks suggests the component on the right moved downward relative to
the component on the left.

Examine Through Inspection Ports

Examine the inspection port cover and determine whether all bolts are tight and the cover is
properly sealed or if there is oil leakage. Only qualified personnel should be allowed to open
inspection ports. In some cases it is necessary to secure the ports with padlocks to enforce
security.

Clean the inspection port cover and the surrounding area. Remove the cover, being careful not to
contaminate the gearbox interior. Count the bolts and store them in a separate container so there
is no chance they will fall into the gearbox. Observe the condition of the gears, shafts and
bearings.

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If the gears or bearings are damaged but still functional, management may decide to continue
operation and monitor damage progression. In this case, the gear system should be continuously
monitored. You should also make certain there are no risks to human life.

For critical applications, examine the gears with magnetic particle inspection to ensure there
aren’t any cracks that prevent safe, continued operation. If there are no cracks, you should
periodically perform a visual inspection and measure temperature, sound and vibration.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

All manipulations such as transportation, storage, installation, commissioning, electrical supply,

general and technical maintenance as well as repairs can be carried out by qualified personnel
only. The manufacturers’ recommendation is to let the repairs carried out by appointed service
partners or at the manufacturers. All Health and Safety instructions must be observed inclusive
of those contained in the individual paragraphs of this Manual. All the national and local
directives concerning Health and Safety in the country of installation must be observed.

Installation and maintenance must be carried out on gearboxes, which are not in operation. The
driving equipment must be switched off and secured against accidental initiation.

Serious damage to human health, animals, third party goods or properties can be caused by
improper installation and/or application, incorrect operation or when Health and Safety
instruction are ignored.

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 ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS

These instructions contain general notes applicable to all types of gearing and power
transmissions. Carefully observing these notes is essential to ideal running and a long service
life.

1. The drive unit shall without exception be installed in the attitude specified in the order, since
the lubrication concept is set up for this arrangement.

2. All mating surfaces are to be carefully cleaned before assembly; apply a cost of rust-protection
grease to the machinery and gearbox shafts.

3. When installing the gearing in close quarters it is necessary to ensure that air flow to the
surface of the case is not restricted and the oil drain plug is accessible.

4. The mounting surfaces on the machine must be rigid, absolutely flat and exactly at right angles
to the center of the shaft in order to avoid vibrations, tensions and bearing damage.

5. Where bottom flange connections are used with direct power transfer between the machine
and the drive unit, an elastic coupling should if at all possible be used in order to compensate for
any misalignment; otherwise particular care will have to be paid to alignment in all planes. The
bolts for the bottom flange connectors may be tightened down only after alignment is complete.

6. Where severe loading peaks are expected, with the hazard of blocking, safety slip couplings
(either frictional or one way) or electronic overload and protective devices should be installed.

4
 OPERATING TEMPERATURE

The operating temperature of the worm gear unit depends on many factors, e.g. the mode of
operation, lubricant, input speed, power output and the ambient temperature at the installation
site. After commissioning, the temperature of the housing may be higher during the initial
operating phase (ca. 300 hours) of worm gear units. Therefore it is recommended to apply a load
of only 50-70% during the break-in period of the worm gear units. The operating temperature at
the housing of a worm gear unit can be as high as 50-60°C without damage to the housing. The
maximum internal temperature of a standard worm gear unit can be as high as 80°C. It is
important to ensure that the maximum permissible operating temperature is not exceeded. Higher
temperatures can destroy the shaft seal rings and impair the lubricating properties of the
lubricant. The standard seals used are NBR seals designed for temperatures between -40 and
100°C.

EQUIPMENT TO USE FOR A GEARBOX INSPECTION

 Toothbrush for contact patterns  High-intensity LED flashlight

 PT-650 Tooth Marking Grease for no-  Fiber-optic attachment for LED
load contact patterns flashlight
 6-inch medium mill bastard file for  6-inch metric/inch scale
recording graphite contact tapes  3.5-inch magnifier
 Drafting pencil with 2H lead for  2-by-3.5-inch telescoping mirror
recording graphite contact tapes  30X Panasonic Light Scope
 knife with scissors for recording microscope
contact tapes  Torque wrench
 Scotch No. 845 Book Tape for  Dial indicators with magnetic bases

5
 recording contact tapes
 0.03 mm and 0.04 mm shims
 Felt-tip paint marker
 Ear plugs
 Sweatband
 Toolbelt
 Metric/inch tape measure
 Tweezers
 Spatula
 Telescoping magnet
 Leatherman “super tool"
 Inspection forms
 Lubricant sampling equipment
 Baggies and tags for specimens
 Micrometers
 Borescope
 DSLR camera with close-up flash
 Sound meter
 Vibration probe
 Digital thermometer
 Infrared thermometer or infrared
imaging camera

6
 CONCLUSION

The problem regarding the gear box system, its potential failure effects and causes along with the
preventive maintenance procedure were discussed. The major problem that causes the gear box
to failure is the gear slip and wearing of components of the system. The other problem regarding
this system is illustrated in the Fault Tree Analysis and Failure Mode and Effects Analysis. So,
for the proper functioning of the system as a whole the lubrication, cleaning of the system needs
to be done.

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 REFRENCES

1. Gear box (http://www.mech4study.com/2014/03/what-is-gear-box-what-are-main-

components-of-gear-box.html). Accessed on 19 June ,2016
2. Maintenance (http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/28765/how-to-inspect-a-
gearbox- ) Accessed on 19 June ,2016
3. Gear box analysis (http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy14osti/60982.pdf ). Accessed on 19 June,
2016