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Optimal Gear Design For Medical Applications: Alexander L. Kapelevich Akgears, LLC, Thomas M. Mcnamara Thermotech Co
Optimal Gear Design For Medical Applications: Alexander L. Kapelevich Akgears, LLC, Thomas M. Mcnamara Thermotech Co
ABSTRACT case, all possible gear solutions are inside the so-
called block-contours [2]. In order to improve gear
Modern achievements in Medical Design require performance beyond the block-contour limit, the
engineers to consider using gear drives for non-standard basic rack or individual basic racks for
numerous applications, such as a wide variety of the mating gears should be considered. Besides,
pumps, surgical and dental instruments, hospital and there is a clear trend to gear customization.
handicap equipment, disposable devices, data Practically all medical gears are designed
acquisition and recording systems, etc. Medical specifically for a particular application.
applications set specific performance priorities that Interchangeability of the traditionally designed
are very different than the more traditional gear gears does not provide any benefits for medical
applications like, for example, propulsion or gearing. Also, low tooling inventory is not that
positioning gear transmissions. These performance important. Besides, the gear generating fabrication
priorities may include: tight space limitations process (or hobbing), which uses the generating
(miniature gear drives), extremely high RPM, low rack as a cutting edge of the tool, is not so
or no noise operation, restricted use of lubricants, dominating any more in gear production. Gears are
disposability, and others. Accordingly, the gears are also made by profile cutting, grinding, broaching,
made from non-traditional gear materials from soft etc. Many medical gears are produced by forming
polymers to harden stainless alloys. Design of the technologies, such as precision, forging, casting,
medical gear drives must satisfy specifics of and extrusion, powder metal processing, plastic and
operating conditions and performance requirements. metal injection molding, etc. All these technologies
do not use the gear generating method. However,
INTRODUCTION even these methods are used to fabricate gears that
are designed based on traditional, pre-selected gear
Traditional standard gear design [1] is based on a racks.
basic (or generating) gear rack. Parameters of this The proposed alternative Direct Gear Design£
basic gear rack such as profile angle, addendum, method does not use the basic rack parameters. It
whole depth and fillet radius proportions were uses desired performance parameters and operating
standardized and used as input gear design conditions to define the gear shape.
parameters. The 20o pressure angle or other basic The idea of Direct Gear Design (DGD) is not new.
gear racks became a starting point and foundation of Ancient engineers successfully used it centuries
gear design. This made gear design indirect ago. They used desired gear performance and
depending on pre-selected, typically standard, basic known operating conditions to define gear
gear rack parameters. Major benefits provided by geometry. Then they made gear drives to this
traditional gear design approach are gear geometry using available materials, technology and
interchangeability and low tooling inventory. For tools. It is important to note - the gear geometry was
better gear performance (higher efficiency, load defined first. In other words, gear parameters were
capacity, etc.) there are addendum modifications (or primary and the manufacturing process and tool
X-shifts) recommended by standards. However, parameters were secondary. This is the essence of
selection of the standard basic rack imposes certain Direct Gear Design.
limitations on gear performance, because, in this
This design approach was developed for involute
gears and based on the Theory of Generalized
Parameters created by Prof. E.B. Vulgakov [3] and
can be defined as an application driven gear drive
development process with primary emphasis on
performance maximization and cost efficiency
without concern for any predefined tooling
parameters.
Two (or more) gears with the equal base circle pitch
can be put in mesh (Fig.2). The operating pressure
angle Dw and the contact ratio HD are defined by the
following formulae [3, 4]:
Where
- u = n2 / n1 is the gear ratio;
- Da = arcos (db/da) is the involute profile
angle at the tooth tip diameter.
Table 2
Traditional Direct Gear Design
design
Asymmetric
Asymmetric
HCR gears
HCR gears
Symmetric
Symmetric
with
Fig.6. Asymmetric tooth parameters full radius
25o rack
gears
gears
The DGD approach for asymmetric gears is the
same as for symmetric gears. The only difference is Pinion 27 27 27 27 27
that the asymmetric tooth (Fig.6) is defined by two number of
involutes of two different base circles dbd and dbc. teeth
The common base tooth thickness does not exist in Gear 49 49 49 49 49
number of
the asymmetric tooth. The circular distance (tooth teeth
thickness) Sp between involute profiles is defined at Module, 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0
some reference circle diameter dp that should be mm
bigger than the largest base diameter. Drive 25 25 32 20 24
pressure
angle, o
Coast 25 25 18 20 16
pressure
angle, o
Drive 1.5 1.5 1.5 2.06 2.06
contact
ratio
Pinion 300 300 300 300 300
torque,
Nm
Pinion 196 167 171 128 130
Bending
Stress,
MPa
Gear 198 167 171 125 128
Bending
Stress,
MPa
Fig. 7. Asymmetric gear mesh Contact 976 976 887 822 777
Stress,
MPa
The asymmetric gear mesh (Fig. 7) represents to
two different drive and coast flank meshes with
An example of an asymmetric tooth application in
different pressure angles and contact ratios.
an experimental medical gear pump is shown in
With asymmetric gears it is possible to Fig. 8
simultaneously increase the transverse contact ratio
and operating pressure angle beyond the
conventional gear limits.
machining, c – gear molding, powder
metal processing, or casting.
6. SUMMARY
REFERERCES
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