GEAR METROLOGY

(FROM MACHINE VISION PERSPECTIVE)

GEAR TERMINOLOGY
WHY GEAR INSPECTION?
• Gear inspection reveals
• The amount of deviations in geometry and hence the quality
• Conditions of gear manufacturing machines
• Current state of gear cutting tools
• Possible sources and causes of errors
• Informs about the requirements of process and/or machine tool control and
other pre- and posttreatments to be conducted to fulfil the accuracy
requirement pertaining to the specific application
TYPES OF GEARS
• Spur
• Helical
• Double helical / Herringbone
• Bevel
• Worm
• Hypoid
SCOPES / OPPORTUNITIES IN GEAR
METROLOGY
• To assure accuracy and quality
• Provide an insight into the performance of the gear manufacturing process
including the setup of the gear making machine tools, condition of the gear
cutting tools, machine tool control, and basic machining practices
• Determine the distortions caused by possible heat treatment to facilitate
corrective action
• Minimize overall cost of manufacture by controlling rejection and scrapping
• Service and Maintenance
• Reverse Engineering
GEAR METROLOGY PARAMETERS
• Dimensional or macro-geometry parameters
• Microgeometry parameters

The level and amount of deviations/errors in these parameters govern

the functional performance of gears
DIMENSIONAL / MACRO-GEOMETRY
PARAMETERS
• Tooth thickness
• Tooth thickness errors – backlash, interference, noise, effective tooth
strength
• Monitored by - gear tooth Vernier calliper; a micrometer used along
with balls, pins, or rolls; and plate micrometers
• Chordal tooth thickness, span, and diameter over balls
MICRO-GEOMETRY PARAMETERS
• Form parameters (the shape of the teeth)
• Profile
• Profile form error
• Profile angle error
• Total profile error
• Lead
• Location parameters (actual teeth positioning)
• Pitch
• Run-out
REPRESENTATION OF FUNCTIONAL PROFILE
CONCEPT OF PROFILE ERROR
CONCEPT OF PITCH ERRORS
GEAR MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
REFERENCE FOR STANDARD INSPECTION
PRACTICES
• For cylindrical gears
• AGMA 915-1-A02 Inspection Practices—Part 1: Cylindrical Gears—
• Tangential Measurements.
• AGMA 915-2-A05 Inspection Practices—Part 2: Cylindrical Gears—
• Radial Measurements.
• ANSI/AGMA 2015-1-A01 Accuracy Classification System—Tangential
• Measurements for Cylindrical Gears.
• ANSI/AGMA 2015-2-A06 Accuracy Classification System—Radial
• Measurements for Cylindrical Gears.