Chapter 4.

Gear Train

Engr. Jonathan S. Rodolfo

Introduction
 A gear train is a series of mating gear sets. Gear trains
are commonly used to achieve large speed reductions.
Many mechanical power sources, such as engines,
turbines, and electric motors, operate efficiently at high
speeds (1800–10,000 rpm). Many uses for this power,
such as garage door openers, automotive drive wheels,
and ceiling fans, require low speeds (10–100 rpm) for
operation. Therefore, a desire to achieve large-velocity
reductions is common, and the use of gear trains is
very common.
 Introduction
 Forexample, it may be desired to reduce the speed of a
shaft from 1800 rpm to 10 rpm. Thus, a velocity reduction
of 180:1 is required. If this reduction were attempted with
one gear set, it would reveal that the driven gear would be
180 times larger than the drive gear.
Introduction
 Example
 A gear train is shown above. The gears have the following
properties:

 Determine the rotational velocity of gear 7 as gear 2 drives

at 1800 rpm counterclockwise. Also determine the distance
between the shafts that carry gears 2 and 7.
IDLER GEARS
PLANETARY GEAR TRAINS
 The gear trains presented in preceding sections all
had gear centers attached to fixed bodies. With
planetary gear trains, this restriction is removed. In
these trains, a link that holds the center of the gears
is allowed to move. A planetary gear train is also
called an epicyclic train.
 Planetary trains can be used to achieve large speed
reductions in a more compact space than a conventional
gear train. However, a greater benefit is the ability to
readily alter the train value. Because all links are capable
of moving, one can alter the train value by holding
different gears or carriers. For this reason, planetary gear
trains are very common in automotive transmissions.
Planetary gear analysis by superposition

 Step 1: The first step is to relax the constraint on the fixed

link and temporarily assume that the carrier is locked.
Turn one gear one revolution and calculate the effect on
the entire train
 Step 2: The second step is to free all constraints and
record the movement of rotating each link one revolution
in the opposite direction of the rotation in step one.
 Step 3: The motion of all links is determined by
combining the rotations from the first two steps.
Finally, velocities are proportional to the rotational
movements.
 Sample
 A planetary gear train is illustrated in Figure 10.24. The
carrier (link 2) serves as the input to the train. The sun
(gear 1) is the fixed gear and has 30 teeth. The planet gear
(gear 3) has 35 teeth. The ring gear serves as the output
from the train and has 100 teeth. Determine the rotational
velocity of all members of this gear train when the input
shaft rotates at 1200 rpm clockwise.
 A planetary gear train is illustrated in Figure 10.25.
The carrier (link 2) serves as the input to the train.
The ring gear (gear 1) is the fixed gear and has 120
teeth. The planet gear (gear 4) has 40 teeth. The sun
gear (gear 3) serves as the output from the train and
has 30 teeth. Determine the rotational velocity of al
members of this gear train when the input shaft
rotates at 1200 rpm clockwise.
 End