MEG 373

( Kinematics and Dynamics of Machinery)

CHAPTER – 7

Gears - 2

1
HELICAL GEARS
The teeth on a helical gear are cut at an angle q called the helix angle. Gears are
often available with helix angles of 15°, 21.5°, and 45°.
In order for two helical gears on parallel shafts to
mesh, they must have equal helix angles, but be of
different handedness. For example, if the driver is
right-handed, the driven gear, or follower, must be
left-handed.
Spur gears have an initial line contact, with
the result that the impact (shock) which
occurs when two teeth come into contact is
much larger than for helical gears. The initial
contact between two helical gear teeth is a
point.

As the motion continues, the contact between the teeth becomes a line.
This gradual engagement permits a larger load transmission, smoother operation, and
quieter transmission of power, compared with spur gears of similar size. For these
reasons, helical gears are often preferred over spur gears, even though they are usually
more expensive and more difficult to manufacture.

2
Herringbone gear, or double helical gear. As
shown is formed by arranging two helical
gears of identical pitch and diameter but of
opposite hand on the same shaft. These two
gears are often cut on the same gear blank.
Gears with opposing helices neutralize the
end thrust of each helix.

Two crossed helical gears of the same hand

can be meshed with their axes at an angle as
shown . The helix angles can be designed to
accommodate any skew angle between the
non-intersecting and non parallel shafts.

3
Helical Gear Terminology and Geometry

The pitch of a helical gear can be measured in two

different ways. The transverse circular pitch P is
measured along the pitch circle, just as for spur
gears. The normal circular pitch Pn is measured
normal to the helix of the gear.
The diametral pitch P, just as for spur gears, is given
by the formula

Where N is number of teeth

and d is dia. of pitch circle

And in SI the module is

The relationship between the normal diametral

pitch and the normal circular pitch is

And in SI system

From the Figure

4
From we derive an expression for the pitch diameter in
terms of the number of teeth N, the normal circular pitch pn, and the helix
angle ψ

From and the above equation we can express the normal

diametral pitch in terms of the diametral pitch P and the helix angle:

And in SI system

Pressure Angle:
Where Φ is transverse
pressure angle and Φn is
the normal pressure angle
5
Example
A 30-tooth helical gear with a 25° helix angle has a module of 10mm.
Determine the pitch diameter, the normal module, and the normal
and transverse circular pitches.
Solution: The pitch diameter is obtained directly from

Check:

6
Example
A helical gear has 25 teeth, a helix angle of 25°, and a transverse circular
pitch of π/5 in. Determine the pitch diameter, the diametral pitch, and the
normal circular and diametral pitches.
Solution: The pitch diameter is directly obtained from

The diametral pitch P is given by:

The normal diametral pitch and the normal circular pitch are:

And

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Helical Gear Forces
This normal force can be resolved into tangential
and radial components, as was the case with
spur gear forces. However, for helical gears,
there is a third component, known as the axial or
thrust load. This force acts parallel to the axis of
the shaft the gear is mounted on.

The forces shown in the figure are those exerted

on the driver by the driven gear.

And

The Power = T x ω 8
Direction of thrust Shafts load for helical gears mounted on parallel shafts

The direction of the thrust load is

determined by the right- or left-
hand rule, depending on the hand
of the driver gear and applied to
the driver.

Let the input shaft drive gear 1,

and let gear 4 drive the output
shaft.

RH
RH

Reverted gear train

forces and torques.

LH LH

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centre distance for helical gear

And

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Example:
A pair of meshing helical gears has a normal pressure angle of
20°, a diametral pitch of 5, and a norm& circular pitch of 0.55 in.
The driver has 18 teeth and the follower has 36 teeth. Determine
the pressure angle Φ and the centre distance C.
Solution:

The helix angle is given by

and the pressure angle is

And
Chapter-5 MEG 373 Dr. Nabil A.Rahim 11
WORM GEARS
Worm gears are used for large
speed reduction ratio between
nonparallel shafts. worm gear sets
can be considered a special case
of crossed helical gears. The worm
is similar to a screw, in fact, the
teeth on a worm are often spoken
of as threads.
Worm gears are usually cut with
a concave rather than a straight
width. This results in the worm gear
partially enclosing the worm, thus
giving “line contact”. Such a set,
which is called a single-enveloping
worm gear set, can transmit much
more power.

12
If the worm is also manufactured with its length concave rather than
straight, the worm teeth will partially enclose the gear teeth, as well as
the gear teeth partially enclosing the worm teeth. Such a gear set is
known as a double- enveloping worm gear set and will provide still more
contact between gears, thus permitting even greater transmission of
power.

13
Worm Gear Terminology and Geometry
The axial pitch of a worm is equal to the distance between corresponding
points on adjacent threads, measured along the axis of the worm. The
axial pitch of the worm and the circular pitch of the gear are equal in
magnitude if the shaft axes are 90° apart.

Lead : The lead of a worm is

equal to the apparent axial Lead = 3 pitch
distance that a thread
advances in one revolution of
the worm. The lead and the
pitch of a worm are related by
the equation:

In SI system : where mw, is the module

of the worm.
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For shafts 90° apart, the lead angle of the worm and the helix angle of the gear
are equal.
Once the worm pitch diameter has been determined, the gear pitch diameter
can be found by using the equation for the centre distance:

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Velocity Ratio of Worm Gear Sets with Perpendicular Shafts

And

Since the shafts are perpendicular, the axial pitch of the worm, pw and the
circular pitch of the gear, pg are equal. then the velocity ratio for the worm gear
set becomes

16
If the lead angle of the worm is greater than 11° or so, it is
possible for the gear to be the driver, thus making the set a
speed-increasing unit. Whether a given set is reversible or not
depends on how much frictional force exists between the worm
and the gear.

Gear sets that are irreversible are usually referred to as self-

locking. Small lead angles (less than 5°) usually result in
irreversible gear sets.

In some applications, a self-locking gear set is a distinct

advantage. For example, in a hoisting-machine application, a
self-locking gear set would be an advantage because of the
braking action it provides. The designer, however, must be
certain that the braking capacity of a gear set is sufficient to
perform satisfactorily as a self-locking unit. Toward that end, he
or she should include a secondary braking device to ensure
safety.

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Example
A quadruple-threaded worm has an axial pitch of 1 in and a pitch diameter
of 2 in. The worm drives a gear having 42 teeth. Determine the lead angle
of the worm and the centre distance between worm and gear.

Solution: Since we know that the worm has four threads (Nw = 4) and that
the axial pitch is I in (pw = 1), we can easily determine the lead of the worm
from

So λ = 32.5°

To determine the centre distance , we must first find the pitch

diameter of the gear .

And

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 Forces in Worm Gear Sets :

And the axial force:

where ɸn and ɸ are the normal and

transverse pressure angles, respectively,
and ψg is the helix angle of the worm gear.
Since the helix angle of the gear is
equal to the lead angle of the worm

And

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 the magnitude of the axial or thrust force Faw on the worm is equal to
that of the tangential gear force Frg .The magnitude of the tangential
force Ftw on the worm is equal to that of the axial gear force Fag and the
magnitudes of the two radial force components Frw and Frg are equal.

As Ftw = Fag

Which leads to the following equation of the torque ratio : assuming a

power
transmission
efficiency of
100 percent.

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