Gear Nomenclature

Description

Two smooth surfaced discs can be imagined to be in contact with each other such that one drives the other by friction. It is clear that when a load of any significance is applied the discs would slip. To avoid this problem, the surfaces are modified to have teeth which engage with each other. This is the basis of Gear design.

Terms

• Cicles representing the two imaginery discs are known as Pitch Circles and their diameters are the Pitch Circle Diameters or PCDs (aka Reference Diameters).
• Gear teeth are created by:
  • (i) cutting into the Pitch Circles - the depth of cut is known as the Dedendum and
  • (ii) adding material on top of the Pitch Circles - the distance between the PCD and the outer diameter of the gear is known as the Addendum.
• Gear teeth will only Mesh if they are the same size in that the distances around the circumferences of their PCDs must be equal. This distance is known as the Circular Pitch.
• The size of gear teeth is more easily calculated by dividing the diameter of the Pitch Circle by the number of gear teeth. This is known as the Modulus or Module (m) and must be the same for any meshing gears.
• The diameters of the Pitch Circles can be used when calculating Velocity Ratio and is given as: Driver PCD ÷ Driven PCD.
• The curve of the gear teeth is an Involute, chosen to provide a true rolling contact without slipping as the gears engage.

More details including descriptions of other aspects of gear design can be obtained by further reading .

DT Online Buyers' Guide

Gears, whether of the same size or different diameters, will only Mesh together if the size of the teeth are the same. The size of Gear Teeth is measured along the circumference of an imaginery Pitch Circle but is more easily calculated by dividing the diameter of the Pitch Circle by the number of gear teeth. The Gear Teeth size is known as the Modulus or Module (m) and it must be the same for any meshing gears. Always check this before purchase - contact supplier if not stated.

Load video YouTube YouTube might collect personal data. Privacy Policy ContinueDismiss Click top left to enlarge

Engino STEM Gears and Worm Drives Set	Meccano Moving Parts	K'Nex Intro to Simple Machines	Assorted Plastic Gears	Gears, Pulleys and Rack Set	Gears and Gear Cutting (Workshop Practice)	Steampunk Cyberpunk Watch Parts Vintage Gears