Do you really know the most commonly used Spur Gear ? When the average person on the street hears the word “gear,” if they think of mechanical things at all, they envision a big spur gear, perhaps in a tower clock or with a movie hero trying to escape being crushed between giant meshing teeth.
Spur Gears – Background
My first exposure to real world gears was when I walked into Gear factory as a school field visit projects. I was intrigued and mesmerized seeing the different types and sizes of large (some up to 4 meters in diameter) spur gears.Spur gears are the most common type of gears that are cut by gear hobbing since the last century. The industry has a way to keeping things that are working well, and so are spur gears. Even with all the technological advances and the currently trending 3D printed gears. Traditional Spur gears are far from obsolete and as any gear expert would be be wise to fully understand and weigh the pros and cons of this inimitable gear type. While it was once used because of its simplicity, ease of mounting and well understood capabilities.
Construction of a Spur Gear
A spur gear is simple in construction due to having straight teeth, with the absence of a helix angle. The spur gear calculations are simple and straight forward. The spur gear doesn’t produce any thrust forces or overturning moments to factor into the bearing selection.
Hence the old working horse of Industrial gear design – Spur gears lives on in this century and beyond!
Also, there is no need to be concerned with compatible helix angles and hands or balancing thrust forces. No transverse pressure angle or transverse diametrical pitch or module.
Hence the old working horse of Industrial gear design – Spur gears lives on in this century and beyond!
Simple Design
Spur gears are far from obsolete and a fledgling gear expert would be wise to fully understand the positive and negative characteristics of this venerable gear type.
While it was once used because of the limits of machining technology, it remains popular in many applications because of its simplicity, ease of mounting, and well understood capabilities.
That simplicity derives from the lack of a helix angle. No need for a trig function on your calculator unless you are calculating the separating forces. No thrust forces or overturning moments to factor into your bearing selection.
No concern over compatible helix hands or balancing those thrust forces. No transverse pressure angle or transverse diametral pitch or module.
So simple, a 12 year old can understand them.
Conclusion
Spur gears though simple in design and the most common type of gear used in various industries. It has enough positives on its side to have a broad industry acceptance and use.
Spur Gears are not going to go obsolete anytime soon!
Post from Hello Materials