Gears Guide

What are gears?

Gear is used to transmit rotations from a driving component to a driven shaft. The teeth of gears are all cut in a cylindrical shape with equal spacing or distance. Some classify gears by shape or shaft positions. The history of the use of gears is so long that it can be called one of the oldest inventions. They are so commonly seen and used in all industries. Therefore, it is necessary for customers to understand the differences between each type of gears. Since different gear serves a different purpose, any misuse of gears can lead to damages or even breakdown of expensive machines. For more information about gears, please read the following content.

How to classify gears?

There are many types of gears such as spur gears, helical gears, bevel gears, worm gears, etc. A broad classification used here is the design of shafts. There are three types of shafts, which are parallel shafts, intersecting shafts, and non-intersecting shafts. To transmit working forces from one to another, it is surely necessary to perfectly understand the differences of all gears. However, it would be too difficult to start with too many details. It would be best to go with general knowledge first. Below, there are eight types of commonly used gears, including spur gears, helical gears, bevel gears, spiral bevel gears, screw gears, miter gears, and worm gears.

Details of each type of gears

Here are the details of each type of gears. Noted that some can be used together in gear work, and some don’t. Make sure to read the following content to have basic knowledge of gears.

1. Spur gear
Spur gears have cylindrical pitch surfaces and are the member of parallel shaft group. They are extensively used in the manufacturing process that requires high accuracy and stability. They are not large gears.

2. Helical gear
Generally, helical gears are used with parallel shafts. Some compare its function with spur gears. They belong to the cylindrical gear group and are large gears. Compared with the other two types of similar gears, they have better meshing ability. Also, it runs with quietness and transmits higher loads. The characteristics make helical gears suitable for high-speed applications. 

3. Bevel gear
They are produced with a cone-shaped surface. Usually, a bevel gear is used to transmit force between two working shifts. The bevel gear group consists of a large number of similar components, like spiral bevel gears, crown gears, and hypoid gears. They are similar but different in trivial designs. It is important to understand different kinds of bevel gears to have the gears work with efficiency in force transmitting.

4. Spiral bevel gear
They belong to the bevel gear group and with curved tooth lines. Since the tooth contact ratio is higher, spiral bevel gears have the advantages of high efficiency, powerful working force, low vibration, and quietness. But the downside of this kind of gears is that they are usually more expensive since the producing process is more complicated. The price of spiral bevel gear can be 30% more expensive than other bevel gears.

5. Screw gear
The biggest feature of screw gear is that its tooth contact is merely point. Therefore, the load carrying capacity is not as high as other gears. It is advised to use screw gears for lower power transmission. When using screw gear, users must pay attention to lubrication. Screw gears work with high efficiency and accuracy. They are suitable for the delicate manufacturing process. 

6. Miter gear
The use of miter gears can be commonly seen in power transition that requires changes in direction. It can achieve the mission without the need to change speed. -Also, they can be further classified into spiral miter gears and straight miter gears. When using these two kinds of miter gear, it is important to use it with thrust bearings.

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