When most people think about “gears” in general, they picture spur gears. These are “conventional” types of gears, existing in circular shapes with evenly spaced teeth along the edge to drive some other mechanism when the gear is turned. However, spur gears only represent a fraction of the total types and number of gears in circulation, and there are some engineering and mechanical situations where spur gears simply won’t work.
These are just a few applications where spur gears don’t belong (and the right type of gear for each situation):
- Noise issues. At high speeds, noise can be an issue with traditional spur gears, as the teeth from each component create noise when coming together. You can correct this by using helical gears, which offer slanted teeth that connect more smoothly.
- Higher loads. Spur gears can only take so much load before they start to show signs of wear, or even break. With higher-load applications, it’s better to use helical gears or even double helical gears to remove pressure from the bearing.
- Moving components at angles. When you have two connecting shafts that are perpendicular to each other, or otherwise intersecting at imperfect angles, spur gears won’t transfer motion appropriately. For this, you’ll need bevel gears, which can translate motion to an intersecting shaft.
- Power reductions. When you need to transfer power with a reduction of load, spur gears won’t help you. Instead, you’ll need to use worm gears, which can also transmit power at 90 degrees.
Gears are more diverse and more capable of solving problems than most people realize—you just need the right gear manufacturer to help you find the ideal fit for your needs. If you’re interested in getting a quote, or just seeing what we can offer, contact Federal Gear today!