Types of Gears

Spur Gears Known as the common

gear. Strong Easy to manufacture Cost effective Makes noise under curtain

types of load. Common use: Industrial

applications where gear noise is not a concern.

Types of Gears

Helical Strong Moderate difficulty in

manufacturing. Reduced noise at higher

revelation speeds. Common use: Manual

transmission in an automobile.

Types of Gears

Herringbone AKA: Double Helical Very difficult to manufacture Expensive Does not require a thrust

bearing. Side load is pushed to the center of the gear and does not allow for gear misalignment.

Very smooth Common use: Large

displacement pumps

Types of Gears

Spur Bevel Same rules as a common

spur gear. Used when an output shaft

location requires offset location.

Often 90 degrees of separation from input shaft to output shaft. Other degrees of separation are possible with a change in gear geometry.

Common use: Roll up doors and angle grinders.

Types of Gears Spiral Bevel Similar to the Spur Bevel gear. Used when a smother and

quieter application is required. Difficult to manufacture High strength Bevel gears of equal size are

often known as Miter gears. Hypoid gears are arranged

with the pinion above or below the ring gear centerline. Thus allowing for bigger and stronger pinion gears.

Common use: Differential in an automobile.

Types of Gears Worm Used when an output shaft

location requires offset location and additional gear reduction is required.

Advanced manufacturing Input and output are not

interchangeable. Considered to be a self locking. Common use: Conveyer belts,

presses and other industrial machinery.

Types of Gears

Rack and Pinion Moderate strength Less difficult to

manufacture. Used to convert rotational

motion to linear motion. Lesser mechanical

advantage Reduced gear backlash

offers great feel if manually controlled by a human.

Common use: Steering mechanism in automobile

Types of Gears Planetary Very strong Advanced manufacturing Light weight Very low noise Can be stacked for

additional gear reduction. Can be manipulated to

create a reverse direction output.

Common use: Shifting transmissions on power drills and automobiles.