Kinematics of Machinery

INTRODUCTION
The smaller number of teeth can achieve a more reliable
gear transmission when the center distance is fixed ． But
small number of teeth will produce the problem of
undercutting ． Undercutting is an important problem in
designing and manufacturing gears with small numbers of
teeth ． Conditions of undercutting for gears vary with the
profile and manufacturing methods When undercutting
occurs ， the generated gear tooth is comparatively
weak ， and the transmission capacity of gear set is
substantially reduced ． The conjugate area of the tooth
profile is decreased and the tooth contact
stress is increased rapidly at the discontinuity of the tooth
surface ． The service life Of the gear set is thus
reduced．Beside，undercutting may cause dulling wear of
the cutter on its corners ． For all these
reasons ， undercutting is undesirable and should be
avoided ．
Many gears used in aircraft and other transmissions have
size limitations based on the minimum number of teeth
that can be cut on a pinion without undercutting the
teeth ． If the number of teeth is made fewer than this
minimum，a weaker tooth will be produced because of the
undercutting．Undercutting occurs naturally and increases
as the number of teeth cut
decreases ．
Kinematics of Machinery

1 WAYS OF AVOIDING UNDERCUTTING

Gear designers currently have two methods available for
reducing undercut．These methods can be used separately
or in combination with one another．The first method is to
increase the pressure angle ． An increase in the pressure
angle of the gear will allow a decrease in the．number of
teeth without undercutting ． The second gear design
method is the use of long-
short addendum design．This method is accomplished by
increasing the addendum of the pinion and the decreasing
the addendum of the gear by an equal ． ,amount But the
two methods will bring the tip pointing without the
undercutting while the number of teeth is smaller ． In
other words，the tip pointing and the undercut of root of
involute gear are difficult to eliminate simultaneously
while the number of the teeth is smaller ．
Combining the advantages of the involute gear and the
double circular gear, professor Zhang advanced a new type
of involute gear, which was called“the double ：
involute gear ， " The double involute gear has the advan
tages ： in case of special requirements or the number of
the teeth less than 14，a gear with the unequal radii of the
base circles of the addendum and the dedendum or unequal
correction of the addendum thickness and the dedendum
be used ， the tip pointing and the undercut of root of the
gear can be avoided at the same time ．
Kinematics of Machinery

2 THE INTERFERENCE AND UNDERCUTTING

Successful designing of a pair of gears
involutesgeometrical requirements necessary to secure
smooth and continuous action ． Importance of correct
geometryincrease as the nember of teeth in a gear is
reduced ．
Interference，the non-conjugate contact between the-teeth
of meshing gears, takes place between the tooth tips of one
gear and the tooth fillets of the other．The actual effect is
the involute tip or face of the driven gear tends to dig out
the non involute flank of the driver ．
When a gear tooth is produced by a generating
process，interference is automatically eliminated because
the cutting tool removes the interfering portion of the
flank．In the production of a spur or a helical gear cut by
hob or rank cutter, the teeth will have aportion of the
involute profile removed if the number of teeth to be cut in
the blank is less than some mini
mum which is dictated by the rack-curer or hob tooth
geometry．This action is the result of involute interference
between the tip of the rack cutter tooth and the flank of
gear tooth and is known as undercutting ． When
undercutting occurs ． the thickness near the gear fillets
will be decreased ． Therefore ， the load capacity of the
tooth is reduced and the length of the line of action may
reduce ．
Mathematically ， the problem of preventing undercutting
Kinematics of Machinery

is the problem of avoiding the appearance of singular

points on the generated tooth shape ． The general
conditions of non-undercutting have been proposed by
Litvin ．
The tooth profile of basic profile of dong between the gear
blank and rack Cutter is usually applied to determine the
limit cutter．We shall consider under what circumstances
a singular point appears on the working surface
of gears generated by the rack cutter．