Gearboxes

Gear box is an essential equipment in a gear assembly. Gear Box is also known as Gear head,
Gear reducer and Speed reducer. The fundamental principle of a gearbox is to transmit the
cause of mechanical rotation between two shafts. In this order, there is a structural support
present in between the two shafts. Generally, gearboxes are kept inside the casings. This helps
the gearboxes in their structural support, provides protection and ensures in doing safe
functioning. Normally, the gearboxes are designed in reducing the speed, but sometimes, a
gearbox may be designed for speed enhancing duties. The shafts inside the gearboxes are
placed for the purpose of accepting and delivering the machinery rotation. This machinery
rotation (torque) is achieved in the form of splines that should be suitable to connect or join to
another unit. The capacity of thrusting outward of the shafts will have been limited from the
casing. The mechanical rotation which is generated by the engine is consumed through the
gearbox. This in turn, is being converted into a force at the road surface. To accelerate the
vehicle, the force which is being applied can be calculated as follows:

Applied force = Torque at the wheel * radius of the road wheel (including the tyre)

Types of Gearboxes
There are five types of gear boxes. These five types of gear boxes are as follows:
Spur Gear Box
Spur gearbox is an effective and durable mechanical equipment, which is used for the
purpose of transmitting power and uniform and constant rotatory motion from one parallel
shaft to the other shaft. Spur gearbox is also considered as a capable industrial tool that
provides a continuous speed drive. This speed drive can be increased or decreased according
to the requirement.

Helical Gear Boxes

Helical gearboxes are quite alike the spur gearboxes in working. These gearboxes possess
teeth that are fitted in a spiral format around the gear. The modern helical gearboxes are
usually designed on a modular concept of construction and are available in different ratios.
These gearboxes are fabricated to work absolutely without any noise, thus used in
transmission operations.

Hardened & Ground Gear Box

Hardened and ground gearboxes are considered one of the best types of gearboxes in the
gears and gearbox manufacturing industry. They are widely used in many industrial
applications in wind mills, cement industry, agro industry, fertilizer plants, aviation industry,
and so. They are fabricated from industry standard raw materials like nickel, titanium, and
stainless steel.

Crane Duty Gear Box

These gearboxes are often used in heavy-duty applications. They are one of the advanced
types of gearboxes, which give maximum thermal efficiency. These gearboxes facilitate the
proper meshing of the gear teeth, which results in enhanced performance of the gear. The high
efficiency is also ensured by its precision gearing and accurate bearings. It is often used in
mining, automobiles, and construction industry.
Twin Lobe Blowers
Twin lobe blowers belong to the class of the blowers having positive displacement. Higher
efficiency at moderate compression ratios is the special feature of these industrial blowers.
These blowers are often used in applications demanding relatively continuous flow rate at
different discharge pressures. The contemporary twin lobe blowers are available in the
capacity range 10m3/hr 10,000m3/hr.

Gear Box Housings

Gearbox housing is a housing or a kind of cover to accommodate or fit the gear and gearing
equipment like flanges, shafts, bearings, etc. There are basically two types of such housings
available at present in the market, i.e., cast gearbox housings and fabricated gearbox housings.
Cast housings are made from a process called metal-casting while fabricated housings are
designed in hi-tech machining centers.

Automatic Gearboxes
For most of the Automatic Gearboxes, there is a selected set of possible gear ranges. The set
selection often have a parking pawl features. This feature closes the output shaft of the
transmission. Since 1950's, most of the cars which have sold in USA, equipped with
Automatic gearboxes. But, in rest of the world, this trend has not been followed.

Semiautomatic Gearboxes
The semiautomatic Gearboxes are also known as clutch less manual transmissions or
automated manual transmissions, e-gears, or paddle shift gearboxes. In semiautomatic gear
boxes, there are sensors, processors and actuators. These things help in shifting the gears on
the command of the drivers.

Manual Gearboxes
The history of manual gearboxes is very old. The traditional clutches are used in such kind of
gearboxes. Each time, these gears are selected by electrically controlled motors. After the
selection, these gears detach the clutches and the gears are shifted. Once the clutch gets free, it
can be used again.

Marine Gearboxes
The drive is directly connected to the propeller in a traditional Marine gearbox. Marine
gearboxes fulfill a multiple number of marine related purposes. To meet each and every
purpose, these marine gears do also have a large number of different configurations and
installation processes.

Shaft Mounted Gearboxes

Shaft mounted gearboxes are very closely and firmly design in size. These gears are directly
mounted onto the driven shafts. This mounting process helps these gears in avoiding the use
of coupling and base. In Shaft Mounted gears, there is no problem in the adjustment. The
boxes of the gears are suitable for both forward and reverse motion.

Gear Motors
Gears motors are such type of motors which have a large reduction system. The gearbox is
pertained into the motor. This type of integral arrangement is done in order to increase the
mechanical rotational speed of the motor. But simultaneously, this arrangement reduces the
output speed.
Functions of the Gearbox Casing
It provides structural support for the shaft bearings. This in turn helps in gear loading.

It transfers the reaction of mechanical rotation (torque) to the other supporting structure of the
gearbox or drive elements.

It prevents the lubricant from spreading and also prevents the unwanted particals from coming
inside.

It provides the safety provision and reduce the noise intensity.

It also reduces the amount of heat that generates due to the internal friction.

It increases the external and visual qualities of the gearbox.

To obtain the support-rigidity, safety and reliability in operations, the casings must be
located, fitted and fastened properly to their foundations. Proper provision of ventilation
should be ensured in these casings for removing out the heat which generates during the
operations.

Buyers Guide (Selection Process of Gearboxes)

Before setting out the buying decision of a gearbox, the most important thing is to ensure
about the requirements of the gearbox. The best selection of a gearbox gives the best outputs
in fulfilling the requirements of the buyers. This kind of successful selection can be achieved
by matching the requirements of the power transmission system with a particular range of
gearboxes offered by the manufacturers. So, it is advisable for the buyers to have some
knowledge regarding the system and available hardwares in the market. A buyers may do the
following things before buying a gearbox:
Collect informations about the system.
Review those factors that influence the buying decision.
Prepare the limit of acceptance and ability of these factors.
Collect informations from different manufacturers for acquiring knowledge regarding
gearboxes. The entire selection process of a gearbox can be enlisted through the following
flow chart:

Classification of Gearboxes
Today, it is possible to obtain such kind of gearboxes which consist the characteristics of two
or more than two kinds of different gearboxes. These kinds of gearboxes are called compound
gearboxes. The speed ratio in such kinds of gearboxes is high because the respective speed
ratios of each individual gear box within it are compounded. The classification of gearboxes
is done on the basic of shaft orientation or speed ratio.

Gearing Arrangement for Gearbox

In the gearing arrangement for a gearbox, the various components are: cycloidal, worm,
bevel, planetary, spur and helical.
Bevel gear is actually a gear wheel that is meshed with another bevel gear in such a way so
that the shafts can form an angle, which is less than 180».
Helical gears join shafts that are parallel. The involute teeth ofthe helical gears are cut at an
angle to the axis of the rotation. If there are two mating helical gears in the gearing
arrangement of the gearbox, then they must have equal helix angle but opposite hands.

In case of Spur Gears, they connect parallel shafts. They have curled teeth which are parallel
to the shaft and may have either external or internal teeth.

The planetary gears may present in total number of two and they are present either on or
inside a large gear. The intense gear ratio is possible due to these gears. When the intention is
to turn the input in the same direction of the output, then these gears are used. Planetary gears
can be designed along with a set of planetary cones or with a gear set.

Cycloidal gears are used in pair form and they are arranged in such a way so that the angle
formed by them should be equal to180». The reason behind the formation of 180» is to
provide balance to the load and these gears are driven by many crank shafts. Multiple shafts
are present for sharing the load and to enhance the twisting state firmness.

The Worm Gears are wrapped around a central axle and these have slant plane. This kind of
gear consists one or more than one teeth and these teeth are present in the screwed thread
form.