Prepared by:

Roberto Reblora

Spur gear or straight- cut gears are the

simplest type of gear. They consist of a
cylinder or disk with the teeth projecting
radially, and although they are not straightsided in form (they are usually of special form
to achieve constant drive ratio, mainly
involute, the edge of each tooth is straight
and aligned parallel to the axis of rotation.

In general, spur gears are round metal disks

with teeth cut around the circumference. In order
for the gear to qualify as a spur gear, the teeth
must be cut so that they run perpendicular to the
gear's face. Spur gears are the simplest design
of gear produced. They are usually used for the
transmission of rotary force. For instance, if two
shafts are parallel to one another, and one is
spinning, a spur gear can help to transfer that
force onto the other shaft. Spur gears usually
have an operating efficiency of 98% to 99%.

Anti-Backlash Spur Gears

Antibacklash spur gears, as their name suggests,
have little to no backlash, and so are used in highprecision applications. Often, these spur gears are built
with springs for proper tensoring. They are usually built
from brass, aluminum or stainless steel. In order for
antibacklash spur gears to work together, they must
have the same diametral pitch and pressure angle.

Cluster Spur Gears

Cluster spur gears come "clustered" together,
usually on the same shaft, and have varying diameters.

Spur Gear Blanks

Spur gear blanks are spur gears with no teeth cut into them. These
types of spur gears can be useful if you do not yet know the precise number of
teeth you will require for your spur gear's application.

Pinion Shafts
Pinion shafts are basically stretched-out spur gears, cylinders with
teeth running for their entire length.

Ratchets and Pawls

Ratchets and pawls are two spur gears that work together. Ratchets
are gear wheels with teeth, while pawls are spring-loaded and pivot. Pawls are
usually slanted. Together, these gears allow for unidirectional movement.

Clamp Hub Spur Gears

Clamp hub spur gears are named for the manner in which
they connect to their shaft, that is, with a clamp at the spur gear's
center.

Hubless Spur Gears

Hubless spur gears have no hub and instead connect to
their shafts through friction or with adhesive.

Pin Hub Spur Gears

Pin hub spur gears connect to their shaft through the use of
a removable pin as opposed to a clamp.

Pitch circle- theoretical circle on which all

calculations are based. The diameter of the
pitch circle is the pitch diameter.
Circular pitch- length of the arc of the pitch
circle between the centers or other
corresponding points of adjacent.
p=

The term above in the equation is the

circumference of pitch circle and N no. of teeth.

Pitch circle- theoretical circle on which all

calculations are based. The diameter of the
pitch circle is the pitch diameter.
Circular pitch- length of the arc of the pitch
circle between the centers or other
corresponding points of adjacent.
p=

The term above in the equation is the

circumference of pitch circle and N no. of teeth.

Diametral pitch (P)- the ratio of the number

of teeth to the number of millimeters of pitch
diameter.
P=

Clearance- the clearance prevents the teeth

of one gear from riding into bottom part of
mating gear.
Clearance circle- this circle is tangent to the
addendum circle of the mating gear.

Face width (b)- the face width should be the

same for all mating gears. Typically:
9
13

Whole depth (h)- this can be defined in two

ways:
= + d
= +

Tooth thickness (t)- the tooth thickness

measured at the pitch circle is equal to the
width space.

Pinion- is the smaller of the two mating

gears.
T1N1 = T2N2
D1N1= D2N2
C=

1+2
2

Speed Ratio =
Gear Ratio =

1
2
2
1

where:
T1 = no. of teeth of the driver (pinion)
D1= diameter of driver (pinion)
N1= speed of driver (pinion)
T2 = no. of teeth of the driven gear
D2= diameter of driven gear
N2= speed of driven
C = center distance

Advantages

Spur gears have high power transmission efficiency.

They are compact and easy to install.
They offer constant velocity ratio.
Unlike belt drives, spur gear drives have no slip.
Spur gears are highly reliable.
They can be used to transmit large amount of
power (of the order of 50,000 kW).

Disadvantages
Spur gear drives are costly when compared to belt
drives.
They have a limited center distance. This is because in a
spur gear drive, the gears should be meshed and they
should be in direct contact with each other.
Spur gears produce a lot of noise when operating at high
speeds.
They cannot be used for long distance power
transmission.
Gear teeth experience a large amount of stress.

Applications
Spur gears have a wide range of applications. They are used in:
Metal cutting machines
Power plants
Marine engines
Mechanical clocks and watches
Fuel pumps
Washing Machines
Gear motors and gear pumps
Rack and pinion mechanisms
Material handling equipment
Automobile gear boxes
Steel mills
Rolling mills