Performance of Gears Under High Loads and Low Velocities

Abstract

To obtain information concerning the ability of conventional parallel-shaft gears to transmit motion smoothly at low velocities under high load, experiments were conducted on a single commercial gear mesh about the same size as the last stage proposed for a radio telescope drive. Two torque levels of 130,000 and 197,000 lb-in. were used. The largest amplitude of angular disturbance which was measured was less than 10 arc sec, while the average disturbance was about one arc sec at the low speed shaft. The smooth performance of the industrial-quality gear trains eliminated the expense of special designing. In similar applications where smooth motion is a requirement, components of good reliability and comparatively ready availability can be specified with confidence.