ASK THE EXPERT

So What’s to Know About

Specifying a Gear?
Only Everything!
THE QUESTION

I
am trying to specify a few .8 module metric gears and am being asked to include as many gear
specifications as possible on our drawings.
For example, one of the gears we need is a .8 module 40t gear, so my plan was to say this:
Spur Gear: Teeth = 40, Module = .8, PD = 32, Circ Tooth Thickness = 1.17 (using this to determine
backlash, but there is probably a better way)
For all other tolerances and design information, reference AGMA 2000-A88, Q8 (we found some
stock gears that listed this number but don’t really know what it means). I see so many different
AGMA and ISO standards for gears and I’m just not sure which one I need. We haven’t purchased
any yet and don’t want to until we know which one to use. Can you shed some light on this or
point me in the right direction? I don’t know why but this seems like a real mystery to us!
Thank you!

Expert response provided by Rob Frazer,

senior engineer at the Design Unit:
The position that you find yourself in is very common. Gear But before you try and specify gears starting with a blank
technology is not a particularly difficult subject to under- sheet of paper, there are other options that should be ex-
stand, but it covers many fields of expertise and thus there are plored first that, although apparently more costly, may save
many elements that need to be appreciated and understood much of your time and potentially avoid costly mistakes:
before a full specification can be prepared that will ensure that Employ a consultant to specify the gears for you. The ben-
you get gears that are fit for purpose and meet your needs. efits from this are that you will get a full specification that
To put it bluntly, if we don’t specify gears properly we get will provide you with the gears you need. The disadvantage
the gears we deserve rather than the ones we actually need. is that you won’t learn anything yourself and if you need to
This is a challenging task for people who do not regularly modify the design or experience quality problems, you will
specify gears. Because we have no knowledge of your spe- have to re-employ your consultant.
cific application for fine-pitch gears, the following guidance Alternatively, you can seek a reputable gear supplier who
is generic for most gears and we will assume that specifying is willing to provide the design and manufacturing expertise
the geometry itself is sufficient and that the life and loading to supply gears that will meet your needs. You would need
is evaluated separately. to specify life and duty cycle (load and speed) requirements;
Gear standards, whether they are published by AGMA the drive element (e. g., electric motor specification); the
or ISO, are a very valuable source of reference material for load characteristic; size envelope; gear shaft and gear hous-
gear designers. However these are written for people who ing tolerances; manufacturing methods; environmental
have the relevant background gear knowledge and exper- conditions (temperature and humidity); preferred materials;
tise to implement the procedures and, more importantly, operating backlash; noise requirements; and annual quanti-
interpret the results from applying the standard procedures. ties. Again, if you want to modify anything, you rely on the
The AGMA information sheets and ISO Technical Reports supplier for these design changes.
are prepared by the expert working groups to provide guid- The application in this example is not defined, but the
ance on implementing and understanding them. It is also of 0.8 mm module gears could potentially be supplied by a
course important to ensure you are referring to the latest ver- catalog gear supplier who specialize in small-pitch, standard
sion of the standard. This is not helped by the fact that within geometry gears; your question implies that you have already
AGMA and ISO publications, none fully address the specifi- considered this. A number of catalog gear companies offer
cation requirements of gears. a range of gears that may be suitable for your requirements.
They can supply small quantities of gears but may also be

28 Power Transmission Engineering FEBRUARY 2014 WWW.POWERTRANSMISSION.COM ]————

Rexnord’s newest gear drive, the
Falk V-Class™, is engineered to
deliver power, durability and reliability
under the toughest conditions. Its
unprecedented design and test
procedures mean longer seal life,
improved thermal performance and
increased operating life. The Falk
V-Class gear drive provides shorter
lead times, convenient serviceability
and faster, easy access support.

And, you can find the Rexnord

Falk V-Class at your local Motion
Industries location. Our local sales
and service specialists are experts
in application and technical support,
providing the parts and the know-how
you need to stay up and running.
Scan this code with your smartphone for
more information.

http://esp.to/w8Opsk

The brands you count on from the people you trust...that’s Rexnord and Motion Industries.

Call. 800-526-9328
Click. www.motionindustries.com
Visit. Over 550 Locations
 ASK THE EXPERT

suitable for larger volume manufacture and also

provide guidance on suitable geometry toleranc-
es, tooth thickness tolerances to ensure the gears
operate with acceptable backlash. Using off-the-
shelf or modified catalog gears often provides the
cost-effective solution to prototype or small vol-
ume gear applications.
There are many commercial software programs
available that can assist you to design, analyze
and specify gear geometry. These range consider-
ably in terms of complexity and cost, but the best
allow users to invoke ISO and AGMA accuracy
standards, use standard proportion cutting tools,
define and evaluate tooth thickness (for backlash
calculations) and evaluate the gear pair using
stress analysis standards such as AGMA 2101 or
ISO 6336. Many programs provide graphics that
enable the users to properly visualize the gear
pair they are specifying. The most basic of these
programs is a simple automated gear calculator,
while the most sophisticated programs provide
help and guidance when things are starting to
go wrong (Fig. 1). But users need to understand
what the programs are doing and thus it is rec-
ommended that proper training is obtained prior
to use. Few people are provided with sufficient
training in gear technology in college and univer-
sity courses, but help and guidance is provided
by the AGMA in their training program (www.
agma.org). In the U.K. the British Gear Associa-
tion (BGA) has an extensive seminar program
that allows those new to the gear industry to at-
tend a series of short courses to introduce them
to gear technology (www.bga.org.uk). Figure 1 Example of a software package used to develop a gear specification with built
The strategy adopted by the Design Unit (at in warnings when you approach normal geometry limits (courtesy Dontyne
Newcastle University, U.K.) for specifying gears Systems Ltd).
is that you provide unambiguous data relating to
thickness tolerances. There is no ISO standard directly
the geometry of the finished gear. Our policy is not to specify related to tooth thickness allowance and backlash.
the details of the manufacturing procedure and thus a full 5. A gear geometry accuracy specification is defined by
gear specification comprises seven elements: ISO or AGMA tolerance classification standards. Two
1. The nominal basic macro gear geometry (module, tooth methods are commonly used here:
number, helix angle, tip diameter, root diameter, face a. The measurement of individual errors (profile, helix or
width, addendum modification coefficient). ISO 21771 tooth alignment, pitch errors, radial runout of the tooth
provides formula for these parameters. space and tooth thickness). AGMA 2015-1 (replaced
2. The specification of microgeometry corrections to the AGMA 2000) specifies allowable limits for different
tooth flank (tip relief, helix crowning) on gears that tolerance classes and is similar to ISO1328-1. Note
are transmitting significant amounts of power or have that these do not provide guidance on which tolerance
stringent noise and vibration requirements. grade to pick. For most applications, precision-cut
3. Cutting tool geometry data (depth, pressure angle, cutting gears of grade 7 or better (lower grade number) are
tool tip radius used to cut the tooth root region, grinding achievable, with molded, fine-pitch gears of grade 9 to
allowance or backlash allowance). AGMA 1003 and 1006 grade 10 commonly specified. The tolerances that are
provide information of the proportions of tooth for fine- specified must consider power transmission, noise and
pitch gears and plastic gears. tolerance build-up of the assembled gear assembly. The
accuracy of the gear is verified by measurement with
4. Tooth thickness data specifying the tooth thickness CMMs or dedicated gear measuring machines and fine-
tolerances to ensure operating backlash is achieved pitch gears of 0.4 mm module can be easily measured
when the gear is manufactured and assembled. We (Fig. 2). The process provides feedback to show that the
normally define gear circular tooth thickness indirectly gears comply with the accuracy specification and also
because measuring a circular arc length is difficult. We identify what has gone wrong with the manufacturing
use parameters such as dimension-over-pins or span size process.
over several teeth. Refer to ISO 21771 for tooth thickness
calculations. AGMA 2002 provides guidance on tooth

30 Power Transmission Engineering FEBRUARY 2014 WWW.POWERTRANSMISSION.COM ]————

 The Gearmotor
Gold Standard

The Baldor•Dodge® Quantis® Gold gearmotor combines • Energy Efficient

the Baldor•Reliance® premium efficient Super-E® motor
with the superior Quantis gearbox, making the Quantis Gold
the most energy efficient, coolest running gearmotor in the • Unmatched Quality
world.

Available as in-line helical or right angle helical bevel c-face

• Superior Reliability
units, 1/2 to 10 Hp, the Quantis Gold raises gearmotor
energy efficiency, quality and reliability to a new gold • Quickest Delivery Available
standard.

baldor.com 479-646-4711 • Made in the USA

©2013 Baldor Electric Company

 ASK THE EXPERT

Figure 2 Klingelnberg P65 with a 0.5 mm diameter probe Inspecting a 0.7 mm

module gear in accordance with ISO1328-1 (the minimum standard
probe is 0.3 mm diameter).
Figure 3 Frenco-dual flank roll tester for measuring composite Radial
b. The second method is the measurement of radial deviations in accordance with ISO1328-2.
composite errors or dual-flank errors, and is commonly
used to control fine-pitch gear tolerances. The method Dr. Rob Frazer is a senior engineer at the Design Unit, the Gear Technology
involves meshing a product gear with a precision- Centre at Newcastle University in the U.K. Frazer is head of the U.K.’s
ground master gear (a minimum of 3 accuracy grades National Gear Metrology Laboratory and is responsible for gear design and
better than the product gear) under light load with gear analysis within the Unit. He also serves as chair of BSI MCE-5, the U.K.
zero backlash, and recording the change in center committee responsible for over 90 gear-related standards and is the U.K.
distance as the gears rotate. AGMA 2015-2 and ISO representative on the ISO Gear Accuracy Committee (ISO TC60 WG2). Frazer is
actively involved in delivering the British Gear Association’s training seminar
1328-2 both provide allowable tolerances for gears of program in the U.K.
0.8 mm module, and the quality grades mentioned
above equally apply to this measurement method. This
also provides a method of measuring tooth
thickness by specifying upper and lower
indicator limits based on maximum and GEARDATA GEARDATA
minimum center distance values. Basic Geometry Basic Geometry
Number of teeth 40 Number of teeth 40
6. Material specification, including material type Normal module 0.800 Normal module 0.800
and where appropriate the range of acceptable Reference pressure angle 20.000 Reference pressure angle 20.000
Ref.helix angle (left) 0.000 Ref.helix angle (left) 0.000
hardness values and case depth requirements. Addendum Mod. coefficient 0.0000 Addendum Mod. coefficient 0.0000
7. The datum axis that is used to define the gear Nominal tooth depth/Mn 2.400 Nominal tooth depth/Mn 2.400
geometry and provide a functional location for Reference Data Reference Data
Facewidth 5.000 Facewidth 5.000
the gears when in service. Tip Diameter 33.600 Tip Diameter 33.600
Root Diameter 29.760 Root Diameter 29.760
A typical realization of a gear specification is il- Topping Topping
Base helix angle 0.000 Base helix angle 0.000
lustrated in Figure 4 for ISO 1328-1 grade 9 gears, Reference Diameter 32.000 Reference Diameter 32.000
assuming quality is controlled by helix, profile, Base Diameter 30.070 Base Diameter 30.070
pitch tolerances and tooth thickness, defined by Finished Tooth Thickness Finished Tooth Thickness
Ball Diameter 1.440 Ball Diameter 1.440
dimension over balls or pins. An alternative spec- Dimension over balls (nom) 34.022 Dimension over balls (nom) 34.022
Dimension over balls (max) 34.022 Dimension over balls (max) 34.022
ification using ISO 3128-2 for dual-flank testing Dimension over balls (min) 33.943 Dimension over balls (min) 33.943
measurement strategy is illustrated in Figure 5. Flank Tolerances Flank Tolerances
Reference axis datum bore A Reference axis datum bore A
In conclusion, the specification of gears re- Accuracy Standard ISO 1328-1/95 Accuracy Standard ISO 1328-2/97
quires a detailed knowledge of gear geometry, Grade 9 Grade 9
Adjacent pitch tol 20 µm Single composite tol 11 µm
manufacturing methods, inspection methods, Cumulative pitch tol 57 µm Total composite tol 56 µm
Profile tol 21 µm Tool tip radius 0.312
material and the functional requirements of Helix tol 25 µm
Meshing Information
the application. Every gear designer has his or Tool tip radius 0.312
Mating gear
Meshing Information Centre distance nominal 32.000
her own preferred method, but asking the right Mating gear Start of active profile dia 30.851
questions, using the appropriate standards and Centre distance nominal 32.000 Contact ratio 1.714
Start of active profile dia 30.851 Normal backlash max 0.160
support software ensures it is possible to specify Contact ratio 1.714 Normal backlash min 0.100
Normal backlash max 0.160
gears reliably. Normal backlash min 0.100 Material & Heat Treatment
Through Hardened (V)
Material & Heat Treatment Surface hardness 200 Hv
For Related Articles Search Through Hardened (V) Angles are in ° and distances in mm unless
Surface hardness 200 Hv otherwise stated
Angles are in ° and distances in mm unless
specifying otherwise stated Figure 5 Example gear specification for ISO
1328-2 accuracy gears.
Figure 4 Example gear specification for ISO
at www.powertransmission.com
1328-1 accuracy gears.

32 Power Transmission Engineering FEBRUARY 2014 WWW.POWERTRANSMISSION.COM ]————