Engaging Gears Perpendicular to Shaft Direction?

[Chris Hibner]

Originally Posted by Matt Adams

2. In which direction is this force applied? As for direction, I assume a significant amount of the force is pushing them directly tangent to where the teeth mesh, but I think this is this too much of a simplification. Is the direction actually related to the gears' pressure angle? What about with mutiple teeth engaging? This seems like it could develop into a rather complex problem...

I'll guess it's something like (T / (D/2))*SIN(PA) is the force pushing them apart in the plane of the shaft centers... but I'd really appreciate it if someone had something better than a guess.

Thanks in advance,

Matt

Matt,

The force between the gears acts along the line of pressure. This line is determined by the pressure angle.

Therefore, you are correct with your formula.

-Chris