Types of Reduction Gear Boxes

The gears are very vital part of the engine of any machine or vehicle and hence gear box is one of the most important equipment used in vehicles. The primary job of a gear box is to convert speed & torque from one power source to another equipment by efficiently using gear ratios. They are also very commonly known as transmissions as well and their use is not only limited to vehicles but also to machines used in various industries.

All machinery which needs speed & torque will have to use gear boxes for satisfactory results. There is a wide variety of gear boxes available in market now days due to great development in technology. These are industrial gears, automobile gears, shaft mounted gear box, helical gearbox, planetary gear box, gear couplings, worm reduction gearbox and geared motors. All gear boxes are generally considered as the central & integral component of any transmission systems. It facilitates adequate gear reduction and used to convert the speed of an engine into torque which enables it to propel the motor forward. These boxes are mostly used to enhance torque while reducing the speed of the drive shaft. There is a difference in the drive-shaft speed of gear box and engine; drive-shaft of the gear box rotates bit slowly as compared to the drive-shaft of the engine. This difference in the speed results into thrust and that further increases the torque.

Types of Reduction Gear Boxes

Gear boxes are generally available in 2 options i.e. Manual Transmission and Automatic Transmission gear boxes. Both these types are available in different shapes and sizes to meet the variable needs of the automotive industry. Manual transmission gear boxes are the simplest form available in the market. As the name suggests; it requires manual movement of kind of a sliding gear with the help of a shifter attached to the gear box. Where else this is done automatically in the automatic transmission gear boxes; eliminating the need of any kind of operator. In order to select proper gear in these systems, a proper hydraulic system is utilized for accurately detecting the pressure of any fluid present in the engine.  The automatic gear box uses a converter which helps in converting the torque.

Both manual gear boxes and automatic gear boxes are relatively easy to maintain. Though there is a need to regularly clean them with the help of proper cleaning agent and lubricated at regular intervals in order to ensure they work smoothly. Appropriate lubrication ensures low friction between the gear parts which helps in increasing their lifespan along with controlling the noise levels during their operation.

Reduction Gear Box – Application and Types

Gearboxes are widely accepted mechanical device of transmitting energy from one device to another. Gearboxes are installed for increasing torque and controlling turn movement while reducing speed in mechanical drive systems. In today's engineering, reduction gear box are widely used in automobiles and two wheelers, heavy duty tools and machines even in ships and some electrical appliances to control the mechanism.

The entire framework of gearboxes consists of a set of rotating gears and shaft which are connected to wheel works. This mechanism serves the basic purpose of slowing down the speed or machine to increase the torque within system so that transfer of energy can take place from one place to another.

Composition Of Reduction Gearbox

Gearboxes are simplified engineering component that are basically configured in the inner workings of motors, machines or other mechanical component. The simplified version of reduction gear consists of a set of gear having same size of teeth with different diameters.

While designing a balanced correlation between teeth and circumference of gears is maintained; the smaller gear with small circumference will have fewer teeth than of other gear. When these gears mesh with each other in a gearbox, then the smaller gear makes one extra revolution with that of larger one. In other words, the small gear spins twice as fast as the large gear. This systematic operation of gears product twice amount of torque on the larger shaft than on the smaller; as the decrease in output speed generates an increased amount of torque.

Varied Types of Reduction Gearbox

Engineering component which uses high rotational speed in one part of design as well as needs reduced energy in another component within internal system; make use of reduction gearbox. This reduction in speed thus create the increased torque on the output shaft. There are mainly two types of reduction gears which are used while designing automobiles and mechanical machines. They are, 

• Single Reduction Gear – In this arrangement, only one pair of gears are used in the assembly of reduction gearbox. There are ports to connect the propeller shaft and engine shaft with assembly. Engine shaft drives the pinion (smaller gear) which in-turn drive the larger gear mounted on propeller shaft.
• Double Reduction Gear – In this arrangement, flexible coupling is used for connecting pinion with input shaft. There is an intermediate gear (first reduction gear) primarily connected with pinion. The first reduction gear is further connected with a low speed pinion via another shaft. To facilitate the speed reduction ratio as high as 20:1, an another reduction gear is used. The low speed pinion connects the second reduction gear with propeller shaft.

The application of double reduction gears are confined to engineered components involving high speed application.

Reduction Gearbox – Wide Application

Reduction gearboxes find their wide application in the drive-trains of automobiles to reduce the high rotational speed of the engine so that the tires can safely use the reduced speed. The same set of configuration is used in heavy machinery and mechanical appliances for reducing speed and increasing torque.
In industry, reduction gearboxes are used in Cranes, Elevators, Crushers, Conveyors, Industrial Mixers, Cooling Towers, Agitators, Extruders and many more.