SECTION 8 BEVEL GEARING

For intersecting shafts, bevel

gears offer a good means of
transmitting motion and power.
Most transmissions occur at right
angles, Figure 8-1, but the shaft
angle can be any value. Ratios up
to 4:1 are common, although
higher ratios are possible as well.

8.1 Development And Geometry Of Bevel Gears

Bevel gears have tapered elements because they are generated
and operate, in theory, on the surface of a sphere. Pitch diameters
of mating bevel gears belong to frusta of cones, as shown in Figure
8-2a. In the full development on the surface of a sphere, a pair of
meshed bevel gears are in conjugate engagement as shown in
Figure 8-2b.

8.2 Bevel Gear Tooth Proportions

Bevel gear teeth are proportioned in accordance with the
standard system of tooth proportions used for spur gears.
However, the pressure angle of all standard design bevel
gears is limited to 20º. Pinions with a small number of teeth
are enlarged automatically when the design follows the
Gleason system.
Since bevel-tooth elements are tapered, tooth dimensions
and pitch diameter are referenced to the outer end (heel).
Since the narrow end of the teeth (toe) vanishes at the pitch
apex (center of reference generating sphere), there is a
practical limit to the length (face) of a bevel gear. The
geometry and identification of bevel gear parts is given in
Figure 8-5.

The crown gear, which is a bevel gear having the largest possible
pitch angle (defined in Figure 8-3), is analogous to the rack of spur
gearing, and is the basic tool for generating bevel gears. However,
for practical reasons, the tooth form is not that of a spherical
involute, and instead, the crown gear profile assumes a slightly
simplified form. Although the deviation from a true spherical involute
is minor, it results in a line-of-action having a figure-8 trace in its
extreme extension; see Figure 8-4. This shape gives rise to the
name octoid" for the tooth form of modern bevel gears.

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8.3 Velocity Ratio
The velocity ratio, i, can be derived from the ratio of several
parameters:
i = z1 = d1 = sinδ1 (8-1)
short face width sections, angularly displace one relative to the
z2 d2 sinδ2 other, and one has a spiral bevel gear. Well-designed spiral
where: δ = pitch angle (see Figure 8-5) bevels have two or more teeth in contact at all times. The
8.4 Forms Of Bevel Teeth * overlapping tooth action transmits motion more smoothly and
In the simplest design, the tooth elements are straight radial. quietly than with straight bevel gears.
converging at the cone apex. However, it is possible to have the ¥ Zerol bevels (Figure 8-6d) have curved teeth similar to
teeth curve along a spiral as they converge on the cone apex. those of the spiral bevels, but with zero spiral angle at the
resulting in greater tooth overlap, analogous to the overlapping middle of the face width; and they have little end thrust.
action of helical teeth. The result is a spiral bevel tooth. In Both spiral and Zerol gears can be cut on the same machines
addition, there are other possible variations. One is the zerol with the same circular face-mill cutters or ground on the same
bevel, which is a curved tooth having elements that start and grinding machines. Both are produced with localized tooth
end on the same radial line. contact which can be controlled for length, width, and shape.
Functionally, however. Zerol bevels are similar to the straight
bevels and thus carry the same ratings. In fact, Zerols can be
used in the place of straight bevels without mounting changes.
Zerol bevels are widely employed in the aircraft industry,
where ground-tooth precision gears are generally required. Most
hypoid cutting machines can cut spiral bevel, Zerol or hypoid
gears.

Straight bevel gears come in 8.5 Bevel Gear Calculations

two variations depending upon
the fabrication equipment. All Let z1 and z2 be pinion and gear tooth numbers; shaft angle Σ
current Gleason straight bevel and pitch cone angles δ1 and δ2 then:
generators are of the Coniflex
form which gives an almost
imperceptible convexity to the
tooth surfaces. Older machines
produce true straight elements.
See Figure 8-6a. (8-2)
Straight bevel gears are the
simplest and most widely used
type of bevel gears for the
transmission of power and/or
motion between intersecting
shafts. Straight bevel gears are
recommended:
1. When speeds are less than
300 meters/mm (1000 feet/
min - at higher speeds, straight Generally, shaft angle Σ
bevel gears may be noisy. = 90º is most used.
2. When loads are light, or for Other angles (Figure
high static loads when surface 8-7) are sometimes
wear is not a critical factor. used. Then, it is called
3. When space, gear weight, "bevel gear in nonright
and mountings are a premium. angle drive". The 90º
This includes planetary gear case is called "bevel
sets, where space does not gear in right angle
permit the inclusion of drive".
rolling-element bearings. When δ1 = 90º,
Equation (8-2)
becomes:

Other forms of bevel gearing include the following:

(8-3)
¥ Coniflex gears (Figure 8-6b) are produced by current
Gleason straight bevel gear generating machines that crown the
sides of the teeth in their lengthwise direction. The teeth,
therefore, tolerate small amounts of misalignment in the
assembly of the gears and some displacement of the gears
under load without concentrating the tooth contact at the ends Miter gears are bevel gears with Σ = 90º and z1 = z2. Their
of the teeth. Thus, for the operating conditions Coniflex gears speed ratio z1 / z2 = 1. They only change the direction of the
are capable of transmitting larger loads than the predecessor shaft, but do not change the speed.
Gleason straight bevel gears. Figure 8-8 depicts the meshing of bevel gears. The meshing
¥ Spiral bevels (Figure 8-6c) have curved oblique teeth whichmust be considered in pairs. It is because the pitch cone angles
contact each other gradually and smoothly from one end to the δ and δ are restricted by the gear ratio z / z In the facial
1 2 1 2
other. Imagine cutting a straight bevel into an infinite number of
view, which is normal to the contact line of pitch cones, the
_________________________________________
meshing of bevel gears appears to be similar to the meshing of
The material in this section has been reprinted with the
spur gears.
permission of McGraw Hill Book Co., Inc., New York, N.Y. from
"Design of Bevel Gears by W. Coleman, Gear Design and
Applications, N. Chironis, Editor, McGraw Hill, New York, N.Y.
1967, p. 57.

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8.5.1 Gleason Straight Bevel Gears
The straight bevel gear has straight teeth flanks which are
along the surface of the pitch cone from the bottom to the apex.
Straight bevel gears can be grouped into the Gleason type and
the standard type.

In this section, we discuss the Gleason straight bevel gear. The

Gleason Company defined the tooth profile as: whole depth h =
2.188m; top clearance Ca = 0.188m; and working depth hw =
2.000m.
The characteristics are:
¥ Design specified profile shifted gears:
In the Gleason system, the pinion is positive shifted and the
gear is negative shifted. The reason is to distribute the proper
strength between the two gears. Miter gears, thus, do not need 8.5.2. Standard Straight Bevel Gears
any shifted tooth profile. A bevel gear with no profile shifted tooth is a standard
¥ The top clearance is designed to be parallel straight bevel gear. The applicable equations are in Table 8-3.
The outer cone elements of two paired bevel gears are These equations can also be applied to bevel gear sets with
parallel. That is to ensure that the top clearance along the whole other than 90º shaft angle.
tooth is the same. For the standard bevel gears, top clearance is 8.5.3 Gleason Spiral Bevel Gears
variable. It is smaller at the toe and bigger at the heel. A spiral bevel gear is one with a spiral tooth flank as in
Table 8-1 shows the minimum number of teeth to prevent Figure 8-11. The spiral is generally consistent with the curve of
undercut in the Gleason system at the shaft angle S = 90º. a cutter with the diameter dc The spiral angle β is the angle
Table 8-2 presents equations for designing straight bevel between a generatrix element of the pitch cone and the tooth
gears in the Gleason system. The meanings of the dimensions flank. The spiral angle just at the tooth flank center is called
and angles are shown in Figure 8-9. All the equations in Table central spiral angle β In practice, spiral angle means central
m
8-2 can also be applied to bevel gears with any shaft angle.
spiral angle.
The straight bevel gear with crowning in the Gleason system is
All equations in Table 8-6 are dedicated for the
called a Coniflex gear. It is manufactured by a special Gleason
manufacturing method of Spread Blade or of Single Side from
"Coniflex" machine. It can successfully eliminate poor tooth wear
Gleason. If a gear is not cut per the Gleason system, the
due to improper mounting and assembly.
equations will be different from these.
The first characteristic of a Gleason straight bevel gear is its
The tooth profile of a Gleason spiral bevel gear shown here
profile shifted tooth. From Figure 8-10, we can see the positive
has the whole depth h= 1.888m; top clearance Ca= 0.188m;
tooth profile shift in the pinion. The tooth thickness at the root
diameter of a Gleason pinion is larger than that of a standard and working depth hw = 1.700m. These Gleason spiral bevel
straight bevel gear. gears belong to a stub gear system. This is applicable to gears
with m>2.1
Table 8-1 The Minimum Numbers of Teeth to Prevent Table 8-4 shows the minimum number of teeth to avoid
Undercut undercut in the Gleason system with shaft angle Σ = 90º and
pressure angle an = 20º.
Pressure Combination of Numbers of Teeth Z1 If the number of teeth is less than 12, Table 8-5 is used to
Angle Z2 determine the gear sizes.
29/over 28/Over 27/Over 26/Over 25/Over 24/Over All equations in Table 8-6 are also applicable to Gleason
(14.5º) bevel gears with any shaft angle. A spiral bevel gear set
29 29 31 35 40 57
16/Over 15/Over 14/Over 13/Over requires matching of hands; left-hand and right-hand as a pair.
20º - -
16 17 20 30
13/Over
(25º) - - - - -
13

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