MACHINE DESIGN - An Integrated Approach, 4th Ed.

Case Study 8C-1

CASE STUDY 8C

Design of Spur Gears for a Compressor Drive Train

Problem: Determine a spur gearset for the compressor gearbox in Figure 9-1 based on the
loadings defined in Case Study 8A and specify suitable materials and heat
treatment.
1
Units: fpm  ft  min
Given: The torque-time function on the output shaft is as shown in Figure 9-3. The
required gear ratio is a 2.5:1 reduction in velocity from the input to the output
shaft. Output shaft velocity is 1500 rpm.
Velocity ratio mG  2.5
Output shaft velocity n out  1500 rpm
Assumptions: A 10-year life of 1-shift operation is desired. AGMA stand- ard full-depth teeth
will be used. Based on the data in Tables 12-6 and 12-7, set Qv  10 . Both
pinion and gear will be through-hardened steel. Choose a 20-deg pressure
angle for the pinion and gear.

Pressure angle ϕ  20 deg

Solution: See Figures 9-1, 9-3 and Mathcad file CASE8C.
1. To keep the weight and size of the gearbox low we want to minimize the number of teeth on the pinion.
There are two factors to be considered in this decision. One is the velocity ratio and the other is the
manufacturing process that will be used to make the pinion. The smallest number of teeth that a 20-deg
pinion can have and mesh without interference with a gear having 2.5 times as many teeth is 14. On the
other hand, the smallest number of teeth that can be generated by a 20-deg hob without undercutting is 21.
Assuming that our pinion will be cut with a hob, we will choose Np  22 teeth since, with a velocity ratio
of 2.5, the pinion must have an even number of teeth so that the gear will have an integral number of teeth.
The gear then has Ng  Np mG or, Ng  55 teeth. The pitch diameter of the pinion is

Np
d p p d   (a)
pd

2. The time-varying torque on the output shaft is defined in Figure 9-3 as varying between -175 and +585 lb-in.
We will take the positive peak value to calculate the transmitted load, found from the known output torque
and, as yet to be deter- mined, gear pitch radius. The -175 lb-in torque causes a force that acts on the
opposite sides of the teeth, loading both pinion and gear similar to an idler gear. We will take that aspect of
the loading into account with the application factor Ka. The peak positive transmitted load, as a function of
the unknown pinion pitch diameter is
Peak torque Tmax  585  lbf  in

Tmax
Transmitted load Wt p d   (b)
0.5 d p p d   mG

where d p is the pinion pitch diameter and d p*mG is the gear pitch diameter.
3. The pinion (input) shaft velocity is
3
n in  n out mG n in  3.75  10  rpm (c)
and the pitch-line velocity of the pinion and the gear is

d p p d 
Vt p d    n in
2 (d)
CASE8C.xmcd
MACHINE DESIGN - An Integrated Approach, 4th Ed. Case Study 8C-2

4. The velocity factor Kv (Cv) is calculated from equations 12.16 and 12.17 based on the assumed gear-quality
index Qv and the pitch-line velocity Vt.

B  0.25  12  Qv
3
B  0.397 A  50  56 ( 1  B) A  83.776 (e)

B
Kv p d    A  (f)
 V p  
A  t d 
 fpm 

5. A value of Km must be chosen from Table 12-16. However, at this point, the face width is unknown so we will
assume that the face width will be less than 2 in. With this assumption the load distribution factor is
Km  1.6 (h)
6. The application factor Ka is intended to account for shockiness in the driving and driven machinery. This
machine has both, since it is driven by a single-cylinder engine and drives a single-cylinder compressor. In
many such cases, only an average value of the transmitted torque is known, based on the average transmitted
power. In this case, we have computed (in Case Study 8A) a fairly accurate torque-time function for the
compressor, which in effect defines the overloads in the driven part of the system. We used the peak torque
rather than the average torque to define the transmitted load. So, the full value of the application factor
recommended in Table 12-17 may not be needed here. We will use it to account for the partially reversed
loading on the gear teeth (Figure 9-3) as well as the shock loading associated with the driver (engine) and
estimate it at Ka  2 and Ca  Ka .

7. The bending geometry factor J for this combination is found in Table 12-9 for loading at the highest point of
single-tooth contact (HPSTC) and is approximately: J  0.34 ( i)
8. The size factor Ks (Cs), the idler factor KI , and the rim bending factor KB are all 1 for these small gears.
Ks  1 KB  1 KI  1 (j)
9. The bending stresses in the pinion can now be computed. (When the pinion and gear are made from the same
material, the bending stress in the pinion will always be greater than in the gear).

Wt p d   p d Ka Km
σb p d F     Ks KB KI (k)
F J Kv p d 

10. An estimate of the uncorrected bending-fatigue strength can be made from the curves of Figure 12-25. We
will try an AGMA Grade 1 steel, through-hardened to HB  250. The uncorrected bending-fatigue
strength is found from the lower curve of the figure:


S'fb  274  167  HB  0.152  HB  psi
2  S'fb  31976  psi (l)
11. This value needs to be corrected for certain factors using equation 12.24. The life factor KL is found from the
appropriate equation in Figure 12-24 based on the required number of cycles in the life of the gears. The pinion
sees the largest number of repeated tooth-loadings, so we calculate the life based on it. First, calculate the
number of cycles N for the required life of 10 years, one shift.
2080 hr 9
cycle  2  π rad N  n in  10 yr N  4.68  10  cycle (m)
yr
The value of KL is found from
 0.0178
KL  1.3558  
N
 KL  0.912 (n)
 cycle 
12. At the specified operating temperature, KT  1.

CASE8C.xmcd
MACHINE DESIGN - An Integrated Approach, 4th Ed. Case Study 8C-3

13. The gear-material data are all taken at a reliability level of 99%. This is satisfactory in this case, making
KR  1.
14. The corrected bending-fatigue strength is then

KL
S fb   S'fb S fb  29167  psi (o)
KT  KR

15. Substituting this value of the bending-fatigue strength for the bending stress in equation k and solving for F
gives a design equation that relates the face width F and the diametral pitch p d .

W t  p d   p d K a K m
F  p d     Ks KB KI (p)
S fb J Kv p d 

This equation can be solved for F by substituting standard values of the diamet- ral pitch into the right-hand
side until one is found that yields a value of F that falls between 8/ p d and 16/ p d. Another way to find an
appropriate combination of F and p d is to plot equation p and upper and lower limits 8/ p d and 16/ p d. Then
the values are determined visually from the graph. Range of p d over which the equations are to be plotted
1 1 1
p d  6  in 7  in  16 in

FL  p d   FU  p d  
8 16
(q) FIGURE 12-28
pd pd Face Width vs. Diametral Pitch

Equations p and q, are plotted in Figure 12-28. The solid line 2

is the design equa- tion p and the dashed lines are the upper
and lower limits on F. From the graph we see that a diametral 1.75
pitch of 12 yields a face width that falls between the upper 1.5
1
and lower limits. Choosing this value, p d  12 in
Face width
and 1.25
substituting it into equation p gives a face width of 1

F  F  p d 
0.75
F  1.163  in (r)
0.5
Using a value that is the decimal equivalent of a common 0.25
fractional value, let
(s) 0
F  1.250  in 6 8 10 12 14 16

Diametral Pitch
16. The parameters that depend upon p d and F can now be evaluated:
Pinion pitch diameter d p  d p p d  d p  1.833  in

Velocity factor Kv  Kv p d  Kv  0.85

Pitch-line velocity Vt  Vt p d  Vt  1800 fpm

Transmitted load Wt  Wt p d  Wt  255.273  lbf

Bending stress σb p d F   27137  psi

17. Additional factors are needed for the surface stress calculation. Table 12-18 shows an approximate elastic
coefficient of 2300 for steel on steel. In Example 12-6, we computed a more accurate value of
0.5
Cp  2276 psi . The surface finish factor is Cf  1 . Also,

Cv  Kv Ca  Ka Cm  Km Cs  1
18. The surface geometry factor I is calculated from equations 12.22:
rp  0.5 d p rp  0.917  in rg  mG rp rg  2.292  in (t)

CASE8C.xmcd
MACHINE DESIGN - An Integrated Approach, 4th Ed. Case Study 8C-4

2
ρp   r  1    r  cos( ϕ)  2  π  cos( ϕ) ρp  0.262  in
p p  p (u)
 d pd

ρg   rp  rg  sin( ϕ)  ρp ρg  0.835  in (v)

cos( ϕ)
I  I  0.102 (w)
 1  1  d
ρ  p
 p ρg 
19. The surface stress in the pinion can now be computed.

Wt Ca Cm
σc  Cp   C s C f σc  145792 psi (x)
F  I dp Cv

20. An estimate of the uncorrected surface fatigue strength can be made from the curves of Figure 12-27. For an
AGMA Grade 1 steel, through-hardened to 250HB, the strength is found from the lower curve of the figure:

S'fc  ( 26000  327  HB)  psi S'fc  107750 psi (y)

21. This value needs to be corrected for certain factors using equation 12.25. The life factor CL is found from the
appropriate equation in Figure 12-26 based on the required number of cycles N found above.

 0.023
CL  1.4488  
N
 CL  0.868 (z)
 cycle 
22. CT  KT and CR  KR
23. Since the gears and pinion are of the same hardness material in this case, CH  1.
24. The corrected surface-fatigue strength is then

CL  CH
S fc   S'fc S fc  93543  psi (aa)
CT  CR

25. This value of surface-fatigue strength is less than the value of surface stress calc- ulated in equation x. We
can either reduce the stress by decreasing the diametral pitch (resulting in a larger tooth) and increasing the
face width, or we can change the tooth surface strength by induction hardening, case hardening, or a similar
process. Since surface hardening will allow us to use smaller, lighter gears, we will take that approach.

26. Substitute the value of the surface stress from equation x for the corrected surface- fatigue strength in
equation 12.25 and solve for the uncorrected surface-fatigue strength.

CT  CR 5
S'fc   σc S'fc  1.679  10  psi (ab)
CL  CH
27. Using the equation for Grade 1 material in Figure 12-27, solve for the required surface hardness.

S'fc  26000  psi

HB  HB  434 (ac)
327  psi
28. These gears are safe against tooth breakage and surface endurance. Based on the assumptions and
calculations and, if properly lubricated, should have a 99% probability of lasting the required 10
years before pitting of the pinion begins.

29. Note that the change of gear pitch diameters over those assumed in Case Study 8B for the shaft design also
increases the transverse gear loads on the shaft. This will require another iteration of that shaft design.

CASE8C.xmcd