Backlash of gears                                                                                                                   Page 1 of 2
Backlash of gears
 Backlash types (defined for each gear in a gear set)
 Real gears must be manufactured with a specific backlash allowance. Designate the allowance by considering the machining and working
 conditions.
 In spur and helical gearing, there are two alternate ways to obtain the appropriate amount of backlash. First, decrease tooth thickness by
 sinking the hob deeper into the blank than the theoretical standard depth is. Second, increase the center distance than theoretically
 computed.
 When designing a backlash, consider following factors:
     Lubricant space required.
     Differential expansion between the gear components and the housing.
     Errors in machining. Run-out of both gears, errors in profile, pitch, tooth thickness, helix angle and center distance. The smaller the
      amount of backlash, the more accurate the machining of the gears is.
     Working conditions such as frequent reversing or overrunning load.
 The amount of backlash must not be excessive for the requirements of the job. Ensure it is sufficient so that machining costs are not higher
 than necessary.
 It is customary to make half of the allowance for backlash on the tooth thickness of each gear of a pair, although there are exceptions. For
 example, on pinions having low numbers of teeth, it provides all the allowance on the driven gear. It avoids weakening the pinion teeth.
     Circular backlash jt [mm/in]
     Normal backlash jn [mm/in]
     Center backlash jr [mm/in]
     Angular backlash jΘ [deg]
                             The Relation between Circular          The Relation between Circular          The Relation between
                             Direction jt and Normal                Direction jt and Center                Circular Direction jt and
 Type of Gear Meshes         Direction jn                           Direction jr                           Angular Backlash jΘ
 Spur Gear                   jn = jt cos α
 Helical Gear                jnn = jtt cos αn cos β
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Backlash of gears                                                                                                                Page 2 of 2
 Backlash of Helical Gear Mesh
 The helical gear has two kinds of backlash when referring to the tooth space. There is a cross section in the normal direction of the tooth
 surface “n”, and a cross section in the transverse direction perpendicular to the axis “t”.
 jnn                     Backlash in the direction normal to the tooth surface
 jnt                     Backlash in the circular direction in the cross section normal to the tooth
 jtn                     Backlash in the direction normal to the tooth surface in the cross section perpendicular to the axis
 jtt                     Backlash in the circular direction perpendicular to the axis
 In the plane normal to the tooth:                      jnn = jnt cos αn
 On the pitch surface:                                  jnt = jtt cos β
 In the plane perpendicular to the axis
 jtn = jtt cos αt
 where:
     α                   Pressure angle
 αn                      Pressure angle in normal direction, α = αn
 αt                      Pressure angle in transverse direction
     β                   Helix angle
 d                       Pitch diameter
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