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Gear Ratio Formula:
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The gear ratio is the ratio of the number of teeth on the driving gear (input) to the number of teeth on the driven gear (output). It determines the mechanical advantage and speed relationship between two meshing gears.
The calculator uses the gear ratio formula:
Where:
Explanation: A gear ratio greater than 1 indicates a reduction in speed but increase in torque, while a ratio less than 1 indicates an increase in speed but reduction in torque.
Details: Gear ratios are crucial in mechanical design for controlling speed, torque, and direction of rotation in gear systems. They're used in vehicles, machinery, clocks, and many other mechanical systems.
Tips: Enter the number of teeth for both the input (driving) gear and output (driven) gear. Both values must be positive integers (minimum 1 tooth).
Q1: What does a gear ratio of 3:1 mean?
A: It means the driving gear has 3 times as many teeth as the driven gear. The driven gear will rotate 3 times for each rotation of the driving gear, with 3 times the torque.
Q2: How does gear ratio affect speed and torque?
A: Higher gear ratios reduce output speed but increase torque. Lower gear ratios increase output speed but reduce torque.
Q3: Can gear ratio be less than 1?
A: Yes, when the driving gear has fewer teeth than the driven gear, resulting in increased speed but reduced torque at the output.
Q4: How is gear ratio different in compound gear systems?
A: In compound systems, the overall ratio is the product of the individual gear ratios at each stage.
Q5: Does gear ratio affect efficiency?
A: While gear ratio itself doesn't directly affect efficiency, extreme ratios may require more gear stages which can reduce overall efficiency due to friction losses.