Gears are everywhere, from household tools, cars, aircraft, and industrial equipment. Most people probably don't realize they came across a gearbox on their first bicycle at a very young age. Early gearboxes were used in windmills and various steam engines, driving multiple agricultural machineries. Necessity is the mother of invention, which rings true in the case of the many different types of gearboxes open on the market. Each gearbox variation offers unique capabilities and performs various applications. A Right Angle Gearbox is one in which the driveshaft and the output shaft meet at a 90°angle, utilizing rotation to transfer power. There are several distinct options when it comes to right-angle gearboxes. Let's see about the four main types of Right Angle Gearbox:
Worm Gears
A worm gearbox has the fundamental design of a worm with a threaded worm gear shaft and a wheel gear. It is used in industrial applications that do not reverse, making them valuable for regulating speed and braking or holding when required. A gearbox adjusts the torque or output speed of a motor. As the worm gear spins against the worm wheel, a load is revolved by the worm wheel. There are several sub-varieties of worm gears, including single-throated, non-throated, and double-throated.
- Non-throated– Instead of a continuous thread, this style has a single moving point that contacts the gear. The minimal contact makes this worm drive vulnerable to wear and tear from the high unit load.
- Single-throated-This variation can withstand high unit loads with less wear. Its hollow helix wraps around the worm, driving continuous contact with the gear.
- Double-throated– This style can withstand the highest unit loads without excessive wear and tear because it has concave teeth on both the worm and the gear, doubling the contact area.
Bevel Gearboxes
A bevel gearbox is a device used to transmit or distribute the power of a singular rotating mechanical drive shaft through a defined angle, typically 90°. A hand drill is an example of a tool that uses a 90 degree gearbox. Though most bevel gearboxes operate at 90° angles, other angles are also available, both acute and obtuse. The gears in a corkscrew bevel gear design are cut in a spiral. The spiral cut runs either clockwise or counterclockwise.
Helical Gearboxes
Helical gears are cylindrical gears where the teeth are curved into a helix shape. Helical gears are often used as power-transmitting gears since they can carry larger loads because of their lower dynamic load, noise and vibration levels. Helical gearboxes operate smoothly, quietly, and efficiently. They are a good choice for high-horsepower industrial applications such as packaging, cutting, and labeling, but they are most commonly used in transmissions.
Planetary Gearbox
Planetary Gearboxes are a gearbox where the input and output have the exact center of rotation. The infusion gear's center rotates around the output gear's center, and the input and output rods are aligned. Planetary gear has been widely used in transmitting helicopters, automobiles, wind turbines, aircraft engines, etc. The main advantages of this transmission are compact and, therefore it has low mass inertia.
