Friction gears use two surfaces to create movement, commonly found in mechanical engineering and automobiles. Different types include flat face, spline, and bevel gears, each with unique ways of increasing or decreasing friction for optimal performance.
A friction gear is a group of one or more gears in which the movement of the gear is created by the friction of two surfaces. The two surfaces move against each other in a rolling motion as they come into contact with each other. Friction gears are most commonly seen in mechanical engineering products and automobiles, and can be found in automobile transmissions and many other types of simple and complex machinery. While all friction gears function in much the same way, there are many different types of friction gears that can be used in the construction of mechanical equipment.
A commonly used type of friction gear is the flat face gear. This type of gear consists of two or more wheels. These wheels are usually covered in leather or rubber.
The coating in a flat face gear allows the gear to produce more friction as the wheels make contact with each other. Friction engagement can also be increased by adjusting the wheels. Making adjustments and moving one wheel toward the other will increase frictional engagement. Making adjustments and moving one wheel away from the other will reduce frictional engagement.
Another commonly used type of friction gear is the spline gear. Grooves on the wheel surface increase surface bearing. When the wheels come together, the splines engage with each other to move the gears in a rotary motion. This is probably one of the more commonly seen examples of a friction gear.
When using spline gearing, it is generally best to have the two wheels only lightly engaged with each other or barely touching. This allows the gear to roll continuously with little to no friction. When they are moved too close together, the splined friction gear will actually jam or take a long time to rotate due to the increased amount of friction.
The last commonly used type of friction gear is the bevel friction gear. This type of friction gear uses two cone-shaped trunks instead of wheels to move. The cones are arranged adjacent to each other at right angles.
In the bevel gear, when motion occurs, motion is then transferred from one shaft to another. The closer these cones are to each other, the more friction and therefore less movement. The further apart the cones are from each other, the less friction increases the movement.
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