Epicyclic Reduction Gear
Epicyclic
Reduction gear unit also known as planetary reduction gear unit is an
equipment which is used for increasing the torque delivered by an hydraulic
or electric or hydraulic motor. It also adjusts the motor RPM according to
the speed requirement of the machine. This equipment can deliver high power
even at considerably low travelling speeds.
Lets understand the mechanism of epicyclic reduction gear unit. An Epicyclic
reduction Gear unit gets driven with a middle (solar) shaft located at the
system inlet, now this makes three or more planetary gears referred to as
satellites to revolve. They turn inside of a fixed toothed ring. The
satellite axes that is mounted on a satellite holder, proceed along the
circumference. Eventually the satellite holder complete with an output
section shaft, bearings, seals, etc. moves at a lower speed as compared to
the solar shaft speed.
Friction is reduced considerably because the load gets balanced over
numerous matching points in each of the satellite.
Buyer's Guide to Epicyclic
Reduction Gear Unit
The foremost information for a buyer to understand and choose the right
gear unit is shaft RPM and torque. Understanding the type of prime mover
that controls the reduction gear unit, the drive ratio of a reduction gear
unit is calculated. The drive ratio is represented by :
i = prime mover speed / reduction gear unit required shaft RPM
The torque(T2) is calculated by the formula
T2=Tr x KA x CS,
where:
Tr= Torque needed by the machine from a reduction gear unit output
shaft
KA= Application factor ascertained by the type of prime mover along
with the type of machine operated by the reduction gear unit. The KA value
range is between 1 and 3,
CS= CS is the factor that reflects the number of machine starts/
hour. CS value ranges between 1 and 1.25
By fixing properly the necessary torque and speed, a reduction gear unit
can be selected by choosing a orthogonal or coaxial configuration. This of
course would , depend upon the available space and machine layout.
Coming to machine mounting options there are three possibilities.
Flange-mounting, foot-mounting or lastly shaft-mounting
The last operation required for a buyer before finalising a reduction gear
unit is carefully inspecting the thermal limit of a reduction gear unit.
Here the steps are
- Calculating the power intake of the application
- Calculate reduction gear unit heat capacity
- Making sure if it is essential to provide the installation with
auxiliary reduction gear unit cooling system.
Applications of Epicyclic
reduction
Gear unit Epicyclic Reduction Gear units are used successfully used in a
wide variety of applications. This includes earth-moving equipment, mining,
construction, energy, water treatment, marine installations to name a few.
