Limitations of Conjugate Gear Tooth Surfaces

Gear tooth surfaces being in line contact at every instant are considered. The dimensions of the contacting surfaces must be limited in order to avoid: (a) the appearance of the envelope of lines of contact on the generating surface Σ₁, and (b) the appearance of singular points on the generated surface Σ₂. The relations between the developed concepts and Wildhaber’s concept of the limiting pressure angle are investigated. Applications to the worm-gear drive and the generation of a pinion of a Formate gear drive are considered. Computer graphics have been used to illustrate the results of computation.