This study deals with the modeling and consideration of misalignments in planetary gearboxes in the optimization and design process. Procedures for taking into account misalignments in cylindrical gearboxes are standardized and established in industry. Misalignments of central elements like carrier, sun gear or ring gear in planetary gearboxes, cause varying contact positions and variable loads, depending on the angular position of the central elements. This load, which is variable over the circumference, is not taken into account in the standardized procedures, despite its effects on the loads on the gears.

People of a certain age well remember The A-Team, a television show about a team of ex-military guys who went around righting wrongs and b...

Pushed to the Maximum

With over 4,000 employees and an extensive range of tools, operating equipment and personal protec...

The complete Industry News section from the May 2020 issue of Gear Technology.

In the wind power industry, the reliability of powertrain components plays a major role. Especially in multi-megawatt offshore applications, an unplanned replacement of drivetrain components can lead to extremely high costs. Hence, the expectation of wind farm operators is to forecast the system reliability. Under the leadership of the VDMA (Mechanical Engineering Industry Association), the standardization paper 23904 "Reliability Assessment for Wind Turbines" was published in October 2019.

For years, Reliance Gear Corp. has manufactured gears for the aerospace industry. Located in Elmhurst, IL, Reliance has served as a Tier 2 or Tier 3 supplier. (Tier 1 suppliers work directly with the aerospace primes, the Boeings and Embraers of the world.) Like many gear shops, Reliance is certified under quality management standard ISO 9001. And its aerospace customers were satisfied with that certification. Until two years ago.

My far better half’s difficulties with getting her “circle” of church women to embrace modern communications is a cautionary tale for the workplace...