| Gear Technology Magazine

Triumph of Planning

September 1, 2000

Normandy overwhelmed me when I first went there several years ago. I was sobered by the sea of white crosses in the cemeteries, I was inspired by the memorials and their tales of courageous soldiers battling impossible odds, and I was horrified by the visions of carnage that came to me as I stood on the scarred beaches of one of the most significant conflicts in human history.

Guide To The Booths

September 1, 2000

Complete Guide to the Booths at IMTS.

IMTS 2000: The World of Manufacturing

September 1, 2000

For eight days every other year, the sponsor of the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS), the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT), strives to turn Chicago's McCormick Place into a "productivity marketplace," the largest and most completer display and demonstration of manufacturing technology ever seen in the Americas. If the growth of the show is any indicator, that effort has been very successful indeed. With over 1.4 million square feet of exhibit space taking up all five levels and all three exhibit halls of McCormick Place, each level would rank as one of the nation's 200 largest trade shows. That wasn't always the size or scope of the show. Its inception, while impressive for the time, was humble by today's standards.

Gear Up for Performance: An Introduction to Synthetic Lubricants for Fractional Horespower Applications

September 1, 2000

Editor's Note: The following article details the advantages of synthetic lubricants in certain applications. However, the user should be aware of certain design issues arising from the extract chemistry of the synthetic. For example, some synthetics may have low solvency for additives. Others may not be compatible with mineral oils or nonmetallic components such as seals and paints. Some synthetics may absorb water and may not have the same corrosion resistance as mineral oils. Finally, the user should consider biodegradability or toxicity before switching to any new lubricant. Many of these concerns are present in petroleum-based lubricants as well, so consult a lubrication specialist before specifying a lubricant.

Gear Oil Micropitting Evaluation

September 1, 2000

During the last decade, industrial gear manufacturers, particularly in Europe, began to require documentation of micropitting performance before approving a gear oil for use in their equipment. The development of micropitting resistant lubricants has been limited both by a lack of understanding of the mechanism by which certain lubricant chemistry promotes micropitting and by a lack of readily available testing for evaluation of the micropitting resistance of lubricants. This paper reports results of two types of testing: (1) the use of a roller disk machine to conduct small scale laboratory studies of the effects of individual additives and combinations of additives on micropitting and (2) a helical gear test used to study micropitting performance of formulated gear oils.

Evaluation of Carburized & Ground Face Gears

September 1, 2000

Designers are constantly searching for ways to reduce rotocraft drive system weight. Reduced weight can increase the payload, performance, or power density of current and future systems. One example of helicopter transmission weight reduction was initiated as part of the United States Army Advanced Rotocraft Transmission program. This example used a split-torque, face-gear configuration concept (Ref. 1). compared to a conventional design with spiral-bevel gears, the split-torque, face-gear design showed substantial weight savings benefits. Also, the use of face gears allows a wide-range of possible configurations with technical and economic benefits (Ref. 2).

Gear Rhymes

September 1, 2000

We'd like to thank our friends down at Sanderson Brothers Pty. Ltd., Thomastown, Australia, for bringing the work of Capt. S. Bramley-Moore to our attention. So, without further ado, we offer you the following poem to help you keep your gear formulae straight.

Product News

September 1, 2000

Welcome to our Product News page. Here we feature new products of interest to the gear and gear products markets.

Technical Calendar

September 1, 2000

Complete Technical Calendar for September/October 2000.

Industry News

September 1, 2000

Current Industry News for September/October 2000.

Revolutions

September 1, 2000

Welcome to Revolutions, the column that brings you the latest, most up-to-date and easy-to-read information about the people and technology of the gear industry.