Gear Research Institute

New Edition of the GRI Newsletter “Transmissions”

November 6, 2024

The newest edition of the Gear Research Institute (GRI) newsletter, “Transmissions” has been published. The link below will guide you to the Newsletter posting on GRI's newly freshened website. Additional updates to the site will slowly continue to roll out.

Gear Research Institute Elects Eaton's Ben Sheen to Board of Trustees

February 14, 2024

Intelligent power management company Eaton today announced that Ben Sheen, chief engineer, of Eaton’s Mobility Group, was recently elected to the Board of Trustees for the Gear Research Institute (GRI) at Penn State University. The GRI is affiliated with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA) to conduct research and development, consulting, and analysis for gear-related needs.

Gear Research Institute Announces Latest Transmissions Newsletter

April 19, 2023

The newest edition of the Gear Research Institute (GRI) newsletter, “Transmissions” has been published. The technical article included in this edition describes a recent experience where they encountered an unexpected surface quality issue during gear fabrication for one of their single-client projects.

Oil-Out Endurance Under the Lens

January 1, 2017

Oil-out conditions, or conditions in which an aircraft is operating without any oil in its gearbox or transmission, are devastating for an aircraft's hardware. Even the sturdiest gears usually can't last 30 minutes under such conditions before they catastrophically fail, and the whole system usually follows shortly after. That doesn't leave pilots with a whole lot of time to find a suitable location to land in the case of an oil-out emergency.

Problem Solving for the Gear Industry

January 1, 2017

If you've got a gear performance problem, the Gear Research Institute (GRI) is here to help you. Since inception in 1982, GRI has been a primarily industry sponsored, experimentation driven research facility. Whether establishing the fatigue life of gears or evaluating the impact of manufacturing processes on the performance of gears, GRI has pioneered methods and procedures for characterizing such properties that are accepted by the aerospace, vehicle and other industry sectors.

May 1, 2013

Jack McGuinn

The essence of designing gears is often by necessity risk-averse, given that many of them are used in applications where loss of life is a distinct possibility. The Gear Research Institute (GRI) at The Pennsylvania State University conducts risk reduction testing with the same goal in mind - whether it be gears in fighter jets, Ferris wheels, tanks, or countless other gear-reliant vehicles and machinery.

Aerospace Gearing Research - An Update

June 1, 2009

Jack McGuinn

A look at several American organizations doing cutting edge gear-related research for aerospace applications.

An Invitation To Be A Champion

November 1, 1988

Recent history has taught us that global competition has become tougher and is a major concern of American gear manufacturers from abroad have invaded American markets with products designed in an environment where management of technology has been practiced effectively. If American companies intend to compete in the changing world market, they must acquire the technologies that will allow them to do so.

Balance is Critical - Monitoring Essential

November 1, 1986

These are changing times for industry. Trauma and uncertainty are always a part of change, and change is not always for the better. Change is usually forced, most frequently by competition. Our competitive free enterprise system should be able to respond to competition because that's its basis. These are critical years. If we do not respond effectively to change and competition, it could be disasterous.