WENTWORTH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Single-Stage Gear Box

Alex Vu
Abstract
The MECH-3000 major design project was to design a single-stage gearbox. With all
specifications being the given to each group, the only differences were the horsepower and gear ratio.
For Group #5, the design specifications were 6 hp and 5.2 gear ratio with a variation of 1% and design
factor of 1.5.
Utilizing governing equations, engineering catalogs, and FEA analysis, the group was able to
complete a preliminary design of the gearbox that met all specifications.

Table of Contents
Abstract ................................................................................................................................................. 1
List of Figures........................................................................................................................................ 2
Problem Definition ................................................................................................................................ 3
Literature Review/Background Research ............................................................................................... 3
Project Objective ................................................................................................................................... 5
Project Plan............................................................................................................................................ 6
Results ................................................................................................................................................... 6
Discussion ........................................................................................................................................... 12
Part Drawings and Project Assembly ................................................................................................... 14
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................... 17
References ........................................................................................................................................... 18
Appendix ............................................................................................................................................. 18

1
List of Figures

1. Gantt Chart – group progress

2. Shaft Mesh – FEA mesh used for SolidWorks frequency simulation

3. Amplitude 1 – first natural frequency for shaft

4. Amplitude 2 – second natural frequency for shaft

5. Amplitude 3 – third natural frequency for shaft

6. Amplitude 4 – fourth natural frequency for shaft

7. Bearing Drawing – ASME drawing of ball bearings from McMaster-Carr

8. Gear Drawing – ASME drawing of the large driven gear

9. Pinion Drawing – ASME drawing of the smaller driving gear

10. Shaft Drawing – ASME drawing for both shafts in gearbox

11. Full Assembly – SolidWorks assembly model-view

12. Assembly Exploded View Drawing – ASME assembly drawing with balloons and Bill of

Materials.

2
 Problem Definition
The major design project for MECH-3000 was to design a single-stage gear box, with different
specifications depending on the group number. The input speed from the power source was 1800 rpm
and there was a “light-shock” loading factor of 1.5. The bearings for the gearbox had a design life of
4000 hours, with an LN-2 fit between the shaft and bearings. The shaft had a factor of safety of 2.25 for
static design and 1.25 for the fatigue design. The reliability index for the gear box was 0.90.
All of those specifications remain the same regardless of group. The only difference was the
horsepower and gear ratio specifications, which for our group was 6 hp and a gear ratio of 5.2 with a 1%
variation.

Literature Review/Background Research

List of Variables
Gears Shaft Bearings
𝑛𝑝 = RPM for pinion 𝑑𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐 = min. diameter for static loading 𝑅 = reaction force for bearing
𝑛𝑔 = RPM for gear 𝑑𝑓𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑔𝑢𝑒 = min. diameter for fatigue 𝑎 = ball bearing value
𝑃𝑑 = diametral pitch 𝑘𝑎 = surface factor 𝑎𝑓 = load factor
𝐷= pitch diameter 𝑘𝑏 = size factor 𝑅𝐷 = reliability
𝑝𝑐 = circular pitch 𝑘𝑐 = loading factor 𝐹𝐷 = design load
𝑁𝑝 = # of pinion teeth 𝑘𝑑 = temperature factor 𝑏= weibull parameter
𝑁𝑔 = # of gear teeth 𝑘𝑒 = reliability factor 𝑥𝑜 = weibull parameter
𝑚𝐺 = gear ratio 𝑆𝑒 = endurance limit 𝜭 = weibull parameter
𝑇= torque 𝑆𝑒′ = modified endurance limit 𝐿𝑅 = rating life
𝑃= power 𝐾𝑡 = stress concentration factor 𝐿𝐷 = design life
𝑉𝑡 = pitch-line velocity 𝐾𝑡𝑠 = stress concentration factor 𝑥𝐷 = pinion life
𝑊𝑡 = tangential force 𝑞= notch sensitivity (axial/bending) 𝐶10 = catalogue load rating
𝑊𝑟 = radial force 𝑞𝑠 = notch sensitivity (torsion)
𝑊𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑢𝑙𝑡 = resultant force 𝑆𝑢𝑡 = ultimate tensile strength
𝑛𝑚𝑖𝑛 = factor of safety
𝑀𝑚 = mean bending moment
𝑀𝑎 =alternate bending moment
𝑇𝑚 = mean fluctuating torque
𝑇𝑎 = alternate fluctuating torque
𝐾𝑓 , 𝐾𝑓𝑠 = stress-concentration
factors
𝑆= safe material stress
𝐹= face width
𝑌= tooth form factor

3
Governing Equations
The following equations were used to design the gear [1,2]:
𝑛
𝑛𝑔 = 𝑚𝑝 (1)
𝐺
𝜋
𝑝𝑐 = 𝑃 (2)
𝑑

𝑁𝑔 = 𝑚𝐺 ⋅ 𝑁𝑝 (3)
𝑛
𝑚𝐺,𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 = 𝑛𝑝 (4)
𝑔

𝐷𝑔 +𝐷𝑝
𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑠 = (5)
2
5252∗𝐻𝑃
𝑇= (6)
𝑅𝑃𝑀
𝜋𝐷𝑛
𝑉𝑡 = (7)
12
𝑃
𝑊𝑡 = 33000 𝑉 (8)
𝑡

𝑊𝑟 = 𝑊𝑡 𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃 (9)

𝑊𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑢𝑙𝑡 = √𝑊𝑡2 + 𝑊𝑟2 (10)

𝑆𝐹𝑌 600
𝑊 = (600+𝑉 ) (11)
𝑃

The following equations were used to design the shaft [1,2]:

16(𝑛𝑚𝑖𝑛 )
𝑑𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐 = ( {4 ∗ [𝐾𝑡 (𝑀𝑚 + 𝑀𝑎 )]2 + 3[𝐾𝑡𝑠 (𝑇𝑚 + 𝑇𝑎 )]2 }1/2 )1/3 (12)
𝜋∗𝑆𝑦

Kt = 1 + q( Kt – 1) & Kts = 1 + qs( Kts – 1) (13)

1
𝑞= √𝑎
(14)
1+
√𝑟

Ka = 2.70∗(67)−0.265 (15)
Kb = 0.879∗(1.25)−0.107 (16)
Se=ka∗kb∗kc∗kd∗ke∗Se´ (17)
Kt = 1 + q( Kt – 1) (18)
Kts = 1 + qs( Kts – 1) (19)
𝐾𝑡 −1
𝐾𝑓 = 1 + √𝑎
(20)
1+
√𝑟

𝐾𝑡𝑠−1
𝐾𝑓𝑠 = 1 + √𝑎
(21)
1+
√𝑟

4
 2 3
√𝑎 = 0.246 − 3.08(10)−3 𝑆𝑢𝑡 + 1.51(10)−5 𝑆𝑢𝑡 − 2.67(10)−8 𝑆𝑢𝑡 [for bending] (22)
2 3
√𝑎 = 0.190 − 2.51(10)−3 𝑆𝑢𝑡 + 1.35(10)−5 𝑆𝑢𝑡 − 2.67(10)−8 𝑆𝑢𝑡 [for torsion] (23)
3 𝐾𝑓𝑀𝑎 2 𝐾𝑓𝑠 𝑇𝑎 2 𝐾𝑓𝑀𝑚 2 𝐾𝑓𝑠 𝑇𝑚 2 −1/2
𝜋𝑑𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐
𝑛= [4( ) + 3( ) + 4( ) + 3( ) ] (24)
16 𝑆𝑒 𝑆𝑒 𝑆𝑦 𝑆𝑦

16𝑛 𝐾𝑓 𝑀𝑎 2 𝐾𝑓𝑠 𝑇𝑎 2 𝐾𝑓 𝑀𝑚 2 𝐾𝑓𝑠 𝑇𝑚 2 1/2 1/3

𝑑𝑓𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑔𝑢𝑒 = { [4( ) + 3( ) + 4( ) + 3( ) ] } (25)
𝜋 𝑆𝑒 𝑆𝑒 𝑆𝑦 𝑆𝑦

The following equations were used to select bearings [1]:

(𝐿𝐷 )(𝑛𝐷)(60)
𝑋𝐷 = (26)
106
1/𝑎
𝑥𝐷
𝐶10 = 𝑎𝑓 𝐹𝐷 ( 1 ) (27)
𝑥𝑜+(𝜃−𝑥𝑜 )(1−𝑅𝐷 )𝑏

The following equations were used to find the tolerances of the components:
𝑀𝑀𝐶 = 𝑚𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 − 𝑚𝑎𝑥 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑓𝑡 (28)
𝐿𝑀𝐶 = 𝑚𝑎𝑥 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 − 𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑓𝑡 (29)

Project Objective
The purpose of the Single-Stage Gearbox was to conduct a design project based on a company’s
requirements. The requirements of the gearbox included a 5.2 gear ratio, a delivered input power of 6
hp, input speed of 1800 RPM, pressure angle of 20°, and a 1.5 factor of safety. The given values were
used as inputs for the pinion shaft in order to transmit the loadings to a larger gear.
Based on the given requirements, the group was meant to develop a spur gear system that
delivered inputs from the pinion to a larger gear by using calculated data and manufacturer information
from reputable manufacturing companies, such as Boston Gear and McMaster-Carr.
The process as a whole was meant for the group to gain experience with reiterative projects, as
well as learn the various factors in a design project - including manufacturer limitations, design
feasibility, and engineering background information.

5
Project Plan
The team members for this project consisted of Brendan Bannon, Ryan Lukomski and Alex Vu.
The project will be graded based off of how well written it is and it also must include all important
procedural and research details. All figures, tables and graphs are correct with titles and captions as well
as being numbered. The report must be organized and easy to read with no grammatical issues. The
sources are peer-reviewed and accurately documented in ASME format.

Figure 1: Gantt Chart

Results
Gear

1800
𝑛𝑔 = = 344.681 𝑟𝑝𝑚
5.2
𝜋
𝑝𝑐,𝑝 = = 0.392 𝑖𝑛
8

𝑁𝑔 = 5.2 ⋅ 18 = 94teeth
1800
𝑚𝐺,𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 = = 5.22
344.681
11.75+2.25
𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑠 = = 7𝑖𝑛
2
5252∗9
𝑇𝑝 = = 26.26ft-lbs
1800
5252∗9
𝑇𝑔 = 346.154 = 136.552ft-lbs
18
𝜋 (1800)( ) 𝑓𝑡.
8
𝑣𝑡 = = 1,060.29
12 𝑚𝑖𝑛.

33,000(9)
𝑊𝑡 = = 280.11 𝑙𝑏.
1,060.29
𝑊𝑟 = (280.11) 𝑡𝑎𝑛(20°) = 101.95 𝑙𝑏.
6
𝑊𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑢𝑙𝑡 = √280.112 + 101.952 = 298.09 𝑙𝑏.
298.09⋅8 600 + (0.262⋅2.25⋅1800
𝑆 = ( ) = 14290.207 𝑝𝑠𝑖 for pinion
1.5⋅0.308 600
298.09⋅8 600 + (0.262⋅11.75⋅344.681
𝑆 = ( ) = 9913.049 𝑝𝑠𝑖 for gear
1.5⋅0.444 600

Shaft
Pinion Key Width: 0.25 in.
Pinion Min. Key Length: 0.1245 in.
Gear Key Width: 0.25 in.
Gear Min. Key Length: 0.5851 in.

Given previous gear information

Assuming a symmetric shaft with the gear at the center, we used superposition tables to determine
resultant forces, torques and moments.
Table A-9, case #5 (simple support with center load)
𝑅1 = 𝑅2 = 𝐹
In this case, 𝐹 = 𝑊𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑢𝑙𝑡
298.09
𝑅1 = 𝑅2 = = 149.045 𝑙𝑏.
2

Because both shafts for the gear and pinion are the same, the following mean and alternate moments will
be equal for both cases.
Mm input: 0 in-lb. , Ma input: 139.7292 in-lb.

Unlike the moments, the torque for each shaft will be different because of the different rotation speed
(RPM) that each gear exhibits.
Pinion: Tm input: 315.125 in-lb. , Ta input: 15.75625 in-lb.
Gear: Tm output: 1645.6253 in-lb. , Ta output: 82.28264in-lb.

Once the various force values were derived, stress concentration factors were calculated based on
varying tables. From Table 1, we assume the radius is 0.015”, the values for K t and Kts are:
Kt: 2.7, Kts: 2.2
7
Utilizing eq. (12), we solved for the minimum diameter which would achieve the desired static loading
factor of safety of 2.25.

Solving for 𝑑𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐 in the Pinion:

16(2.25)
𝑑𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐 = ( {4 ∗ [2.7(0 + 139.73)]2 + 3
𝜋 ∗ (57000)
∗ [2.2(315.125 + 15.76)]2}1/2)1/3
𝑑𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐 = 0.665 in.
Solving for𝑑𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐 in the Gear:
16(2.25)
𝑑𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐 = ( {4 ∗ [2.7(0 + 139.73)]2 + 3
𝜋 ∗ (57000)
∗ [2.2(1645.653 + 82.28)]2 }1/2)1/3
𝑑𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐 = 1.100 in.

Ka = 2.70∗(64)-0.265 = 0.882569
Kb = 0.879∗(1.25)-0.107 = 0.858261 in. for gear and pinion
Kc = 1 due to bending
Kd=1
Ke = 0.814 (for 99% reliability)

Se = 0.882569 ∗ 0.858261 ∗ 1 ∗ 1 ∗ 0.814 ∗ 34000 = 20963.88 psi → for gear and pinion

8
For Pinion:
2.7−1 2.2−1
𝐾𝑓 = 1 + 0.0979 = 2.619 , 𝐾𝑓𝑠 = 1 + 0.0733 = 2.157
1+ 1+
√3.914 √3.914
For Gear:
2.7−1 2.2−1
𝐾𝑓 = 1 + 0.0979 = 2.638 , 𝐾𝑓𝑠 = 1 + 0.0733 = 2.167
1+ 1+
√6.777 √6.777

For axial or bending:

6800 6800 2 6800 3
√𝑎 = 0.246 − 3.08(10)−3 ( ) + 1.51(10)−5 ( ) − 2.67(10)−8 ( ) = 0.097989
1000 1000 1000
For torsion:
6800 6800 2 6800 3
√𝑎 = 0.190 − 2.51(10)−3 ( ) + 1.35(10)−5 ( ) − 2.67(10)−8 ( ) = 0.073349
1000 1000 1000

Expected Pinion RPM = 1800 = 30 Hz

Expected Gear RPM = 344.7 = 5.745 Hz

Figure 2: Shaft Mesh

9
Shaft Natural Frequencies:

Figure 3: Amplitude 1 - 6,422 Hz

Figure 4: Amplitude 2 - 6465.2 Hz

10
Figure 5: Amplitude 3 - 16,009 Hz

Figure 6: Amplitude 4 - 21,935 Hz

11
Bearings

Pinion Bearing calculations:

(4000ℎ𝑟)(1800𝑟𝑝𝑚)(60𝑚𝑖𝑛)
𝑋𝐷 = = 432 hours
106
432
𝐶10 = 1.5 ∙ 149.045𝑙𝑏 ∙ [0.02+(4.459−0.02)(1−0.975)1/1.483]1/3 = 2315.224 𝑙𝑏.

Gear Bearing Calculations:

(4000ℎ𝑟)(344.681𝑟𝑝𝑚)(60𝑚𝑖𝑛)
𝑋𝐷 = = 82.723 hours
106
82.723
𝐶10 = 1.5 ∙ 149.045𝑙𝑏 ∙ [0.02+(4.459−0.02)(1−0.975)1/1.483]1/3 = 1334.467 𝑙𝑏.

Tolerances:
𝑀𝑀𝐶: 1.24955 − 𝑚𝑎𝑥 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑓𝑡 = −0.0016
𝑚𝑎𝑥 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑓𝑡 = 1.25115
𝐿𝑀𝐶: 1.25 − 𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑓𝑡 = 0.0000
𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑓𝑡 = 1.25

Discussion
Gear:
When designing the gear and pinion, there were several specifications that had to be met. There
was a 5.2 gear ratio, a pressure angle of 20 degrees, an input power of 6 hp and an input speed of 1800
rpm. There was an overload factor of 1.5, which would give a design horsepower of 9. The rpm of the
gear was determined by using eq. (1). The diametral pitch was found in using the Boston Gear catalogue
and the number of teeth on the pinion was chosen from this as well [2]. The number of teeth on the gear
was calculated using eq. (3), which would come out to be 94.
There is several forces acting on the gear and pinion such as torque, radial force, and tangential
force. The torque for the gear and pinion was calculated using eq. (6) and the pitch line velocity was
determined using eq. (7). The tangential and radial forces were calculated using eq. (8) and eq. (9).
These two forces were used in eq. (10) to determine the resultant force acting on the gear and pinion.

12
Shaft:
From the derived loadings and taking into account the shaft rotation speed with the factor of
safety (2.25), the group decided that it would be best to use 4130 normalized steel for both shafts.
Following the material selection, the group conducted a finite element analysis (FEA) simulation to test
if the rotations for the gear or pinion would conflict with the natural frequency of the shaft(s), as shown
in figures 2-6.

Bearing:
When selecting bearings, there were several design requirements to keep in mind. There was a
load factor of 1.5, life requirement of 4000 hours, and a reliability of 0.975 for each of the four bearings.
Also, there was the resultant gear force of 298.089lb, which was divided in half to find the 149.045lb
load on each bearing. Using eq. (26), the pinion life was found. This was used with Table 5 and eq. (27)
to find the catalog load rating for the bearings. The value for a was 3, since ball bearings are being used
[1].
The bearings were selected on McMaster-Carr using the catalog load ratings and appropriate
shaft diameters. The group selected a 1.25in. single row ball bearing with a 1.25in. inner diameter,
0.375in. width, and a dynamic load capacity of 2400 lb, which meets the 2315.224lb requirement. Since
the input and output shafts were both 1.25in. in diameter, the same bearings could be used for both
shafts [3].
Tolerances:
Tolerancing the gears, shafts, and bearings began with looking at the tolerances for the bearings,
+0.00000
which were found on McMaster-Carr. The bearings had a tolerance of −0.00045 . For an LN-2 fit, eq.
(28) and (29) were used to find the tolerances for the shaft and gear. The maximum and minimum
material conditions resulted in a shaft size of 1.25 +0.00115
−0.00000 , which was also the tolerances for the gear

and pinion inner diameters [3,4].

13
Part Drawings and Project Assembly

Figure 7: Bearing Drawing

Figure 8: Gear Drawing

14
Figure 9: Pinion Drawing

Figure 10: Shaft Drawing

15
 Figure 11: Full Assembly

Figure 12: Assembly Exploded View Drawing

16
Conclusion
In looking at the final gear box design, the group went for a basic, functional design. We used
1.25 in. diameter shafts for both the gear and pinion shafts, which also allowed us to use the same
bearings on both. Similarly, our shaft design allowed us to neglect the use of hubs, simplifying the
overall design.
With a 94-tooth gear and an 18-tooth pinion, we were able to achieve a 5.2 gear ratio, which was
within the 1% variation. Designing for 9 hp, which incorporated the overload factor into the initial 6
horsepower specification, the gear traveled at 344.681 rpm and experienced a torque of 137.136 ft-lbs.
The pinion traveled at the specified 1800 rpm and experienced a torque of 26.26 ft-lbs.
The project showcased the usefulness of FEA when it comes to designing components. The shaft
and gear dimensions were changed several times throughout the design process, which makes for
tedious calculations without using FEA or reiterative physical testing.
The project has shown us that despite the seemingly simplistic design of a single-stage gearbox,
a variety of factors must be considered for engineering design. Having to design for both specification
requirements and design feasibility, the project has shown to be an insightful experience.

17
References
[1] Budynas, R.G. and Nisbett, J.K., 2011, Shigley’s Mechanical Engineering Design, 9th ed.,
McGraw-Hill, New York, NY.

[2] Boston Gear, 2018, Rotary Drive Products and Accessories: Gears, Bearings, Couplings, and Shaft
Accessories, from https://www.altraliterature.com/brand/boston-gear/catalogs.

[3] McMaster-Carr, 2018, Ball Bearings, from https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/124/1233.

[4] Coban Engineering, 2017, Tolerancing and Engineering Standards, from

http://cobanengineering.com/Tolerances/ANSIForceFits.asp.

Appendix

Tables

Table 1

Table 2
18
Table 3

Table 4

Table 5

19
 Interference Checklist

Interface Description Parts Interaction Tolerance Interface Allocation Assembly Component

# Type Stiffness for Methodology Selection
Electrical
Interconnect

1 mating bearing to Input Shaft, rotation LN-2 angle tolerance N Light Press McMaster-Carr
shaft bearing

2 mating bearing to Output Shaft, rotation LN-2 angle tolerance N Light Press McMaster-Carr
shaft bearing

3 mating pinion to Input Shaft, fixed LN-2 angle tolerance N Tight Press Boston Gear (pinion),
shaft pinion McMaster-Carr
(shaft)

4 mating gear to Output shaft, fixed LN-2 angle tolerance N Tight Press Boston Gear (gear),
shaft gear McMaster-Carr
(shaft)

5 mating key to Pinion, key fixed TBD TBD N Tight Press Boston Gear (pinion),
pinion McMaster-Carr (key)

6 mating key to Gear, key fixed TBD TBD N Tight Press Boston Gear (gear),
gear McMaster-Carr (key)

7 mating key to Input shaft, fixed TBD TBD N Tight Press McMaster-Carr
input shaft key

8 mating key to Output shaft, fixed TBD TBD N Tight Press McMaster-Carr
output shaft key

Nominal spacing
between shafts: 7
in

20