Advanced Gear Analysis

Epicyclic Gearing
Tooth Strength Analysis

Epicyclic

Epicyclic Gearset
An epicyclic gear set has some gear or
gears whose center revolves about
some point.
Here is a gearset with a stationary ring
gear and three planet gears on a
rotating carrier.
The input is at the Sun, and the output
is at the planet carrier.
The action is epicyclic, because the
centers of the planet gears revolve
about the sun gear while the planet
gears turn.

INPUT

Planet

Sun

CARRIER

Ring

Finding the gear ratio is somewhat

complicated because the planet gears
revolve while they rotate.

Epicyclic

Epicyclic Gearset
Lets rearrange things to make it simpler:
1) Redraw the planet carrier to show arms rotating about the center.
2) Remove two of the arms to show only one of the planet arms.

OUTPUT
INPUT

INPUT

OUTPUT

Epicyclic

The Tabular (Superposition) Method

To account for the combined rotation and
revolution of the planet gear, we use a
two step process.

We enter this motion into a table using

the convention:

OUTPUT
Arm

First, we lock the whole assembly and

rotate it one turn Counter-Clockwise.
(Even the Ring, which we know is fixed)

Planet

INPUT

Sun

CCW = Positive
CW = Negative

Ring

Epicyclic

The Tabular (Superposition) Method

Next, we hold the arm fixed, and rotate
whichever gear is fixed during operation
one turn clockwise.

Planet
Arm

Here, we will turn the Ring clockwise one turn

(-1), holding the arm fixed.

INPUT
1 Turn

The Planet will turn NRing / NPlanet turns

clockwise.
Since the Planet drives the Sun, the Sun will
turn (NRing / NPlanet) x (-NPlanet / NSun) = - NRing /
NSun turns (counter-clockwise).

Sun

The arm doesnt move.

Ring

We enter these motions into the second row of

the table.

Epicyclic

The Tabular (Superposition) Method

Finally, we sum the motions in the first
and second rows of the table.

Now, we can
write the
relationship:

nSun 1
n Arm

N Ring
N Sun
1

N Ring

n Arm , or
nSun

N Sun

If the Sun has 53 teeth and the Ring 122 teeth, the output to
input speed ratio is +1 / 3.3 , with the arm moving the same
direction as the Sun.

Epicyclic

Planetary Gearset
OUTPUT

The configuration shown here,

with the input at the Sun and the
output at the Ring, is not
epicyclic.
It is simply a Sun driving an
internal Ring gear through a set
of three idlers.

INPUT
Sun
Planet

The gear ratio is:

nring
nsun

N sun N planet N sun

N planet N ring
N ring

Ring

n = speed; N = # Teeth

Where the minus sign comes from the change in direction between the two
external gears.
If the Sun has 53 teeth and the Ring 122 teeth, the ratio is -1 / 2.3 .

Epicyclic

Another Epicyclic Example

Here are three different representations of the same gearset:

Given:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Ring = 100 Teeth (Input)

Gear = 40 Teeth
Gear = 20 Teeth
Ring = 78 Teeth (Fixed)
Arm = Output

Always draw this

view to get
direction of
rotation correct.

See the Course Materials folder for the solution.

Epicyclic

Epicyclic Tips
If you encounter a gear assembly with two inputs, use
superposition. Calculate the output due to each input with the
other input held fixed, and then sum the results.
Typically, when an input arm is held fixed, the other output to
input relationship will not be epicyclic, but be a simple product of
tooth ratios.
OUT

IN 1

IN 2
Use the sign with tooth ratios to carry the direction information.

Epicyclic

Gear Loading
Once you determine the rotational speeds of the gears in
a train, the torque and therefore the tooth loading can be
determined by assuming a constant power flow through the
train.
Power = Torque x RPM, so
Torque = Power / RPM
If there are n multiples of a component (such as the 3
idlers in the planetary gearset example) , each component
will see 1/n times the torque based on the RPM of a single
component.
From the torque, T, compute the tangential force on the
teeth as Wt = T/r = 2T/D , where D is the pitch diameter.

Epicyclic

The Tabular Method - Example 2

First, we lock the assembly and rotate
everything one turn CCW

Next, we hold the arm fixed, and turn the

fixed component (Ring 4) one turn CW, to
fill in row two.

Epicyclic

The Tabular Method - Example 2

First, we lock the assembly and
rotate everything one turn CCW

Next, we hold the arm fixed, and

turn the fixed component (Ring 4)
one turn CW, to fill in row two.

Epicyclic

The Tabular Method - Example 2

We turn Ring 4 one turn CW (-1).

Ring 4 drives Gear 3, which turns + N4/N3 x (-1)

= - N4/N3 rotations.

Gear 2 is on the same shaft as Gear 3, so it

also turns - N4/N3 rotations.

Gear 2 drives Ring 1, which turns

+ N2/N1 x n2 = + N2/N1 x (- N4/N3) = - N2N4/N1N3
rotations.
The arm was fixed, so it does not turn.
We enter these motions into row two of the table:
Rotate Whole Assembly
CCW
Hold Arm, Rotate Ring
CW

Ring 1

Gear 2

Gear 3

Ring 4

Arm 5

+1

+1

+1

+1

+1

- N2N4/N1N3

- N4/N3

- N4/N3

-1

Epicyclic

The Tabular Method - Example 2

Then we add the two rows to get the total motion
Rotate Whole Assembly
CCW
Hold Arm, Rotate Ring
CW
Total Motion

And we can
write the
relationship:

Ring 1

Gear 2

Gear 3

Ring 4

Arm 5

+1

+1

+1

+1

+1

- N2N4/N1N3

- N4/N3

- N4/N3

-1

+1

1 - N2N4/N1N3 1 - N4/N3 1 - N4/N3

nRing1 1
n Arm

N2 N4
n Arm , or
N1 N 3
1

N2N4

nRing1

N1 N 3

Epicyclic

The Tabular Method - Example 2

For our example
Ring 1:
Gear 2:
Gear 3:
Ring 4:

We compute:

N1 = 100 Teeth
N2 = 40 Teeth
N3= 20 Teeth
N4 = 78 Teeth

n Arm

n Arm

N2N4

nRing1

N1 N 3

1
1

40 78

nRing1

100 20

1
1
n Arm
nRing1
nRing1
1 1.56
0.56
n Arm 1.786 nRing1
The output arm rotates almost twice as fast as
the input ring, and in the opposite direction.
Output direction is dependent on the
numbers of teeth on the gears!

Epicyclic