Mechanism and Machine Theory 40 (2005) 9931001

Mechanism and Machine Theory

www.elsevier.com/locate/mechmt

For an unied and correct IFToMM terminology in the area of gearing

K. Arnaudov
a

a,*

, P. Genova b, L. Dimitrov

Institute of Mechanics and Biomechanics, Bulgarian Academy of Science, Academic Georgy Bonchev Street, Block 4, Room 412, Soa 1113, Bulgaria b Faculty of Engineering and Pedagogy, University of Sliven, Bulgaria c Department of Machine Elements, Technical University of Soa, Bulgaria

Received 28 January 2003; received in revised form 7 September 2004; accepted 2 January 2005 Available online 2 March 2005

Abstract The presentation of this paper is provoked by the fact that in such a huge class of gear trains, as gear trains with mobile axes of gears, there is no denite agreement in the use of terms in dierent languages and sometimes even in one language. Therefore it is very important to establish a logical, correct, explicit and unambiguous terminology that could help facilitate intensive contacts and interchange of knowledge and technologies among dierent countries in the time of rapid globalization of the world. 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Epicyclic gear trains; Planetary gear trains; Dierentials; Terminology

1. Introduction The present-day intensive contacts and interchange of knowledge and technologies among different countries requires further standardization of terminology and unication of symbolic used by scientists and engineers. That is the reason why such international organizations as IFToMM
*

Corresponding author. Tel.: +359 2 750 735; fax: +359 2 707 498. E-mail address: k_arnaudov@abv.bg (K. Arnaudov).

0094-114X/$ - see front matter 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.mechmachtheory.2005.01.004

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[13], ISO [4,5], and other standard issuing organizations [610] engage people, spend time and money for the development of a unied and correct terminology and symbolic as an important communication tool in the area of science and technique. Gears are a wide spread mechanical components. They are the widely spared mechanical components. One can hardly nd a conventional machine without gears in it. Even gear is the symbol of the whole technique. The presentation of this paper is provoked by the fact that in such a huge class of gear trains, as gear trains with mobile axes of gears, there is no denite agreement in the use of terms in dierent languagesas it could be observed from the IFToMM terminology, published in 1991 [2]: in in in in English: Epicyclic (Planetary) Gear (Train); French: Train epicycloidal; German: Planetenradergetriebe, Umlaufradergetriebe; Russian:

Dierent languages use dierent terms to denote all this class of gear trains: some call them planetary gear trains, while others prefer epicyclic gear trains. Moreover, whereas in some countries the term epicyclic gear trains is not in use at all [2,7], in others both terms are in use [2,6,11 14], in third group of countries this term (epicyclic gear trains) is applied to all trains of the wide class trains mentioned above and according to the degree of freedom they are divided into planetary gear trains and dierential gear trains [15]. Such a separation of trains with mobile axes of gears in planetary and dierential as dierent in principle trains and their treatment as not belonging to one and the same class of trains seems confusing. Moreover, in several cases, dierent terms are used to denote one class of trains: for instance, while some authors call them trains, others prefer mechanisms [10]. As a matter of fact, everything in machine technique including trains is a mechanism [1618]therefore, the dierentiation between trains and mechanisms does not seem well grounded. Thus, the authors feel that in the eld of machine technique, a necessity exists to reach general conventions on a standard, consistent and non-contradictory terminology [19]. The use of correct terminology is particularly important for the university discipline Theory of Mechanisms and Machines (somewhere Kinematics and Dynamics of Machines) which could be considered as a rst course which starts introducing engineering terms and these terms, correct or wrong, are used after that in following university disciplines. It is IFToMM as an international organization which mission is to unify scientists from Theory of Mechanisms and Machines that should take the obligation of establishment of the most proper terminology and of elimination of wrong terms as it is mentioned in [1]. The present paper is dealing with some of these problematic terms.

2. Planet or epicyclic gear trains? It could be supposed that the term epicyclic gear trains was introduced in science before the internal gearing had been invented. Such train is shown in Fig. 1a and certainly there were good reasons to be called epicyclic gear trains. When the cutting of internally toothed gears became fea-

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Fig. 1. Dierent type planetary gears (according to their kinematics): (a) epicyclic planet trains; (b) hypocyclic planet trains; (c) pericyclic gear trains.

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Fig. 2. The most common type of cylindrical gear trains: (a) the most wide spread type; (b) less frequently used type; (c) Wolfrom train.

sible, then the trains shown in Fig. 1b and c were implemented. By analogy they could be named respectively hypocyclic and pericyclic trains. Without any doubt these two terms belong to the same level as epicyclic trains. This provokes a logical question: why is, in this case, such a particular term as epicyclic trains used as the general typical term for a wide class of gear trains? Moreover, many gear trains with mobile axes have no any relation to epicyclicity. It cannot be given a reasonable explanation why the term epicyclic trains is preferred as a general term to those two terms hypocyclic trains and pericyclic trains which belong to the same level to which the term epicyclic trains belong. We consider that the nomination of class types should be made only according to a distinguishing feature, which is inherent for all trains of a class of trains with mobile axes of gears but not for some of them. Such a distinguishing feature is the planetary motion of the planets (planetary pinions) and therefore it is logic the whole class of trains to be called planetary gear trains. There is no logic an isolated term as epicyclic trains or terms hypocyclic trains and pericyclic trains to be presented as terms for designation of this class. Fig. 1 shows epicyclic, hypocyclic, and pericyclic gear trains which are less popular, while Fig. 2 shows more widely spread planetary gear trains, including the most popular planetary gear train (Fig. 2a). It is not correct and not useful to call gear trains form Fig. 2 epi-hypocyclic by analogy to those shown in Fig. 1, instead to call simply planetary gear trains.

3. Planetary and dierential trains Some textbooks [15] denote gear trains with mobile axes as a whole with the general term epicyclic trains: those of them which have two degrees of freedom are called dierential trains, while those which have one degree of freedom are termed planetary trains. In result, it seems as these two types of gear trains belong to dierent classes of trains. One hardly could agree with such a choice of terms. As was said above, both are planetary gear trains since their distinguishing feature is planetary motion of the planets. It is well known that the planetary gear trains, for example the most widespread type of planetary gear train shown in Fig. 2a, can operate with one or with two degrees of freedom, for example in vehicle gear boxes (for instance gear train I from Wilson gear box, which is shown in Fig. 3). Therefore we are talking of the way of functioning of the same planetary gear transmissions and not of dierent types design, as it wrongly seems to be.

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Fig. 3. The way of running of a planetary train (train I) from the gearbox Wilson: (a) as a train with one degree of freedom and turned on brake Br1; (b) as a train with two degrees of freedomas a dierential train, and turned on brake Br2.

A planetary train can have two dierent ways of running. Fig. 4 illustrates the ways of running of planetary trains. In the case of one degree of freedom they can operate as: reducers; multiplicators. In the case of two degrees of freedom they can operate as: a collecting train (in cases of a drive with two engines); a dividing train (in cases of a drive with one engine). There is one more consideration here: it is not only the planetary trains that can run with one and two degrees of freedom. The same could do harmonic drives (like dierentials). These trains could be hardly called planetary trains; undoubtedly, they cannot be called epicyclic trains. Thus, the term should reect the way of running and not the particular design of dierential trains. Hence, there is no use in calling them dierentials rather it is necessary to denote the typeplanet or harmonic dierential trains. The train shown in Fig. 5a is usually named as a dierential. This choice of the term could be explained with its popular use as an automotive symmetric dierential. Fig. 5b and c shows a bevel planet gear train. This planetary train is used not as a dierential but as a bevel reducer

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Fig. 4. Possible ways of running of a planetary train: (a) as a reducer with one degree of freedom; (b) as a multiplicator with one degree of freedom; (c) as a collecting train (in cases of a drive with two engines) with two degrees of freedom; (d) as a dividing train (in cases of a drive with one engine) with two degrees of freedom.

in the wheel hub of a VOLVO truck [20]. One more example: the most wide spread spur planetary gear train (Fig. 2a) can be used as a automotive dierential tooas asymmetrical dierential as illustrated in Fig. 5b. When the ways of running of planetary gear trains with one degree of freedom are discussed, following cases should be borne in mind. Dierent links of a planetary train could be xed. For example (Fig. 2a), internal gear ring 3 (most frequently), pinion 1 or planet carrier 4 could be xed. When planet carrier 4 is the reaction member, the train does not work as a planetary train any more because the axes of planets do not move. In this case the term pseudo-planetary train could be used. This is illustrated in Fig. 6. Train A from a gearbox of automotive Mercedes-Benz works as a planetary train when brake Br2 is turned on and it works as pseudo-planetary when brake Br1 is turned on (for changing the direction of rotation) and the clutch C2 is engaged.

4. Trains and mechanisms Some authors dierentiate trains from mechanisms [10]. Still, every device which consists of links and moves according with a particular law is called mechanism in machine technique. Therefore, all trains, including planetary trains, are mechanisms. Thus, the dierentiation between trains and mechanisms does not have any solid logical grounds.

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Fig. 5. Ways of running of planetary trains: (a) as symmetrical vehicle dierential; (b) as a vehicle wheel reducer for Volvo truck (scheme) [20]; (c) as a vehicle wheel reducer for Volvo truck (design) [20]; (d) as asymmetrical vehicle dierential.

5. Conclusions 1. It seems improper such an isolated term as epicyclic gear trains to be used as the main term for the whole class of trains with mobile axes of gears. A term for this level could be only the term planetary gear trains since it properly reects the most important characteristics (the dierentia specica) of all the trains with mobile axes of gears, that is, the planetary motion of gears. It is just nonsense to call epicyclic those trains that do not have any connection to the epicyclicity. 2. Very strict dierentiation should be made between the dierent types of gear train design and the dierent ways of running of the same type of trains. The possibility for running of trains with mobile gear axes with one or two degrees of freedom cannot be a reason for separating them as dierent types of gear trains as was mentioned above (Figs. 36), the same train could run with one and with two degrees of freedom. Consequently this is the way of running. 3. The running with two degrees of freedom is an inherent feature not only of the gear trains with mobile gear axes. Harmonic drives can also run with two degrees of freedom. Their characteristic feature is a exible gear but not the planetary motion of a gear. Therefore, dierential trains could be either planetary dierentials or harmonic drive dierentials. 4. The designation of trains with mobile axes of gears which run with one degree of freedom as planetary and those that run with two degrees of freedom as dierentials does not seem

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Fig. 6. Way of running of a planetary train from a gearbox of Mercedes-Benz car: (a) as planetary train with turned on brakes Br2; (b) as a not planetary gear train with turned on brake Br1 [20].

correct. They all are planetary gear trains. Trains with one degree of freedom can run as reducers or multiplicators and those with two degrees of freedomas dierentials: collective or dividing trains. 6. Summary The discipline Theory of Mechanisms and Machines (Kinematics and Dynamics of Machines) is the rst university discipline in the education in engineering which introduces the fundamental terminology of machine technique. Thus every incorrect term introduced in this course could complicate the further education. Therefore it is very important to establish in this course a logical, correct, explicit and unambiguous terminology that could help further education of future engineers and would facilitate the mutual understanding of specialists from dierent countries. It seems necessary to correct some terms in the ocial terminology of IFToMM as it was mentioned above.

References
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