SPEED REDUCERS–COMMONLY USED TERMS
As we have learned throughout our Power Transmission 101 course, the world of gears – like so many other businesses and industries – has its own “language”. Let’s look at some of the terms you need to know to become more familiar with the Gear line of speed reducers.
Axial Movement: Endwise movement of input or output shaft, sometimes called endplay, usually expressed in thousandths of an inch.
Efficiency: The output power of the reducer (as compared to the input power). It is usually stated as a percentage.
Example:
• Input HP = 1 (75/100) (100) = 75% Efficiency
• Output HP = .75
BACKLASH
Rotational movement of the output shaft when holding the input shaft stationary and rotating the output shaft alternately clockwise and counterclockwise. Backlash may be expressed in thousandths of an inch measured at a specific radius at the output shaft.
CENTER DISTANCE
On a single reduction speed reducer, center distance is the distance between the center lines of the input and output shafts. Shaft center lines may be parallel or at right angles to one another. The center distance of multiple stage reducers usually refers to the lowest speed stage.
