Abstract:
An apparatus and method for solving the problem of pitting and other life-shortening events which decreases the utility of a gearbox. The solution which the invention achieves envisions pre-stressing of various components so that faces of the gears of the gear set will remain substantially parallel during operation.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This is a regular application filed under 35 U.S.C. § 111(a) claiming priority, under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) (1), of provisional application Ser. No. 61/058,806, previously filed Jun. 4, 2008 under 35 U.S.C. § 111(b). 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present invention deals broadly with methods and apparatus for effecting transmission of rotational motion of an axle about one axis to rotational motion of an axle about a second, generally parallel axis. Such transmission is effected by means of apparatus conventionally referred to as a gearbox. More narrowly, the invention deals with methods and apparatus for maintaining gears within the box in a desired orientation in order to deter uneven wear or breakage of the gears. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Gearboxes known in the art typically enclose one or more gear sets. Such gear sets are mounted on two or more shafts which traverse the gearbox between generally parallel, facing walls which are spaced from each other at a defined distance. In industry, such walls are typically made of iron, steel or other durable, substantially rigid material. 
         [0004]    The gears are built, it is intended, to very precise tolerances. It is also intended that they be smooth and very hard.  FIG. 1  illustrates a portion of engagement of teeth of one gear by teeth of a second gear. The arrows illustrate where force exerted by the drive gear is applied to teeth of the driven gear. Optimally, the point at which force is transmitted from one gear to another be lubricated so that all contact occurs at a location at which a film of oil is applied between the teeth. Gearboxes built this way, in theory, are expected to have a nearly infinite gear life. In practice, however, some gearboxes experience failure after a relatively short period of use. This often occurs due to pitting of the teeth at contact surfaces near one axial end of the gears. On occasion, fracture of teeth will even occur at areas of pitting. 
         [0005]    Damage as described hereinbefore suggests that operation of the gears has been such that functioning has been less than perfect because the gears have not been operating with the gear faces parallel and teeth in exact parallel mesh. That is, operation has been such that one axial end of teeth has been in contact more extensively, thus overstressing the material of which the gears are made at that end. 
         [0006]    Misalignment, it has been determined, occurs for a number of reasons. First, the walls defining the gearbox within which the axles to which the gears are journaled are not strong enough to prevent distortion when the gears in the gearbox are placed under a force. This results because the opposite walls are, in fact, subjected to different levels of force when the axial centers of the gears are not equidistant from the walls. 
         [0007]    Another cause of misalignment results from the axles themselves. Even where the walls are strong enough so as to not distort when subjected to pressure, the axles to which the gears are mounted may distort so that planes defined by the faces of the respective gears become non-parallel. 
         [0008]    It is to these shortcomings and deficiencies of the prior art that the present invention is directed. It is both a process and an apparatus which, it is intended, solves these problems. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The present invention is an apparatus and method for improving the operation and extending the life of a gearbox mounting therein a gear set. The apparatus is a gear set which, when force is applied thereto, effects maintenance of the faces of the gears of the gear set in a substantially parallel configuration. The maintenance of the gear faces in such a relationship is accomplished by effecting compensation of deflection of gear set mounting walls of the gearbox in which the gear sets are journaled. 
         [0010]    The method of manufacturing such a gearbox includes steps of defining a gearbox housing by employing a pair of generally parallel, facing walls which are spaced from each other at a defined distance; mounting gears of a gear set between the walls in a meshed configuration where the gears define planes which, in unstressed positions thereof, are substantially parallel to planes defined by the walls; and utilizing means for mounting the gears such that, when they are under stress, the planes defined thereby remain substantially parallel to one another and to planes defined by the walls. In various embodiments, the walls of the gearbox and the axles to which the gears are mounted serve to effect disposing the gears in desired orientations. 
         [0011]    The present invention is thus a method for constructing and manufacturing a gearbox and a gearbox assembled in accordance with the method. More specific details and advantages obtained in view of those details will become apparent with reference to the DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION, appended claims and accompanying drawing figures. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is an end-on view illustrating typical engagement of teeth of a drive gear with teeth of a driven gear; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is an end-on view illustrating the typical engagement of a drive gear with its corresponding driven gear; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a top view, with some elements in section, illustrating a portion of a gearbox; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a view illustrating deflection of axles to which the drive gear and driven gear are mounted; and 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a view which illustrates a manner of solving such deflection problems. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0017]    Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals denote like elements throughout the several views,  FIG. 1  illustrates in section, looking in an axial direction, the engagement of a tooth  10  of a drive gear  12  of a gear set in a gearbox  14  with a tooth  16  of a driven gear  18  in the gear set. As previously discussed, the gears  12 ,  18  are manufactured to very precise tolerances, and are made very smooth and hard. This protects the gear surfaces and extends the operational life of the gearbox  14 . 
         [0018]    In fact, it is the intent that the gear surfaces never actually touch during operation of the gearbox  14 . Rather, they are intended to be spaced from one another at a very small distance, as at  19 , filled by a film of oil. In any case, spacing, if any, between the closest point of touching of the gear teeth  10 ,  16  is intended to be substantially uniform along the axial dimensions of the teeth  10 ,  16 . It is when the faces  20 ,  22  of the gears  12 ,  18  which are substantially engaged are diverted from a substantially parallel relationship of the gear faces  20 ,  22  that inordinate wear occurs. 
         [0019]      FIG. 2  illustrates schematically the drive gear  12 , and the axle  24  upon which it is mounted, in substantial engagement with the driven gear  18  and the axle  26  upon which it is disposed for rotation. The faces  20 ,  22  of the two gears, it will be understood, when the gear set is operating properly, will be in a parallel relationship. 
         [0020]      FIG. 3  illustrates portions of a gearbox  14  in which the gear set is mounted. Typically, the gearbox  14  is closed, and  FIG. 3  illustrates the box  14  with some portions removed and two oppositely facing, substantially parallel walls  28 ,  30  of the gearbox  14  illustrated in section. Manufacturing these walls  28 ,  30  of the gearbox  14  with thicknesses substantially the same and the walls being made of the same material is commonly observed in the industry. It will be understood that, if the axial center of the gears  12 ,  18  is equidistant from the inner surfaces  32 ,  34  of the two substantially parallel, facing walls  28 ,  30 , operation of the gear set will not likely cause any deflection from the desired dispositions of the gears  12 ,  18  wherein their faces  20 ,  22  are substantially parallel. This is so since the forces exerted upon the axles  24 ,  26  and, in turn, the substantially parallel walls  28 ,  30  of the gearbox  14  are substantially the same. In most cases, however, for various reasons a gear set will be offset from a position wherein it is equidistant from the walls  28 ,  30  of the gearbox  14 . This is the disposition shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0021]      FIG. 3  shows a gearbox  14  and gear set under load. When the drive gear  12  is in engagement with the driven gear  18  the force exerted upon the driven gear  18  and its mounting axle  26 , and in turn transmitted to the upper wall  28 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , will be greater than the force exerted upon the driven gear  18 , its mounting axle  26 , and the lower wall  30 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , because of the location, axially along the gears, at which the force is applied. This translates into a canting of one axial end of the gears  12 ,  18  relative to the other and a consequent location of greater wear. 
         [0022]    As previously discussed, the prior art utilizes walls which are substantially the same thickness and made of the same material. In order to deter such a consequence, it has been determined that the walls  28 ,  30  can be made of different thicknesses, even assuming of the same material, so that the wall which is typically subjected to greater force is thicker than the other wall. As the disparity of force exerted upon the two walls  28 ,  30  increases, the wall subjected to the greater force can be made of a thickness proportionately larger than the thickness of the other wall. 
         [0023]    Alternatively, the walls  28 ,  30  can be made of different materials while maintaining a common thickness. The wall subjected to the greater force because of axial displacement of the gear set within the gearbox can also be made of a material which has a measure of stiffness greater than that of the material of which the other wall is manufactured. The disparity in the degree of stiffness necessary in order to maintain the gears  12 ,  18  in the desired orientations can be calculated based upon the relative distance between the axial center of the gears  12 ,  18  and the two walls  28 ,  30 . 
         [0024]    If a force exerted upon one wall of the gearbox  14  is twice that exerted on the other wall, either the thickness of the wall upon which the greater force is applied will have to be twice as thick as the other wall or the first wall will have to have twice a degree of stiffness of the second wall in order to maintain the gears in the desired dispositions. It has been mathematically shown that, if either the wall upon which the greater force is applied is of a factor of thickness of the wall upon which the lesser force is applied, or the wall upon which greater force is applied is given a factor of stiffness the same as the ratio of the forces applied to the teeth, the teeth will be maintained in a desired configuration. 
         [0025]    A second reason for the uneven wear of teeth is deflection of the axles as a result of repeated application of force. This situation is illustrated in  FIG. 4 . As can be seen, the faces of the drive and driven gear resultantly are displaced out of a substantially parallel orientation. Again, wear at one axial end of the teeth of the gears results. 
         [0026]      FIG. 5  illustrates an inventive solution to this problem. The solution contemplates measurement of the distances between an outer face of the driven gear and its proximate wall, and the outer face of the drive gear and its proximate wall, respectively. Diameters of the respective gear axles  24 ,  26  are made so that the faces of the respective gears do not divert from a substantially parallel relationship should the mounting axles deflect. 
         [0027]    It will be understood that this disclosure, in many respects, is only illustrative. Changes may be made in details, particularly in matters of shape, size, material, and arrangement of parts without exceeding the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is as defined in the language of the appended claims.