ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the development of a load distribution model for involute gears that have a low tooth count. Low-tooth-count gears feature a rapidly diminishing radius of curvature of the involute curve in the vicinity of the base circle. Generally, interaction between the gear and pinion tooth surfaces in low-tooth-count gearing can be considered rolling and sliding of elastically dissimilar cylinders. In order to design gears properly, it is necessary to know how stress in the gear tooth body can be calculated. The calculation of the bending strength of a gear tooth is a very complicated engineering problem. In order to avoid tooth breakage, it is often recommended to relieve the tooth flanks at ends of the gear face. The load distribution model for parallel-axes gearing is applicable only for gear drives that have regular tooth numbers, and it is not applicable for low-tooth-count gear drives.
