Modeling gears in SolidWorks.

This session will look at methods of creating solid models of gears as individual parts and how
they can be mated in an assembly, to simulate motion behavior.
We will consider a simple example of a pair of spur gears with a speed ratio of 2:1.
We will use items from HPC Gears Ltd. part nos. YG4-34 & YG4-68.
Download and extract the gears.zip file for the initial parts to start working with.
http://www.tech.plymouth.ac.uk/dmme/cad/cad_files/gears.zip

Gears

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Gears can be individually modeled as parts using various approaches:

1

Gear modeling - simplified geometry (no teeth).

1.1

Simplest.

The simplest approach is to model the gears as if they are wheels, with outside diameters equal to
their pitch diameters, as has been done in the parts provided in gears.zip.
In the assembly file the gears have been assembled to allow them to freely rotate. To simulate the
driving effect of gears you can apply a gear mate:
Mate > Advanced mates > Gear
Simply select the outside surfaces of each spur gear. Observe how the sizes are automatically
entered in the gear mate parameters. You can of course manually change these values.
The gears do not have to touch. They would be spaced apart if they are, for example, pulleys for a
belt drive system. In this case you may have to select the Reverse option to make the pulleys
rotate in the same direction.
This approach results in a solid model representation of the gear. The model will approximately
represent both the overall space claim of the component and the correct drive ratio in the
assembly motion simulation.
1.2

Slightly less simple, with correct OD.

To model the correct OD (outside diameter) of the spur gear and still have model geometry
representing the pitch diameter you will need to add an extra feature for the pitch diameter in each
gear model.
One way to do this is to change the gear OD dimension to be that of the actual gear part OD, and
then add an extruded surface, based on a sketched circle, to represent the pitch diameter. Then in
the assembly you can select this surface as the gear mate reference.
2

Gear modeling using the SolidWorks Toolbox add-in.

SolidWorks will automatically create a gear part for you, if you have access to the Toolbox add-in.
To check/access this add-in:
Tools > Add-Ins > SolidWorks Toolbox and SolidWorks Toolbox Browser
Click on the Design Library tab, right hand side, expand Toolbox, expand Ansi Metric, Power
Transmission, Gears. Right click on the gear type you want > Create part
Define desired properties.
Replicate the gears modeled above using the Toolbox and save in your working folder.
What are the advantages/disadvantages of this method?
Accuracy of tooth profile? Assembly ratio references?
When you have made the gears, assemble them, as before, and apply appropriate mates to
simulate motion. Think about how to define the ratio.
Gears

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2.1

Physical dynamics.

The gear mate simply rotates each gear according to the ratio and initial alignment conditions. If
you want to actually examine the physical interaction between the meshing teeth you need to
rotate one gear by hand with the Physical Dynamics option selected, see below:
Delete or suppress the gear mate. Click on the Rotate Component button, and activate the
Physical Dynamics option in the Rotate Component window. Drag one gear and observe
reaction.
3

Gear modeling accurate teeth.

The above modeling methods give representations of the gear components, with approximated
teeth from the Toolbox. If you require geometrically accurate teeth, then you will have to model the
correct involute profile yourself. You may like to examine the features of one of the Toolbox
derived gears to see how the teeth can be modeled in principle.
In outline:
Model blank gear, probably using the Boss/Base > Revolve feature.
Model one tooth groove using a Cut > Extrude feature.
Replicate this cut with a Pattern/Mirror > Circular Pattern feature.
The challenges here are:
1) to model an accurate involute tooth profile. This is very complex; you may wish to
approximate it. Gear designers usually use specialist software to define accurate involute gear
profiles.
2) to make this model generic, using the number of teeth (Teeth) to drive the components
geometry.
PD
OD

=
=

Teeth * MOD
(Teeth + 2) * MOD

So, attempt to model a general gear, using a simplified tooth form. Use Equations in sketches
and features to define dimensions from the number of teeth. Check SolidWorks help for Equations
help.

Gears

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Gears

Gear modeling accurate geometry.

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