Rack and Pinion Gears Information

Rack and pinion gears are used to convert rotation into linear motion. The

flat, toothed part is the rack and the gear is the pinion. A piston coaxial to

the rack provides hydraulic assistance force, and an open centered rotary

valve controls the assist level. A rack and pinion gears system is composed

of two gears. The normal round gear is the pinion gear and the straight or

flat gear is the rack. The rack has teeth cut into it and they mesh with the

teeth of the pinion gear.

Rack and Pinion Gear. Image Credit Wikipedia

A ring and pinion gear is the differential's critical point of power transfer. A

ring and pinion gear set is one of the simplest performance modifications

that can be performed on a vehicle. The most common reason to change ring

and pinion ratios from the original equipment is to retain power when bigger
 tires are put on a vehicle. The torque can be increased by a ratio change

when there is enhanced pulling or higher take off power from a dead start. A

well designed mechanism such as the rack and pinion gears save effort and

time.

Product Selection

The Engineering360 SpecSearch database allows industrial buyers to select

rack and pinion gears by gear type, configuration, and performance

specifications.

Gear Types

Rack and pinion gears are available in three variations:

Straight teeth have the tooth axis parallel to the axis of rotation.

Straight teeth that run parallel to the axis of the gear. Load movement or

transfer is manual or walk-behind.

 Straight Tooth. Image Credit: mechanicalmania.blogspot.com

Helical teeth gears provide continuous engagement along the tooth

length and are often quieter and more efficient than straight tooth gears. Helical

tooth gears resemble spur gears in the plane of rotation, but include teeth that

are twisted along a helical path in the axial direction.

Helical Tooth. Image Credit: i-automation.com

Roller pinion drives use bearing supported rollers that mesh with the

teeth of that rack in orderto provide minimal to no backlash.

 Roller Pinion. Image Credit: engineeringenuity.blogspot.com

Quality

Rack and pinion gears variations are available in different qualities,

9/10 milled teeth are milled and hardened quality

7/8 precision cut or precision cut and hardened quality

5/6 teeth hardened and ground quality

Performance Specifications

The speed with which the rack moves as the pinion turns is determined by

the diameter of the gear.

Application
 Rack and pinion gears provide a less mechanical advantage than other

mechanisms, but greater feedback and steering sensation. A rack and pinion

gear gives a positive motion especially compared to the friction drive of a

wheel in tarmac. In a rack and pinion railway, a central rack between the two

rails engages with a pinion on the engine allowing a train to be pulled up

very steep slopes.

Rack and pinions gears are commonly used in the steering system of cars to

convert the rotary motion of the steering wheel to the side to side motion in

the wheels. The steering wheel rotates a gear which engages the rack. As

the gear turns, it slides the rack either to the right or left, depending on

which way the wheel is turned. Rack and pinion gears are also used in some

scales to turn the dial that displays a weight.

Related Products & Services

Bevel and Miter Gears

Bevel gears are gears designed to transmit motion between intersecting

axes. Perpendicular arrangements are most common, but bevel gears can be
manufactured for nearly any angle. The teeth bearing surface of the gear, or surface
pitch, is conically shaped or tapered. Miter gears are bevel gears manufactured in a 1:1
ratio, with the same number of teeth on mating gears and with perpendicular axes.

Gears
 Gears are rotating mechanical devices employing 'teeth' in order to transmit torque
between separate axes. Two or more cooperating gears are called a transmission and
can produce a mechanical advantage by changing speed, torque or rotation direction.

Helical Gears

Helical gears are cylindrilical gears whose teeth are not parallel to the axis of rotation.
The teeth are angled and appear as a segment of a helix. Helical gears can transmit
power between parallel or right angle axes.

Hypoid Gears

A hypoid gear is a style of spiral bevel gear whose main variance is that the mating
gears' axes do not intersect. The hypoid gear is offset from the gear center, allowing
unique configurations and a large diameter shaft. The teeth on a hypoid gear are helical,
and the pitch surface is best described as a hyperboloid. A hypoid gear can be
considered a cross between a bevel gear and a worm drive.

Metric Gears

Metric gears are defined by module, which designates the center-to-center distance
between successive teeth. This criteria of gear selection is used in countries which have
adopted the metric system and is intended to standardize gear selection.

Spur Gears

Spur gears are the simplest type of gear. Transmitting power between parallel axes, the
teeth project radially on the disc.

Worms and Worm Gears

Worms and worm gears are gear sets that offer high gear reduction and torque
multiplication with a small footprint. A worm drive is a cylindrical gear with a shallow
spiral thread that engages the worm gear in a non-intersecting, perpendicular axes
configuration.