Spur Gear Transmission Covering Wall Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-speed spur gear transmissions face power losses due to air-oil mixture swirling, and existing solutions involving vacuum pumps are costly and energy-intensive, aiming to minimize pressure around the spur gears to reduce losses.
Innovation Solution
A spur gear transmission design with a covering wall that partially encases the gears, creating annular gaps to stabilize a thin lubricating oil layer and reduce power consumption, optionally combined with a pressure-reduced interior space using a vacuum pump.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If full encapsulation of spur gears with covering wall is implemented, then power losses are reduced, but device complexity and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The covering wall is segmented to create distinct regions: an enclosed interior space around the spur gears and an exterior space. This segmentation allows selective application of vacuum only where needed (interior space) while leaving other areas at atmospheric pressure, reducing overall system complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum condition is applied locally only in the interior space surrounding the spur gears, rather than throughout the entire transmission housing. This localized approach reduces power losses at the gear interface without requiring full-system vacuum, thereby decreasing device complexity and manufacturing costs.
2Loss of energy
If powerful vacuum pumps are used to produce high vacuum, then power losses are reduced, but energy consumption and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of creating a high vacuum throughout the entire transmission system, the invention applies partial vacuum action only in the specific interior space around the spur gears. This partial action is sufficient to reduce power losses from air-oil mixture swirling without requiring the excessive energy input needed for system-wide high vacuum.
Solution Approach 2:
The covering wall acts as an intermediary structure that creates a isolated interior space where vacuum can be applied. This mediator allows vacuum to be confined to only the region where it is needed to reduce power losses, preventing the need for powerful pumps that would be required to vacuum the entire transmission housing.
3Loss of energy
If interior space is evacuated by suction, then power losses are reduced, but production and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The transmission housing is segmented into an interior space (evacuated) and an exterior space (at atmospheric pressure) by the covering wall. This segmentation allows the use of a smaller, less expensive vacuum pump that only needs to evacuate the confined interior space, rather than requiring a large pump to evacuate the entire housing, thereby reducing production and maintenance costs.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design achieves reduced power losses without full encapsulation or vacuum, by maintaining an oil-rich medium outside the covering wall and minimizing oil acceleration to the gears, thus lowering energy consumption and production costs.
Implementation Method 1
subject the interior space of the transmission housing to evacuation by suction by means of a vacuum pump such that the pressure in the interior space is lower than that of the surroundings outside the transmission housing
Implementation Method 2
evacuation by suction by means of a vacuum pump
Implementation Method 3
produce a negative pressure in the region of the outer diameter of the spur gears or in the region of the toothings thereof
Data Source
AI summary
A spur gear transmission has at least two meshing, toothed spur gears. A covering wall surrounds the spur gears circumferentially and in the direction of their rotational axes. The covering wall has an inner contour adapted to the outer diameters of the spur gears. Two annular gaps which transition into each other are formed between the covering wall and the spur gears. The annular gap is substantially concentric to a rotational axis. The covering wall surrounds the two spur gears circumferentially only over a part of the circumference, with a part of the outer circumference of the two spur gears or one of the two spur gears protruding outwards out of the covering wall. The part of the two spur gears or of the one spur gear that protrudes out of the covering wall is positioned on the lower face of the spur gears.