Schneckengetriebe

Summary

The paper suggests that the most important advances in worm gear technique have been due to concentration on the production and application of worm gears of high lead angle and of ratios close to unity.

The manufacture of totally enclosed worm gear units in a standard range of sizes is discussed, with particular reference to air cooled units.

The comparative merits of the different designs of thread form for worm gears is discussed and the author contends that the parallel worm with involute helicoid thread form is best because of its simplicity in manufacturing technique, leading to greater accuracy and better performance.

The author refers to the advantages which could be obtained from a rational system of worm gear design. This system envisages the standardisation of range of module pitches together with a “worm diameter factor”. This would result in a limited range of spaced designs from which any requirement may be selected. The advantages are strict limitations of tools, the avoidance of haphazard selection of designs and the simplification of calculation, since it enables all required designs to be tabulated.