Hard Machine Design Gears
How do you calculate the thermal rating of a worm gear drive?
Answer
Worm drives have low efficiency (40-90%), generating significant heat. Thermal power rating Pt = K.A.(t_s - t_a), where K is heat transfer coefficient (13-18 W/m2K natural convection, higher with fan), A is housing surface area, t_s is allowable sump temperature (80-90C), t_a is ambient. Mechanical power rating Pm = Pi x eta where eta = tan(lambda)/(tan(lambda + phi)), lambda is lead angle, phi is friction angle. Actual rating is minimum of mechanical and thermal ratings. Cooling fins, forced convection, or oil coolers increase thermal capacity.
IIT Certified
Master These Concepts with IIT Certification
175+ hours of industry projects. Get placed at Bosch, Tata Motors, L&T and 500+ companies.
Relevant for Roles
Design Engineer Power Transmission Engineer Senior Engineer