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Components Of The Worm Drive Gearbox

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2.0 Component Analysis The worm drive gearbox is comprised of a worm screw running off the input shaft and engaging the worm wheel perpendicularly1. Bonfiglioli states in their quality standards that they are committed to supplying effective products and go on to say they will never compromise on safety, compliance or quality2. As a business, it is in their best interests to do so as cost effectively as possible; keeping both these points in mind will help to analyse the various parts of the gearbox and assess possible materials used, as well as manufacturing processes performed. 2.1 Worm shaft 2.1.1 Function The input shaft has a keyway cut which enables the motor to rotate the worm; this in turn results in the worm wheel rotating due to contact between the worm thread and the teeth of the worm wheel3. In order for the gearbox to continuously perform this function smoothly and efficiently over time it is important that the worm shaft’s material is carefully considered to avoid the three principle factors that will influence performance1. 2.1.2 Materials With the worm screw being in constant contact with the worm wheel, there has to be consideration of wear due to friction when selecting the material. In order to avoid amounts of wear that will be detrimental to performance, the shaft’s material must have a high surface hardness1. It’s important that this is achieved without the hardening of the entire thread because this will result in the material becoming more brittle. A

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