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Gear Ratio Formula:
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Gear ratio is the ratio of the number of teeth on two meshing gears. It determines the mechanical advantage and speed relationship between the driving gear (input) and driven gear (output).
The calculator uses the gear ratio formula:
Where:
Explanation: The ratio represents how many times the driven gear rotates for each rotation of the driver gear. A ratio greater than 1 indicates speed reduction and torque increase, while a ratio less than 1 indicates speed increase and torque reduction.
Details: Accurate gear ratio calculation is crucial for designing mechanical systems, determining speed and torque requirements, optimizing performance, and ensuring proper gear meshing in various applications from automotive transmissions to industrial machinery.
Tips: Enter the number of teeth for both driven and driver gears. Values must be positive integers greater than 0. The calculator will compute the ratio and display it in the standard X:1 format.
Q1: What does a gear ratio of 3:1 mean?
A: A 3:1 ratio means the driven gear rotates once for every three rotations of the driver gear, providing torque multiplication but speed reduction.
Q2: Can gear ratio be less than 1?
A: Yes, a ratio less than 1 indicates an overdrive situation where the driven gear rotates faster than the driver gear, increasing speed but reducing torque.
Q3: How does gear ratio affect mechanical advantage?
A: Higher gear ratios provide greater mechanical advantage (more torque) but lower output speed, while lower ratios provide higher speed but less torque.
Q4: What's the difference between driven and driver gears?
A: The driver gear is the one receiving power input, while the driven gear is the one being rotated by the driver gear.
Q5: How is gear ratio used in real-world applications?
A: Gear ratios are essential in automotive transmissions, bicycle gearing, industrial machinery, clock mechanisms, and any system requiring speed/torque conversion.