Gear CAD Model Tutorial

Problem : Given a radius of the pitch circle, rp=60mm;

pressure angle, = 200 ; and number of teeth, N=20 of
a spur gear. Create the CAD model. Apply a fillet radius of
0.5 mm at the roots of the teeth. Assume the addendum
and dedundum are equal.
Addendum circle

Pitch circle
Straight line
portion
Base /dedundum circle
Root circle
Fillet

1. Generate the vectors of the involute

profile of the gear
Matlab Code
Matlab result

clear all; close all; clc;

rp=60;
rb=rp*cosd(20);
100

% rb = 60;
th=(pi/180)*(0:5:90);

Involute of the base circle

80
60

x=-rb*(sin(th)-th.* cos(th));
y=rb*(cos(th)+th.*sin(th));
z= zeros(1,length(x));

40

Base circle

20

plot (x,y,'r','LineWidth',3)
set(gca,'Fontsize',14)
xlabel('X')
ylabel('Y')
hold on

0
-20
-40
-60

thc= (pi/180)* (0:10: 360); % for the circle

xx= rb*cos(thc);
yy=rb*sin(thc);
plot(xx,yy,'k','LineWidth',3)

-80
-100
-100

-50

0
X

50

xlim([-100,100]);
ylim([-100,100]);
[x' y' z]

Involute profile vectors to Matlab workspace

100

2. Save the vectors it as text file

Copy the xyz vectors
from Matlab workspace.
Open notepad
Past it
Save the file as txt file.
Eg. involute.txt

Notepad saved file

3. (a) Insert the involute to SolidWorks

-Open SolidWorks new part
Command:
File -- > New-- > Part --- > Ok
- Insert the involute profile from where you stored it
Command:
Insert -- > Curve -- > Curve Through xyz Points

3. (b) Browse and open

- Browse the file from where you stored it and open
- eg. Involute1.txt

3.(c) Imported
-you will see the preview of the involute
- The imported vectors will show up too
- Click OK

3.(d) involute curve

- Involute curve appears in the part tree

4. Calculate the circles required

Rb=Rp cos
=60*cos(20)=56.382 ---- > base circle
Rr= 0.98 Rb
= 0.98* 56.382= 55.254----- > root circle
d=RpRb= a
= 60- 56.382 = 3.618 ------ > dedundum
Ra = Rp+a= Rp+d
= 60 + 3.618 = 63.618--- > Addendum circle
= pi/N
= 180/20 =90 ----- > pressure angle

5(a). Construct the Base circle

- The involute starts from the base circle
- The circle intersect the involute
Sketch tab
circle --- > origin at (x,y)=(0,0) r = Rb

5(b). Construct all the other circles

- All have the same origin and different radius

Addendum
pitch
Base

Root

5(c). Click OK and exit sketch mode

- When you exit Sketch mode ,Sketch become gray color and the
involute is in blue
blue
gray

- The involute is not part of the sketch

5 (d).Convert the involute to Sketch entity

- In Sketch mode
-Select the involute and click Convert to entity in the Sketch tab(
1

- Click the involute curve --- > Convert to entities

Involute to entities
2

6(a). Draw center line of the circles

-The center line 1 serve as a reference line to construct the tooth angle
- Make the center line as a construction line
Click the line---- > edit ----- > check construction line option
- Draw a line from the intersection of involute entity and pitch circle to the origin

involute

center line
pitch circle

- Measure the angle between (1) and (2) with smart dimension, you will get 0.850

6(b).Draw the symmetrical line of the tooth

- Draw a line at an angle of half the tooth angle to the line drawn in the previous slide {6(a)}
- The total angle of this line from the reference line = half of tooth angle (4.50) + 0.850= 5.350
- This line is the symmetry of the gear tooth

reference line

Half of the
tooth angle

7. Trim + Mirror
- Trim the involute profile beyond the addendum circle
Trim entities 1 --- > Power trim or Trim to closest --- > select involute 2
- Create the mirror image of the left involute about the symmetry line
Mirror entities 3 --- > select the right involute 4 as entity to be mirrored
and the symmetry line 5 as mirror line when using mirror tool

2
4

1
3
5

The left involute will be created

8(a). Convert to construction line

- Convert all the circles to construction line except the root circle
- Click each circles ----- > edit ----- > check construction (option)
- The reason is that we will not extrude the circles

Construction line

8(b) Finish one tooth

- Draw a line

between the top end of involutes assuming the tooth is straight

- Draw radial lines

from the end of involutes to the origin ( the tooth below the base is straight)

- Construct a Sketch fillet

to radial line and root circle

Sketch fillet ---- > Select the entities and the desired radius

R= 0.5
3
3

8(b). Zoomed tooth

- Prepare 7 sketch entities to be patterned along in circular pattern

Line 2

Spline1
Spline2

Line 1
Line 3
fillet2

fillet1

9(a). Create all the teeth

-Create circular pattern about the origin
Click Circular Sketch pattern--- >select pattering point 2a and click the origin
1
3
------ > the number of pattern , 20
------ > select entities ( all parts of the tooth) 4

- Select the check mark to finish

2b

5
2a

3
1
2b
4

All selected
entities
appear here

origin

9(b). All gear teeth sketch done

- Make sure the sketch is closed
- zoom the sketch and check joints

9(c) Extrude command

-A preview of the extrusion will appear if the sketch is closed
- Provide the face width of the gear ( extrusion depth)

Finished gear model

- Select the curve1 and suppress it to remove it from the view