Geometrical and kinematic analysis of power transmission system between non-parallel shafts

Abstract

A working prototype of a non-parallel shaft drive system inspired by the Ceramic Speed Driven system was developed. It consists of a driving wheel with bearings arranged coplanar to its outer diameter, which transmits power to a driven wheel with its axle positioned at 90 degrees to the driving axle. A graphical method obtained the tooth geometry on the driven wheel. Subsequently, a kinematic analysis was performed, and it was found that the system behaves like a chain drive system, where the speed of the output shaft is not constant due to the polygonal effect. The driving and driven wheels were manufactured in resin by additive manufacturing and adapted to a workbench for mechanical testing. By measuring torque using a Prony brake, efficiency comparisons were made between the fabricated system and the spur and chain bevel gear drive systems. The proposed system was found to have similar efficiency to spur bevel gear drives and superior to chain drives.