Imagine you've got a gear train consisting of a large cogwheel on the same axle as a small cogwheel with, say a quarter as many teeth. A large cogwheel drives a small one and its adjacent large cogwheel drives the next small cogwheel, and this arrangement is repeated several times to give a high gear ratio. Each stage increases the ratio by a factor of 4. With the best materials, bearings and lubrication, what's the highest ratio you could achieve in practice?
2006-10-15 14:47:47 · 3 answers · asked by zee_prime 6 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
Think of a weight-driven grandfather clock that runs for eight days. The weight on its single pulley drops about three feet, so six feet of wire rotate the (say) two-inch diameter drum about 12 times in eight days. In the same time, the seconds hand makes 60 * 24 * 8 = 11520 revolutions, so clocks like this were achieving a ratio of near enough 1000 to 1 with the technology of 300 years ago. Surely modern techniques could add another factor of 100 or even 1000.
2006-10-16 06:35:13 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Infinite(assuming perfect construction). That is, until the speed is too great for either for the lubricant or the gear ridges.
So, uh-
I don't know. But keep in mind that the more gears the more energy wasteage due to friction. Heat, clanking etc.
2006-10-15 22:39:35 · answer #2 · answered by lewa 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no. of stages*4
2006-10-16 00:59:15 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋