The figure below of a simple epicyclic gear set has a sun gear with 23 teeth and a ring gear

with 77 teeth.

a) How many teeth have the planets?

b) Suppose the arm A is held stationary while the sun is being rotated at 1000rpm. Find the
speed and direction of the ring gear, the kinematic coefficient and the gear ratio.

c) Repeat the above with the sun gear, S, held stationary while the arm, A, is being rotated
at 1500rpm. Find the speed and direction of the ring gear, the kinematic coefficient and the
gear ratio.

d) Apply both inputs simultaneously and find the speed and direction of the output shaft.
Comment on the result.

e) Is it possible to speak of gear ratios when more than one input is present?

f) Repeat with zR=89 and zP=23.

 Basic relationship:

NS NA zR
NR NA zS

The tooth numbers are: zS := 23 zR := 77

a) How many teeth have the planets?

Geometry
rR 2 rP + rS
zR zS
ie zR 2 zP + zS therefore: zP :=
2

zP = 27

b) Suppose the arm A is held stationary while the sun is being rotated at 1000rpm. Find the speed and
direction of the ring gear, the kinematic coefficient and the gear ratio..

NS NA zR
with NA=0 becomes
NR NA zS

NS := 1000 rpm

NS
NRb := NRb = 298.701 rpm
Therefore: zR
zS
 This ratio, Last/First, is called the kinematic coefficient of the gear train.
It is the transfer operator (output/input) of the train. It earns its own symbol, or kc.

L NR
kc and in this case kc
F NS

N Rb
kc := kc = 0.299
NS

The gear ratio is the reciprocal:

1
:= = 3.348
kc

ie the input is x3 faster than the output ie there is a speed reduction by a factor of three.

c) Repeat the above with the sun gear, S, held stationary while the arm, A, is being rotated at
1500rpm. Find the speed and direction of the ring gear, the kinematic coefficient and the gear ratio..

NS NA zR
with NS=0 becomes
NR NA zS

N A zR
NA := 1500 rpm
NR NA zS

zR
Therefore:
N A
zS
( NR NA)

and zR zR
N NA + 1
zS R zS

zS 3
NRc := N A 1 + NRc = 1.948 10 rpm
zR
 This ratio, Last/First, is called the kinematic coefficient of the gear train.
It is the transfer operator (output/input) of the train. It earns its own symbol, or kc.

L NR
kc and in this case kc
F NA

NRc
kc := kc = 1.299
NA

The gear ratio is the reciprocal:

1
:=
kc = 0.77

ie the arm is moving at 77% of the output (Ring) speed.

d) Apply both inputs simultaneously and find the speed and direction of the output shaft. Comment on the
result.

NS NA zR
with NS=0 becomes
NR NA zS

zR
Therefore:
NS NA
zS
( NR NA)

and zR zR
N R NA + 1 NS
zS zS

zS zS 3
NR := NA 1 + N NR = 1.649 10 rpm
zR zR S

3
NRb + N Rc = 1.649 10 rpm
 ie the output due to both inputs acting simultaneously is equal to the sum of the outputs due to the
inputs acting separately - superposition works for linear systems of all sorts - but only LINEAR
systems..

e) Is it possible to speak of gear ratios when more than one input is present?---

zS zS
NR := NA 1 + N
zR zR S

The output is no longer a simple multiple of the input. However, we could change how we express
this equation thus:

zS zS NA

NR 1 +
zR zR N
S

We could write this:

out c in Where Kc is a matrix of kinematic coeficients.

f) Repeat with zR=89 and zP=23.

zS = 43

NRb = 483.146 rpm kc = 0.483 = 2.07

3 kc = 1.483 = 0.674
NRc = 2.225 10 rpm
3 3
NR = 1.742 10 rpm NRb + N Rc = 1.742 10 rpm