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Mechanical Engineering vocabulary · Machine Elements

Gear

Meaning in mechanical engineering, with examples

/ɡɪr/nounCore term

In mechanical engineering, gear means: A toothed wheel that meshes with another toothed wheel to transmit rotation and torque, often changing speed or direction at the same time.

In Turkish: dişli, dişli çark

How it is used

Used in machine design, gearboxes and maintenance. Gears mesh with each other; engineers talk about the gear ratio, the module, backlash and tooth wear. The main types are spur, helical, bevel and worm gears.

Example sentences

  1. The small gear has 18 teeth and the large one has 54, so the gear ratio is 3:1.

  2. Helical gears run more quietly than spur gears at high speed.

Common collocations

  • gear ratio
  • spur gear
  • helical gear
  • gear teeth
  • mesh with
  • gearboxA closed unit of gears, shafts and bearings in a housing that changes the speed and torque between a motor and the machine it drives.
  • shaftA long, round rotating part that carries gears, pulleys or wheels and transmits power and torque from one component to another.
  • torqueA turning force that makes something rotate around an axis, such as a shaft or a bolt. It equals force times distance and is measured in newton meters (N·m).
  • lubricationPutting oil or grease between moving surfaces, for example in bearings, gears and chains, to reduce friction, wear and heat.
  • wearThe gradual loss of material from a surface caused by friction, rubbing or hard particles during use, for example on bearings, gears, seals and cutting tools.

More terms: Machine Elements

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