Abstract: A roll and roll-driving assembly includes an internal stationary shaft and an outer shell surrounding the internal shaft as well as a bearing structure supporting the outer shell for rotation with respect to the internal shaft. A rotary input shaft is coaxial with the stationary shaft to receive a rotary drive from an outside source. A sun gear is fixed coaxially to the rotary input shaft so as to rotate therewith, while a plurality of planetary gears which respectively have axes parallel to the axis of the input shaft and which mesh with the sun gear are uniformly distributed about the axis of the input shaft. An internal ring gear surrounds and meshes with the planetary gears while being supported exclusively thereby so that the internal ring gear can automatically center itself with respect to the plurality of planetary gears while a load is uniformly distributed along a plurality of power-transmission paths extending from the sun gear through the plurality of planetary gears to the internal ring gear.

Abstract: A play-free planetary drive includes a sun gear and an internal gear between which planetary gears revolve as they rotate. The planetary gears are slightly beveled. The sun gear and the internal gear also are beveled, so that the bevel of the sun gear and of the internal gear match that of the planetary gears. With this arrangement of the gears, the sun gear and the internal gear are urged axially against the planetary gears, meshing into them until play has been eliminated. The internal gear is non-rotatably mounted to the housing, but is permitted to shift slightly radially to accommodate radial run-out of the planetary gears. Likewise, the sun gear is permitted to shift slightly radially to accommodate radial run-out of the planetary gears. The radial accommodation thus provided achieves a degree of load equalization among the planetary gears.

Abstract: An epicyclic gear train comprises support spindles for the planet or star wheels cantilevered from a single support flange. The cross sections of the spindles vary with distance from the support plate so that under tangential loading the bearing surfaces of the spindles will assume a position essentially parallel to the axis of the gear train.

Abstract: An improved change gear system having a plurality of spaced countershafts having parallel axes and means supporting the countershafts in a casing for rotation. Countershaft gears are provided on the countershafts and are concentric and rotatable therewith. A rotatable main shaft is provided which is arranged substantially parallel with the countershafts and is preferably located between a pair of the countershafts. Means are provided for pivotally supporting one end of the main shaft in addition to means for guiding the other end thereof in a free floating relation relative to the one end for movement in at least a direction transverse of a plane through the axes of two of the countershafts. A plurality of axially constrained thrust rings are fixed to the main shaft for rotation therewith and cooperate with a fixed thrust plate for transferring thrust loads on the main shaft to the casing. Clutching means are provided for effecting a driving connection between the countershafts and the main shaft.

Abstract: A method of assembling a gear train including at least two shafts each journaled in at least one gear and bearing, in a support assembly, comprising forming openings in the support assembly having cross sectional areas greater than the cross sectional areas of the bearings, positoning the bearings in the openings, meshing the gears to provide a desired clearance and alignment of the shafts, inserting a moldable, hardenable material in the openings between the support assembly and the bearings and then hardening the material to fix the position of the bearings and, correspondingly, assure the desired clearance of the gears and alignment of the shafts without requiring accurate machining of the openings in the support assembly.

Abstract: A planetary gear type transmission designed to equalize the load on a plurality of planet gears meshed with a sun gear. The planetary gear type transmission includes an intermediate ring or annulus which is disposed between an outer ring gear in mesh with the planet gears and a low speed shaft or casing connected to the ring gear. Furthermore, the annulus is coupled to the ring gear and the low speed shaft or casing by means of flexible couplings, each of which comprises a plurality of flat springs.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for gear tooth alignment by strain in order to minimize unbalanced loading of the gear teeth of a two stage parallel or branched gear system. Two hardened and separately ground gears are fitted with an easy fit between the shaft of one gear and the bore of the other and welded to make a compact cluster. The welded area develops a weakness resulting from being annealed due to heating in the welded zone. After assembling, the output shaft is locked to the gear train structure, the input gear is loaded slightly greater than the designed maximum load, causing the stress to exceed the yield point at the annealed welded area. A permanent deformation of all gears results with work hardening of the welded area during one cycle and a desired permanent repositioning of the teeth occurs resulting in reorientation of the gear teeth of the gears in mesh in the cluster.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for gear tooth alignment by accommodation in more than one stage gear cluster assembly. This arrangement essentially isolates the mass of one gear member in a cluster assembly from that of the other and makes the effective mass at the gear mesh to be equal to or less than that of a gear on either end of the gear shaft with respect to its connected masses. This permits a design for extremely high power ratio for a gear train by isolating inertias of the elements and reducing dynamic loads and forming a torsionally soft shaft to allow alignment of the gear teeth by accommodation by allowing the unbalanced load in between the gears to enable the gears to mesh together.

Abstract: Power transmission gearing has two countershafts both of which are mounted with virtually no capability of axial movement and drivably connected to a common driving shaft and a common driven shaft by gearing. The gearing which connects the countershafts to the driven shaft conprises a single helical gear of one hand on one of the countershafts, a single helical gear of the other hand on the other of the countershafts, and a double-helical gear assembly on the driven shaft, one toothed zone of the doublehelical gear assembly meshing with one of the single helical gears and the other toothed zone of said assembly meshing with the other of said gears. The double-helical gear assembly is capable of axial movement on the driven shaft to equalize the torque transmitted by each countershaft.

Abstract: A rotary assembly which has an inner shaft and an outer hollow cylinder coaxially surrounding and freely rotatable with respect to the inner shaft. A drive shaft is coaxial with the inner shaft and is freely rotatable with respect thereto, this drive shaft carrying an inner gear which rotates with the drive shaft. An intermediate gear meshes with the inner gear, and this intermediate gear is mounted directly on the inner shaft for free rotation with respect thereto. A circumferential gear transmission which is coaxial with the inner shaft and the outer cylinder meshes with the intermediate gear and is operatively connected with the cylinder to transmit rotation thereto from the intermediate gear which is driven by way of the inner gear from the rotary drive shaft.

Abstract: A multiple power path concentric speed reducer in which a center shaft having a pinion thereon and an axle having an externally toothed gear thereon are disposed coaxially with respect to one another, and a plurality of gear trains operatively connect the pinion with the gear to provide multiple power path between the pinion and gear. The power or load is distributed equally between the several gear trains, and the center shaft may be the power input member, a housing the power output member and the axle the reaction member; or the center shaft may be the power input member, the axle the power output member, and the housing the reaction member. The concentric speed reducer is particularly adapted for use in vehicle wheel drives, especially in off-the-highway heavy duty equipment, wherein the speed reducer for each wheel is driven by a separate motor, such as a DC motor, mounted in or on the axle of the respective wheel.

Abstract: An improved mechanism is provided for biasing a driven gear in a gear train of the variable center distance type in which the driven gear is meshed with a drive gear and rotates about an axis which is not fixed, at least radially, relative to the axis of the drive gear. The biasing mechanism includes spring means engaged with the driven gear for biasing the same substantially radially toward the driven gear into mesh therewith at a force which provides appropriate relatively low-level engagement forces between the meshed gear teeth. A stop is provided for limiting deflection of the spring means in a direction corresponding to unmeshing of the drive and driven gears. The stop is positioned to limit such deflection of the spring means to an amount less than the deflection required for unmeshing of the gears.

Abstract: The present invention applies to large and powerful geared mixer drives and aerators and broadly to geared reduction drives with a plurality of reducing steps, where the axis of an electric motor is offset from the axis of the power consumer and disposed at right angles to said axis. The drive of a single motor is split up into two channels that apply power to a common final drive gear in two diametrically opposite places. Means are provided to equalize the loads in both places, at all loads. Thus a turning moment is exerted rather than a one-sided driving load. It balances the turning moment of the power consumer directly and with least deflections. It also drastically reduces the size and weight of the drive.

Abstract: A compound pinion for an epicyclic gearbox has a tubular shaft, two pinion portions freely rotatable on this shaft and a torsion bar interconnecting the pinion portions. In the gearbox the torsion bars of the several pinions can "wind up" to ensure that the load is evenly shared by the pinions.

Abstract: Improved mainshaft gear retainer means for a twin countershaft transmission having floating mainshaft gears positioned close together in groups of two and clutchable to a mainshaft one at a time by positive clutches which each have splines mateable with splines defined by each gear. The improved mainshaft gear retainer means prevents axial movement of two closely positioned gears and includes a snap ring axially interconnecting the gears, a thrust ring interposed between the axially interconnected gears, and a snap ring carried by each axially interconnected gear.

Abstract: An impact absorbing device for protecting a rotatable member of a motor powered machine tool feed mechanism from excessive impact and overload is disclosed. The device includes structure forming a flanged piston concentrically mounted with respect to the rotatable member and axially slidable within a housing in response to axial displacement of the rotatable member, (which is undesirable and thrust and radial bearing structure in which the rotatable member is journaled for rotative displacement. The housing and the flanged piston combine to define a pressure chamber whose volume varies as a function of the axial position of the piston. The pressure chamber is connected to a source of fluid under pressure, to cause the piston to yieldingly resist axial displacement of the rotatable member with respect to the housing.

Abstract: In a beam-backed cluster-type strip mill each roll is driven separately from a vertical motor placed on top of the housing through a floating right-angle gearbox. The gearbox is keyed onto one end of each roll and is so suspended that only pure torque is transmitted to the roll and the reactions as well as the weight of the box are absorbed by the suspension means.Roll oscillating mechanism, forcing the rolls to travel axially back and forth far enough to efface marks left by the backing casters, is incorporated in the gearbox.This drive possesses substantial advantages over conventional drives, which make the mill more accessible, and save space. Moreover it makes possible various roll configurations by adding supplementary rolls to the cluster pattern thereby increasing the range and scope of the mill.

Abstract: A flexible, cantilevered, gear wheel support, comprising a flexible pin mounted at one end in a rotating carrier and carrying at the other end a gear wheel the axis of which, when the pin flexes, remains parallel to the position of this axis in the pin unflexed condition; the pin between its mounting on the carrier and its part that carries the gear wheel presenting a greater resistance to bending in planes radial of the rotational path of the carrier than it presents to bending in planes tangential to this path.

Abstract: A cable car winch comprising a housing, a pulley, a main gear, a pinion and a primary gear reduction unit including a pinion for driving the main gear. The winch is characterized by the fact that a hub turns around a spindle which is rigidly affixed to the housing, and that the main gear is attached to the hub. The pinion and the primary reducer form a self-aligning block with relation to the main gear and are linked to the housing by means of connecting links and articulated swing bars.

Abstract: A torque multiplier tool engageable between a torque wrench and a piece of work, said tool comprising a body with an elongate support engaging reaction arm to stop rotating of the body, a wrench engaging input shaft rotatably carried by the body, a work engaging output shaft rotatably carried by the body spaced from and parallel with the input shaft, an input pinion on the input shaft, an output gear on the output shaft, a pair of idler units including idler shafts rotatably carried by the body and carrying driven gears and drive pinions engaged with the input pinions and the output gear at circumferentially spaced points between which a number of whole teeth and one-half of one tooth of said input pinion and of said output gear occur, whereby driving engagement through the tool is established by four engaged driving teeth three-fourths of the time and by three engaged driving teeth one-fourth of the time.

Abstract: A torque absorbing carrier for the pinions in an epicyclic gear train which comprises a pair of flanges between which the pinions are mounted to mesh with the sun wheel and the internal gear ring.When the pinions function as planetary gear wheels, one of the flanges operates to transmit the torque moment and is connected to a drive shaft; when the pinions function as star gear wheels, the other flange operates to transmit the torque moment and is firmly anchored in the gear housing. The pinions are pivoted on shaft pins which are resiliently mounted in the torque transmitting flange and fixedly mounted in the other flange to prevent angular motion of the pinions and to maintain the parallel axial alignment between the pinion shafts, the sun wheel shaft and the internal gear ring.

Abstract: A flexible, cantilevered, gear wheel support, comprising a flexible spindle united at one end with a carrier and at the other end with a gear wheel support sleeve by means of welds effected by electron beam welding.

Abstract: A shaft carrying a cutter head is bolted to the output shaft of a speed reducer gear in coaxial configuration and having a casing journalled on the shaft. The casing carries plural drive motors and the gear has a combining stage as input. The shafts are mounted in thrust and pendulum bearings in a frame and the casing is held against rotation on that frame. The output stage of the gear is a planetary gear with a spider from which extends the output shaft and a hollow shaft and in opposite directions. The casing is journalled on the shaft by bearings engaging the hollow shaft and the output shaft at opposite sides of the spider.

Abstract: A rotational drive assembly including a pair of pinion gears journalled on idler shafts disposed laterally on either side of a drive shaft and meshing with the teeth of a drive gear and a ring gear. The drive shaft is universally journalled for rotation and for permitting a limited range of movement of the drive gear toward and away from the ring gear to substantially equalize tooth contact between the drive gear and each of the pinion gears as the drive shaft is rotated. A slotted bearing may be provided to preclude excess lateral movement of the drive shaft.

Abstract: A gear wheel support of composite construction and comprising a gear wheel support sleeve with an internal abutment pillar secured in abutting relationship with an abutment pillar protruding from a face of a carrier, these pillars together comprising a flexible spindle co-axial with the sleeve with an annular clearance between this spindle and the sleeve.

Abstract: An improved planetary gear drive, employing multiple countershafts to reduce the loads carried by the individual components, is disclosed wherein at least one helical gear set having sets of oppositely inclined oblique teeth is mounted for axial movement on a common shaft to transmit power from a drive component to a power component. A compression spring, disposed contiguous with one face of the helical gear set, cooperates with the oppositely inclined teeth of the helical gear set to resiliently move the helical gear set axially along its shaft to equalize the axial force components on its oppositely skewed sets of teeth. The invention may be embodied at any one of several different points in the gear train.