A gear is formed when toothed pieces fit together.
Before entering fully into the meaning of the term gear that concerns us now, it is necessary to discover its etymological origin. In this case, we can establish that it derives from French, exactly from engrenage . However, this word, in turn, comes from the Latin granum , which can be translated as "grain."
The idea of gear is frequently used in the field of mechanics to refer to the consequence of meshing . This verb (gear), in turn, refers to what the toothed pieces do when they fit together .
What is a gear
A gear, therefore, is achieved when two or more elements are coupled and work together or in a coordinated manner. The concept also refers to the set of these elements and their teeth.
Gears are generally formed with two toothed wheels and are used for power transmission. The largest wheel is called the crown , while the smallest is called the pinion . The contact of both wheels allows circular movement to be transmitted from one place to another.
However, in addition to these two wheels, other elements take center stage in any gear such as the flank, the valley, the face or the crest, for example.
Various gears operate in motor vehicles.
Operation of a system with two gear wheels
Any gear composed of two wheels equipped with teeth can be established as meeting a series of requirements, such as the following:
-The movement on which it is based is circular.
-It is a really solid and resistant system.
-Manages to transmit great power.
In addition to everything indicated, it must be added that a gear can be used in very diverse sectors such as industrial, automotive, household appliances, toy...
Advantages and disadvantages of gears
No less relevant is knowing that exposed gears bring with them advantages and disadvantages. Specifically, among their most favorable aspects are that they require minimal maintenance, that they do not take up too much space, that they offer more than optimal performance and that they do not have sliding problems. And to all this we must also add that they achieve enormous power, as we have already mentioned.
However, they also have some disadvantages. Specifically, among the most significant are that they tend to be quite noisy during the transmission process and that they are quite expensive when manufacturing.
Its use in an engine
In internal combustion engines, for example, gears are used to carry motion from the power source shaft to another shaft that performs work. The wheel linked to the energy source is called the motor gear ; The wheel associated with the axle that receives the movement, for its part, is called a driven gear . The system made up of more than two wheels is known as a train .
The gearbox of a car also has several gears. This mechanism allows the wheels to rotate at different speeds, although the crankshaft always rotates at the same speed .
Gear in colloquial language
It should be noted, finally, that in colloquial language the connection or coordination of various events, thoughts or circumstances is mentioned as a gear.
"State investment is essential to get the economy moving", "There is a judicial mechanism that guarantees impunity for corrupt politicians" y «Investigators seek to dismantle the mafia mechanism» son expresiones que muestran este uso.