The purpose of this guide is to enable the user to determine the attributes required of a gearbox to meet a specific power transmission need and then to select an appropriate gearbox from those offered by manufacturers. It has been compiled as part of a series which covers typical elements of a system. It is not concerned with the detailed design of a gearbox which will be covered in other guides in this series. Before embarking on the selection procedure it is necessary to ensure that the need for a gearbox, has been carefully considered. The guides at higher levels in the Mechanical Power Transmission Series provide assistance in this process. The successful selection of a suitable gearbox is the result of matching the requirements of the power transmission system with one of the range of boxes offered by the manufacturers. Thus information about the system and information about available hardware is necessary.

The guide looks at the selection procedure, types of gearbox and their characteristics, general characteristics, factors affecting gearbox selection, and manufacturers.

[Description and screenshot taken from the SEED Curriculum for Engineering Design page for this guide. (c) The Design Society used under the terms of their (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0) license.]

This guide gives an insight into the types, terminology used, selection procedure and uses of standard chain drives. The most common applications for chains drives are discussed and a simplified strategy is given to help the infrequent user select an appropriate chain system using information from a manufacturer’s catalogue. Chain drives are an important and widely used type of mechanical element. They have two major uses, that is, for power transmissions and for materials handling purposes on conveyors. In addition, specific types of chain are used for supporting loads and for lifting purposes. As a transmission, chain drives can operate efficiently at high loads and they may be used where precise speed ratios are required. Selecting the best type of transmission drive will depend on the specific requirements of the application. Certainly, chain drives are widely used throughout mechanical engineering and, therefore, deserve to be very seriously considered at the preliminary stages of design.

This guide includes the sections: Preliminary Selection, Types of Chain, Factors Affecting Roller Chain Selection, Lubrication of Chains, Roller Chain Terminology, Standard Sizes, Chain Power Ratings, Chain Nomenclature, Roller Chain Selection Example,  and Chain Costs. Other information includes suggested further reading and details of leading chain manufacturers.

[Description and screenshot taken from the SEED Curriculum for Engineering Design page for this guide. (c) The Design Society used under the terms of their (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0) license.]

You can use this guide to determine the attributes required of a belt drive to meet a specific power transmission need and then to select a drive from those offered by manufacturers. The successful selection of a suitable belt drive is the result of matching the requirements of the power transmission system with one of the range of belt systems offered by the manufacturers. Thus, information about both the system and the hardware available is necessary, and the selection process entails six consecutive stages:

1. Gathering information about the system
2. Deciding on influential factors
3. Establishing limits of acceptability for factors
4. Collating information from manufacturers
5. Selecting a suitable element
6. Seeking follow-up advice

The guide also has information on how to specify the environment and operating conditions and the performance of the belt drive, how to select the belt drive required, and how to install the belt drive. Other information includes details of belt drive types currently available, power ranges, belt drive manufacturers, and suggested further reading.

Reference should be made at every stage to the Product Design Specification (PDS) for the system (all the relevant factors should be described in a well written PDS). Note that, before embarking on the selection process, you should ensure that the need for a belt drive, as distinct from other forms of drive, has been carefully considered. The Guides at higher levels in the Mechanical Power Transmission Series provide assistance in this process.

[Description and screenshot taken from the SEED Curriculum for Engineering Design page for this guide. (c) The Design Society used under the terms of their (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0) license.]

You can use this guide to select standard gears from catalogues. If you are unfamiliar with standard gears first review the sections on standard gears and gear terminology. Gears can either be obtained as standard components from a manufacturer’s catalogue or alternatively specially designed and manufactured. Smaller sized gears, especially instrument gears, tend to be more readily available from catalogues and larger, less used gear types tend to be produced as specials; usage is claimed by leading manufacturers to be approximately equally divided. For practical reasons, gear catalogues tend to display only geometric and materials data of stock gears rather than specific operational information. This is because functional behaviour will vary with an application and so it is not feasible to give comprehensive data covering all operational conditions within a catalogue for a complete product range. The guide describes a practical approach which ensures that gears selected from a catalogue are technically suitable for a specific application. Technical considerations usually produce a number of viable alternatives so cost may well be the decisive factor influencing the final selection.

The guide details how to: establish the requirements; choose the number of teeth, type and material for the gears; calculate the pitch-line velocity and tooth bending stress; select suitable gears by considering materials and cost. Other information includes notation for calculations, a worked example, details of gear manufacturers, and a bibliography.

[Description and screenshot taken from the SEED Curriculum for Engineering Design page for this guide. (c) The Design Society used under the terms of their (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0) license.]

The purpose of this guide is to draw together the fundamental principles, which should be considered in the design of a rotary power transmission system so that it will perform effectively as an entity. If you are unfamiliar with the design of rotary power transmission systems then review the section on concepts and definitions. The selection of individual system elements e.g. motors, gearboxes etc. is presented in other Guides in this series. The four sections of this guide are: consider the load on the system, match the load to the supply, consider other characteristics of the system components, and find real system elements.

[Description and screenshot taken from the SEED Curriculum for Engineering Design page for this guide. (c) The Design Society used under the terms of their (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0) license.]

This course is a first subject in engineering design. A major element of the course is design of a robot to participate in a challenge that changes from year to year. This year, the theme is cleaning up the planet as inspired by the movie Wall-E.

From its beginnings in 1970, the 2.007 final project competition has grown into an Olympics of engineering. See this MIT News story for more background, a photo gallery, and videos about this course.

After taking this course students should be able to: generate, analyze, and refine the design of electro-mechanical devices making use of physics and mathematics; describe and list uses in mechanical systems of common machine elements including fasteners, joints, springs, bearings, gearing, clutches, couplings, belts, chains, and shafts; apply experimentation and data analytic principles relevant to mechanical design; and communicate a design and its analysis (written, oral, and graphical forms).

Special software is required to use some of the files in this course: .zip, .sldprt, .xls, .swj, .sldasm, .rpt, .xlo, .igs, .rm, .ord, and .dxf.

[Description and screenshot taken from MIT OCW page for this course. (c) MIT used under the terms of their CC-NC-SA license.]

This is an advanced course on modelling, design, integration and best practices for use of machine elements such as bearings, springs, gears, cams and mechanisms. Modelling and analysis of these elements is based upon extensive application of physics, mathematics and core mechanical engineering principles (solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, manufacturing, estimation, computer simulation, etc.). These principles are reinforced via (1) hands-on laboratory experiences wherein students conduct experiments and disassemble machines and (2) a substantial design project wherein students model, design, fabricate and characterize a mechanical system that is relevant to a real world application. Students master the materials via problems sets that are directly related to, and coordinated with, the deliverables of their project. Student assessment is based upon mastery of the course materials and the student’s ability to synthesize, model and fabricate a mechanical device subject to engineering constraints (e.g. cost and time/schedule).

[Description and screenshot taken from MIT OCW page for this course. (c) MIT used under the terms of their CC-NC-SA license.]

Lecture Archive
Microprocessors & Labs
Power Screw & Fastner
Bolt & Preload 1
Bolt & Preload 2
Fatigue Loading 1
Fatigue Loading 2
Rolling-Contact Bearings 1
Rolling-Contact Bearings 2
Gears 1
Gears 2
Gears 3
Gears 4
Gear Train 1
Gear Train 2
Gear Force
Review for Exam
Motors
Feedback Control
Electronics Components