Book excerpt: Understanding how gears are formed and how they interact or ‘mesh’ with each other is essential when designing equipment that uses gears or gear trains. The way in which gear teeth are formed and how they mesh is determined by their geometry and kinematics, which is the topic of this book. Gears and Gear Drives provides the reader with comprehensive coverage of gears and gear drives. Spur, helical, bevel, worm and planetary gears are all covered, with consideration given to their classification, geometry, kinematics, accuracy control, load capacity and manufacturing. Cylindrical gear geometry is the basis for dealing with any gear drives, so this is covered in detail. Key features: Contains hundreds of 2D and 3D figures to illustrate all types of gears and gear drives, including planetary and worm gears Includes fundamental derivations and explanations of formulae Enables the reader to know how to carry out accuracy control and load capacity checks for any gear drive Includes directions for the practical design of gears and gear drives Covers DIN and ISO standards in the area Gears and Gear Drives is a comprehensive reference for gears and gear drive professionals and graduate students in mechanical engineering departments and covers everything important to know how to design, control and manufacture gear drives.