Home
Back
Gear Ratio Formula:
| From: | To: |
Gear ratio (GR) is a mechanical measurement that defines the relationship between the rotational speeds of two or more interlocking gears. It represents how many times the input shaft must rotate to make the output shaft complete one full rotation.
The calculator uses the gear ratio formula:
Where:
Explanation: The gear ratio is calculated by dividing the input RPM by the output RPM. A ratio greater than 1 indicates speed reduction, while a ratio less than 1 indicates speed increase.
Details: Accurate gear ratio calculation is crucial for mechanical design, automotive engineering, industrial machinery, and any application involving gear systems. It helps determine torque multiplication, speed conversion, and overall system efficiency.
Tips: Enter both input and output RPM values. Both values must be positive numbers greater than zero. The calculator will compute the gear ratio as a unitless value.
Q1: What does a gear ratio of 3:1 mean?
A: A 3:1 gear ratio means the input shaft rotates 3 times for every 1 rotation of the output shaft, providing torque multiplication and speed reduction.
Q2: Can gear ratio be less than 1?
A: Yes, a gear ratio less than 1 indicates an overdrive situation where the output shaft rotates faster than the input shaft, sacrificing torque for increased speed.
Q3: How is gear ratio related to torque?
A: Gear ratio is inversely proportional to speed but directly proportional to torque. Higher gear ratios provide more torque but lower output speed.
Q4: What are typical gear ratio values?
A: Gear ratios vary widely depending on application. Automotive transmissions might have ratios from 0.5:1 to 4:1, while industrial gearboxes can have ratios up to 100:1 or more.
Q5: How does gear ratio affect efficiency?
A: While gear ratio itself doesn't determine efficiency, the number of gear meshes and gear quality affect overall system efficiency. More complex gear trains typically have slightly lower efficiency.