Spline Gears

Spline Gears

Spline gears contain a series of ridges on a driveshaft that transfer torque. In a spline gear, a male spline attached to a shaft meshes with a female spline, equalizing the rotational speed. Spline gears can be nonhelical, involute, or straight-sided and are used to transfer rotational motion over a variety of distances.

When searching for spline gears, the specifications that should be considered are: number of teeth, pitch diameter, face width, distance to be traveled, and length. The pitch of spline gears is determined by the number of teeth and the preferred pitch diameter. Another important factor to consider is the material(s) of construction, as there are a variety of materials and different properties that go along with each possibility. Factors that contribute to optimal performance of a material used to make a spline gear are its design life, power transmission requirements, noise, heat generation, and presence of corrosive elements.

Spline gears come in different forms, such as: aluminum industrial gears, brass industrial gears, bronze industrial gears, cast iron industrial gears, steel industrial gears, hardened steel industrial gears, stainless steel industrial gears, plastic industrial gears, acetal industrial gears, Delrin industrial gears, nylon industrial gears, and polycarbonate industrial gears. Spline gears may also be made with a combination of metal and plastic with the teeth being plastic and the inserts being metal. Spline gears have many uses, primarily in the automotive industry.