The primary advantage of worm gears is their capability to provide high reduction ratios and correspondingly high torque multiplication. They can also be utilized as speed reducers in low- to medium-speed applications. And, because their lowering ratio is based on the number of gear teeth by itself, they are more compact than other styles of gears. Like fine-pitch business lead screws, worm gears are usually self-locking, making them ideal for hoisting and lifting applications.

Although the sliding contact minimizes efficiency, it provides extremely quiet operation. (The usage of dissimilar metals for the worm and gear also plays a part in quiet procedure.) This makes worm gears well suited for use where noise should be minimized, such as for example in elevators. Furthermore, the use of a softer material for the apparatus means that it can absorb shock loads, like those experienced in serious equipment or crushing devices.

The meshing of the worm and the gear is an assortment of sliding and rolling actions, but sliding contact dominates at high reduction ratios. This sliding action causes friction and heat, which limits the performance of worm gears to 30 to 50 percent. So that you can minimize friction (and for that reason, warmth), the worm and gear are made of dissimilar metals – for instance, the worm may be made of hardened steel and the gear manufactured from bronze or aluminum.

Such as a ball screw, the worm in a worm gear may have an individual start or multiple starts – meaning that there are multiple threads, or helicies, on the worm. For a single-start worm, each full convert (360 degrees) of the worm increases the equipment by one tooth. Therefore a gear with 24 teeth will provide a gear reduction of 24:1. For a multi-commence worm, the gear reduction equals the amount of teeth on the apparatus, divided by the number of starts on the worm. (That is different from almost every other types of gears, where in fact the gear reduction is certainly a function of the diameters of both components.)

The possibilities are countless with Worm Gear Shaft!