NOMOGRAPHS FOR ANALYSIS OF POWER CIRCULATION THROUGH CLOSED EPICYCLIC GEAR TRAINS

The well established nomograph theory is used to represent gear mechanisms and then to detectthe power flow directions. The main advantage of nomographs is its simplicity. In this work,nomograhs are extended to solve problems of ordinary gear trains. A novel feature of the suggested approach for constructing multi-axis nomograph is the ability to solve problems of mixed gear trains in which ordinary and epicyclic gear trains are connected. From a single nomograph of a closed epicyclic gear mechanism, velocity, torque and power flow directions can be detected simply and directly without specifying the exact size of each gear. A simple algorithm is proposed to estimate if power circulation exists. Nomographs are also utilized as a design tool, allowing the designer to quickly modify the system to obtain desired results.