Figure #1 contains a visual representation of the terms related to 

spur gears and to the tooth root

stress calculation.

#1 - Detail of a spur gear

In figure #2 there is the schema used to generate the involute profile of the tooth of the gear.

#2 - Involute schema to create the gear

Figure #3 represents the rack cutter used to generate the gear, as defined in ISO 53:1998.

#3 - Rack tooth profile

In the following table there are a numerical example and some basic formulas related to standard
spur gears valid if R/m = 0 and x/m = 0.

Element Formula Example

z
number of teeth z 30

m
module m 5 mm

α
pressure angle α 20°

x/m
rack shift coefficient 0
x/m

coefficient of fillet radius R/m

0
of the rack cutter R/m
 C
static nominal torque C 250 Nm

b
face width b 10 mm

d
l0 = ⋅ sin 2 (α)
2 8.77 mm
l0=d2⋅sin2(α)

y 2.5
= − sin 2 (α)
d/2 z -0.0336
yd/2=2.5z−sin2(α)

l = l0 + y
6.25 mm
l=l0+y

p=m⋅π
pitch p=m⋅π 15.71 mm

d=m⋅z
reference diameter d=m⋅z 150 mm

d b = d ⋅ cos(α)
base diameter 140.95 mm
db=d⋅cos(α)

−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−− 2
2 l
involute tooth limit d lim = 2 ⋅ √ (r − l) + ( )
tan(α) 141.72 mm
diameter
dlim=2⋅(r−l)2+(ltan(α))2

df = d − 2 ⋅ l
root diameter 137.5 mm
df=d−2⋅l

dt = d + 2 ⋅ m
addendum diameter dt=d+2⋅m
160 mm
 ta = m
tooth addendum ta=m
5 mm

t f = 1.25 ⋅ m
tooth dedendum 6.25 mm
tf=1.25⋅m

m⋅π
circular reference tooth s=
2 7.85 mm
thickness s=m⋅π2

2
z min = 1.25 ⋅
sin 2 (α) 22
zmin=1.25⋅2sin2(α)

h a = 1.25 ⋅ m
rack addendum ha=1.25⋅m
6.25 mm

h f = 1.25 ⋅ m
rack dedendum 6.25 mm
hf=1.25⋅m

C
nominal load, normal to F bn =
d/2 ⋅ cos(α) 3547.26 N
the line of contact
Fbn=Cd/2⋅cos(α)

α1
α1 26.92°

nominal transverse load F bt = F bn ⋅ cos(α 1 )

3162.85 N
in plane of action Fbt=Fbn⋅cos(α1)

tooth root chord at the s Fn

sFn 9.74 mm
critical section

bending moment arm

relevant to load h Fe
hFe
9.4 mm
application at the tooth
tip
 s Fn 2
tooth form factor - Lewis YL =
6 ⋅ h Fe ⋅ m 0.3361
method
YL=sFn26⋅hFe⋅m

F bt
tooth root bending σf =
YL ⋅ b ⋅ m 188.21 N/mm2
stress at point T
σf=FbtYL⋅b⋅m

Gear ratio

The gear ratio τ τ of a gear train is the ratio of the angular velocity of the input gear to the angular
velocity of the output gear:

ω1 d2 z2
τ= = =
ω2 d1 z1
τ=ω1ω2=d2d1=z2z1

where

ω1 ω1 is the angular velocity of the input gear e ω2 ω2 is the angular velocity of the output gear;
d 1 d1 is the reference diameter of the input gear e d 2 d2 is the reference diameter of the output
gear;
z 1 z1 is the number of teeth of the input gear e z 2 z2 is the number of teeth of the output gear.

Center distance

For a pinion and a wheel without correction (x/m = 0) or in case of complementary correction (e.g.
the pinion with a positive correction x/m = +0.5 and the wheel with a negative correction x/m =
-0.5), the center distance i i is calculated with the formula:

d1 d2 m ⋅ (z 1 + z 2 )
i= + =
2 2 2
i=d12+d22=m⋅(z1+z2)2

In case x 1 + x 2 ≠ 0 x1+x2≠0, the center distance i ′ i′ is different from i i and may be calculated
solving the following formulas:

2 ⋅ (x 1 + x 2 ) ⋅ tan(α)
inv(α ′ ) = + inv(α)
m ⋅ (z 1 + z 2 )
inv(α′)=2⋅(x1+x2)⋅tan(α)m⋅(z1+z2)+inv(α)

cos(α)
i′ = i ⋅
cos(α ′ )
i′=i⋅cos(α)cos(α′)

where α ′ α′ is the working pressure angle, different from the pressure angle α α of the rack cutter.
Clearance

The pinion-wheel clearance cc depends from the value of (x 1 + x 2 ) (x1+x2) and may be

calculated with the formula

x1 + x2 z1 + z2 cos(α)
c = m ⋅ [0.25 − + ⋅( − 1)]
m 2 cos(α ′ )
c=m⋅[0.25−x1+x2m+z1+z22⋅(cos(α)cos(α′)−1)]

For gears with x 1 + x 2 = 0 x1+x2=0, the clearance is equal to 0.25m (type A basic rack tooth
profile - ISO 53:1998).