The core working principles of hard-tooth surface reducers and soft-tooth surface reducers are exactly the same. They both rely on gear meshing to reduce speed and increase torque. The only difference is only in the hardness of the gear tooth surface (different processing techniques), which does not change the nature of the transmission. Let’s explain the core logic and subtle connections in points:
1. Core working principle (the two are completely the same, without any difference)
Regardless of hard tooth surface or soft tooth surface, they are essentially gear transmission reducers, following the same core principle:
① Deceleration logic: Utilize the meshing transmission of large and small gears, the small gear drives the large gear, and reduces the output speed through the gear ratio. The larger the gear ratio, the higher the reduction ratio, and the lower the output speed;
② Torque increase logic: Under the premise of energy conservation, while the speed is reduced, the output torque is increased proportionally (deducting transmission losses) to meet the transmission requirements of low-speed and heavy-load equipment;
③ Transmission form: The mainstream are helical gears, cylindrical gears, and bevel gears. The transmission paths and power transmission methods are exactly the same. For example, horizontal reducers use motors to drive input gears, and then output power from the output shaft after multi-stage gear meshing.
2. The only difference: tooth surface hardness (different processing technology), does not change the working principle
The difference between the two is only in the heat treatment process of the gears, which results in different hardness of the tooth surface. It does not affect the transmission principle, but only affects the transmission performance and life:
① Soft tooth surface reducer: The gear blank has been quenched and tempered (high temperature tempering after quenching), the hardness is ≤350HBW, the tooth surface is soft, the processing is simple, the tooth surface contact has slight elastic deformation during meshing, the transmission noise is slightly low, but it is easy to wear;
② Hard tooth surface reducer: The gear blank is rough machined first, and then undergoes strengthening treatments such as quenching, carburizing quenching, and nitriding. The hardness reaches 45~62HRC. The tooth surface is hard. The processing requires subsequent fine grinding to ensure accuracy. The deformation during meshing is minimal, the wear resistance and fatigue resistance are strong, and the transmission efficiency is slightly higher.
3. The impact of hardness differences on transmission (relevant performance, non-principle differences)
Many people mistakenly believe that the principles of the two are different. In fact, hardness brings performance differences, which is easily confused as principle differences. The core correlation points are as follows:
① Transmission efficiency: The hard tooth surface is smooth, has small deformation, low meshing loss, and the efficiency is 95%~98%; the soft tooth surface is easy to wear, and the meshing gap will gradually increase. The efficiency is 93%~96% in the early stage, and drops to below 90% after wear in the later period. The difference in efficiency is performance, not principle;
② Loading capacity: The hard tooth surface has strong resistance to pitting corrosion and wear. The load-bearing capacity is 2~3 times that of the soft tooth surface at the same size. The load-bearing capacity is the material performance, not the transmission principle;
③ Transmission stability: The hard tooth surface has high precision, stable meshing, and low vibration noise; the soft tooth surface has slightly lower precision, and is prone to abnormal meshing noise and jitter after long-term operation and wear. Stability is brought about by precision + hardness, and does not change the essence of meshing transmission.
4. Clarification of easily confused points (principle to avoid misjudgment)
① Misunderstanding 1: The hard tooth surface is a 'new type of transmission' and the principle is more advanced → Wrong, the principle is the same as the soft tooth surface, but the gear processing technology is upgraded;
② Misunderstanding 2: The hard tooth surface can adapt to high speed and heavy load. The principle is different → it is wrong. It is the hardness and precision that support the adaptation to harsh working conditions. The logic of deceleration and torque increase of the transmission has not changed;
③ Misunderstanding 3: The meshing gap of soft tooth surface is large, the principle is different → wrong, the gap is a later change caused by wear, and the initial meshing logic is exactly the same as that of hard tooth surface.
