Depending on the shape of the gears and the type of toothing, gears can be classified as spur gears, bevel gears and worms or worm gears.
The figure below shows a selection of different gear types as they are used in mechanical engineering. A rough classification can be made as follows:
- Cylindrical gears
- Bevel gears
- Worm and worm gears
The most common type of gears used in mechanical engineering are cylindrical gears; they can be produced very economically. In this type, the teeth are arranged on the circumference of a cylindrical disc (called pitch cylinder).
Cylindrical gears can only mesh with each other with their respective circumferences. For this reason, the rotary axes of the different gear shafts are always parallel to each other.
With cylindrical gears, the teeth are arranged on the circumference of a (pitch) cylinder! The gear axes always run parallel to each other.