An electric motor with a gearbox, or, as it is also called, a gear motor, can be described as a separate unit. The joint work of the electric motor and gearbox led to the fact that this device began to be used in a large number of different areas.
general information
Of the main advantages of an electric motor with a gearbox, several of the following can be distinguished:
- This unit is quite compact, while doing a huge amount of work.
- The low physical weight of this device also increases its mobility.
- The electric motor has a fairly high efficiency.
- Installation and maintenance of this electromechanical assembly is quite simple.
The general principle of operation of the electric motor of the gearmotor is that its first part converts some energy into mechanical energy, and the second element is already designed to transfer the available mechanical energy to the output shaft to change its speed.
Types of electric motors
Currently, there are several types of gear motors, which are considered the most common:
- worm type gearboxes;
- cylindrical type;
- conical type;
- planetary gearboxes;
- wave and combined type.
It is logical that the belonging of an electric motor with a gear to one of the above types will depend on the type of gear itself. It is also important to note that it is this element that will affect how the rotation frequency of the output shaft will change, as well as the method of transfer of mechanical energy to the working body of the device.
Suppose, the principle of operation of the worm type gearbox assumes that the dimensions of the part will be quite small, and the engine is characterized by the absence of noise. Today, this type of gearboxes can be considered the second most common.
What is a gearbox?
During the operation of the electric motor, mechanical energy is created, which must be transferred to the working body of a machine. It is for this purpose that a gearbox is used. Another very important point. When operating an electric motor on 220v with a gearbox, it turns out that the torque of the input shaft is very large. After the conversion of some type of energy into mechanical energy and its subsequent transfer to the output shaft, the gearbox reduces the number of revolutions, but maintains a rather high torque.
The application of this feature in practice can be well traced during the operation of manual machines. In these types of devices, a planetary, chain or gear type of transmission is often used. However, today there are units in which an electric motor with a gearbox is configured to output non-rotational motion. A striking example of a secondary type of work of this device can be jackhammers (perforators).
Part Properties
An electric motor with a reducer at 220 in voltage has its own characteristics. It’s worth starting with what concerns almost everyone in the first place - this is the lifetime and reliability of the equipment. These two properties will directly depend on what parts this element is made of. If we talk about household units, then the gears can be made of plastic. Professional gearboxes are always made entirely of metal materials.
A positive factor is also highlighted by the fact that the gear housing is made of metal, other materials are considered unsuitable. The advantage of the metal casing specifically for the gearbox will be that in this case it will be much easier to carry all the loads and possible impacts.
Another important property of the gear motor is that the presence of such a part allows you to change the speed of the output shaft in a stepwise manner.
Engine control principle
In order to supply power to the electrical parts of the engine, various circuits are used, including microprocessor-based electric drives. Another essential element in any system that uses an electric motor with a gearbox is a rectifier. It is used as a converter, the task of which is to convert alternating current flowing through the network into direct current required for the operation of the unit. It is worth noting that there are cordless tools that receive their power from this element. In this case, the use of a rectifier is not required.
The system also has an output shaft speed controller. The simplest version of the converter of these frequencies is several connected control relays, the number of revolutions at which is manually set by a person. In addition, some models can be equipped with a magnetic starter, pressing which will change the direction of rotation of the output shaft. The principle of operation of such engines is the most common, and the function itself is called reverse.
Low-speed electric motor with gearbox
The use of such models, which are also called slow-moving, is common where it is necessary to maintain a small number of revolutions. A striking example of the use of such devices are electric drives of hoisting-and-transport machines. Most often, the mining and metallurgical industries become the scope, but this model is quite suitable for general industrial use.
Motor clutch with gearbox
The purpose of this part is to transmit torque between the shafts or transmit torque between the shaft and the parts that can be installed on it.
This element is also connecting and performs such functions as connecting the motor shaft and the drive shaft of the gearbox, as well as the driven shaft of the gearbox with the slave device. In addition, there are specialized units in which the clutch can also be used to connect and shift gears directly in the element itself. In addition, this small part can be used in order to reduce the dynamic loads affecting the gearbox, as well as limit the transmitted torque.
There are several varieties of couplings. One of the species is called a blind coupling. It is used if it is necessary to connect the axis of the shafts, which are the same, and during operation, any shaft displacements are completely eliminated.
Comparison of two types
To date, the most common electric motors are those whose gear type is worm or cylindrical. These two main types can be compared with each other, using their main characteristics. The advantages of the cylindrical type over the worm type will be given.
The efficiency of this type of gearbox reaches 98%, if you do not take into account the gear ratio. This indicator provides excellent energy savings. One of the most important advantages is its high load capacity. In other words, the cylindrical type of the gearbox is capable of transmitting a much greater force than the worm gear, provided that both of these elements have the same dimensions. In addition, this type of unit has a fairly high kinematic accuracy.