Bevel gears are conically-shaped at their tooth-bearing faces, and the axes of the shafts intersect. They are most often mounted on shafts that are at a 90-degree angle from one another. They are able to translate one direction of force into another, with the potential to change direction and operating angles as well. The uniqueness of bevel gears gives them many advantages, such as the ability to change operating angles and mechanical advantage.

 

Indeed, bevel gears are important because they are used in many everyday machineries.

 

They are not an obscure gear that only sees the light of day every now and then – the average jane and joe will have used many a machine that works thanks to bevel gears. Here are some examples of the many applications of bevel gears in everyday machinery:

 

1. Hand drills

Perhaps the most famous use of bevel gears is in hand drills. In fact, if you simply observe a hand drill in action, you will be able to see the bevel gears at work, changing the vertical rotation of the handle into the horizontal rotation of the drill. It is a simple process, but one that leads to the success of many other processes. The bevel gears in hand drills also help to increase the speed of the original rotation, allowing for hand drills to work with the level of power that they do.

 

2. Cars

Specifically, bevel gears are used in the differential drives that are found in cars. The differential drive used in cars is designed to drive a pair of wheels while allowing them to rotate at different speeds. A differential drive includes at least three bevel gears, working together to transmit speed, power, and rotation.

 

3. Mechanical garage doors

The mechanism in electrical garage doors which allow them to open on command utilize bevel gears – the gears allow the doors to be rolled up, turned, and opened. The gears are set at a 90-degree angle to one another, so that when the doors are lifted utilizing vertical force, the gears convert the direction of the force horizontally, allowing the doors to slide along the ceiling.

 

As you can see, bevel gears have important applications in our daily lives. Without them, basic functions and machinery that we take for granted will not be able to work.