A splined shaft is designed to transmit torque. Its functions are essential to the processes of many industries such as the automotive industry.

 

However, gears are also designed to transmit torque and can work quite similarly. As such, it can be easy to confuse the two, or understate the individual importance of each.

One key difference is that the splined shaft transfers torque by way of its externally splined shaft mating with an internal shaft that has slots for the external shaft's teeth. In gears, the teeth of the driven shaft can either be internally or externally placed. The meshing of gears also only utilizes one tooth at a time, and not all of them at once as with the case of splines.

 

A splined shaft can come with square-sided or triangular splines, while the teeth of a gear can have curves. Because of this, the usage of splined shafts and gears are not always interchangeable.

 

Deciding on either splined shafts or gears depends on your specific needs.

 

Splined shafts and gears look distinct from one another – but it is still important to understand how their functions differ so you can make the best decision for your needs. The fact that splined shafts are designed with their splines built into the length of the shaft can make it more efficient at preventing rotation and transmitting torque.

 

They are widely used in various industries, and are in fact often preferred over the keyed shaft as splined shafts are able to distribute load more equally over its longer teeth and thus have longer fatigue lives.

 

Essentially, while a splined shaft and a gear can function in similar ways, research should be done to determine the appropriate application of each. You can contact us at True Gear and Spline and we can help you decide which component best suits your needs.