The right design, material and lubricant applied to Gear Spindles make the difference between failure and success

摘要

Gear spindles were first applied to rolling mills in the early 1950's. Since that time, the basic design has not changed significantly except for materials, hardening processes, and the types of lubrication. Gear Spindles are still the most commonly used flexible driveshafts used in rolling mill drives. This is because they are power dense (that is, they transmit the highest torque for a given outside diameter), relatively easy to maintain, and economical to operate. Over the last 30 years, new manufacturing processes have been developed to optimize tooth contact, thereby increasing spindle torque capacity and life by 30-100 percent. Also, new criteria have been developed that demonstrate that no single material and tooth hardening process is suitable for all gear spindle applications. Finally, greases have been developed that are better for high speed co ld mill applications than for high load, low speed hot mill applications. All these improvements still make gear spindles one of the best overall options for most rolling mill main drive systems.