Other Uses For Gears

Table of Contents

Food Processing

Gears can also be used in food processors to extract juice from fruit and vegetables. A drive motor spins the driving gear, which in turn spins a driven gear. Helical gears draw the vegetables into the gear mesh and separate the juice from the pulp. After the pulp is separated, a screw extractor pulls it away from the juice outlet.

Mechanism Speed Measurement

Often, it is useful to know the speed of a geartrain or driveline in a machine to monitor the operating conditions, respond to user input, or gather data for further designs. Since gears are made to very precise tolerances, they can also be used to measure the angular position of the geartrain. 

Hall Effect Sensor for Gear Teeth

Non-contact speed measurement is possible on ferrous gears using a Hall Effect Sensor. This is an electronic sensor that detects changes in magnetic fields. As a tooth passes the sensor, the magnetic field around the magnet on the sensor is disturbed by the tooth and the sensor measures the change. An example of an output signal is shown to the right [2], [3].

References

[1] Juicers Direct, "Green Star Elite Juicer, Twin Gear," JuicersDirect.Com.Au, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://juicersdirect.com.au/products/green-star-elite-juicer-twin-gear. [Accessed: November 10, 2020].

[2] Sensor Solutions, "Gear Tooth Sensors," Sensor Solutions, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://sensorso.com/gear-detection-sensors.html. [Accessed: November 10, 2020].

[3] MD Staff, "Putting Teeth in Hall Effect Sensors," Machine Design, April 2nd, 1998. [Online]. Available: https://www.machinedesign.com/archive/article/21818637/putting-teeth-in-halleffect-sensors#:~:text=Hall%2Deffect%20gear%2Dtooth%20sensors,detected%20by%20measuring%20this%20distortion. [Accessed: November 10, 2020].