What is Gearbox Backlash?

Backlash is defined as the play resulting from the clearance that exists between gears or other?mechanical elements of a?gearbox, or the intentional gap between gear or bearing pairs.This clearance is most commonly seen or experienced while changing the rotation direction of the output shaft.

The presence of backlash can help to stabilize the gears or bearings during operation by reducing the potential risk of parts deforming or becoming too tightly interlocked due to wear or thermal expansion.

The appropriate amount of backlash is reasonable which depends on the required specifications. Too small backlash will have a big potential risk to lead to excessive wearing or heating at heavy loads or high speed condition, and can even cause parts to lock up. Conversely, too much backlash can also affect the precision and stability of the gearbox, leading to vibration or noisy.

Therefore, when start to invest a new gearbox, it is necessary to choose an appropriate amount of backlash based on the required specific application . In practice, the backlash in a gearbox is usually pre-set according to required specifications, and does not require further adjustment. If abnormal backlash is observed during testing process, it should be promptly reported back to us to check if the incorrect assembling issue caused.

Backlash is commonly measured in arc-minutes : 1?arc-minute =?1/60th of 1?degree or .0167 degree. For planetary gearboxes, backlash can be classified into several levels, such as ≦1 arcmin/ ≦3 arcmin/ ≦5 arcmin and ≦7 arcmin.

Currently there is no international standard for testing gearbox's backlash. however, it can be measured by locking the input shaft against rotation and applying a?measured force to the output shaft. By using a?load cell and potentiometer, a?plot can be created. Backlash occurs at close to zero load when rotation is reversed.

Backlash is an important indicator of gearbox or reducer performance. The smaller the backlash, the higher the precision. Therefore, it's an important goal to control the backlash of gearboxes .