Planetary Gear (Noun)
Meaning
An outer gear that revolves about a central sun gear of an epicyclic train.
Classification
Nouns denoting man-made objects.
Examples
- The planetary gear revolves around the sun gear in the gearset to change the gear ratio of the vehicle's transmission system.
- A set of three planetary gears, spaced equally apart, was connected to the ring gear and used to distribute the mechanical load evenly.
- Each planetary gear had its own set of needle bearings to allow it to rotate smoothly about its axle and revolve around the sun gear.
- To determine the final gear ratio, engineers carefully calculated the interactions between the planetary gear and the other gears in the train.
- One or more of the planetary gears can be held fixed or made to rotate freely to achieve different gear ratios or to neutralize output of the transmission system.