Understanding what a spur gear is and how to calculate the pitch diameter of a spur gear is an important aspect of understanding gearboxes overall. Before we dive into how to calculate the pitch diameter of a spur gear, it is first beneficial to identify a solid definition of what a spur gear is. For further information on spur gears and the calculation of the pitch diameter, continue reading the material provided below.

What Is a Spur Gear?

For further clarification, a spur gear is one of the simplest and most common types of gear on the market. This simple gear contains a cylinder or a disk that has teeth projecting it radially. Each of these teeth is not straight-sided. However, they do have straight edges and are parallel to the axis of the rotation of the gear. The job of this gear is to transmit motion between two parallel shafts.

Calculation of Pitch Diameter

Now that you have a better understanding of what a spur gear is, you can visualize how exactly to find the pitch diameter. It is a simple calculation from one point to the other. To put it simply, the pitch diameter is the diameter of the pitch circle. You can find this by measuring directly from the center to the number of teeth. Finding this distance will give you the pitch diameter.

Hopefully, this insight on what a spur gear is and how to calculate the pitch diameter of a spur gear can provide clarification for you on this topic. If you are in need of any custom spur gears or information on them, look to our website. Here at Blaz-Man Gear Inc. – Power Transmission Group, we produce custom gears and repair gears as well. If you are in need of professional insight or guidance on gearboxes, reach out to us today!