Gear train

Transmission of motion and force by gear wheels, compound train.

Illustration by Georgius Agricola (1580) showing a toothed wheel that engages a slotted cylinder to form a gear train that transmits power from a human-powered treadmill to mining pump.

A gear train or gear set is a machine element of a mechanical system formed by mounting two or more gears on a frame such that the teeth of the gears engage.

Gear teeth are designed to ensure the pitch circles of engaging gears roll on each other without slipping, providing a smooth transmission of rotation from one gear to the next. Features of gears and gear trains include:

The gear ratio of the pitch circles of mating gears defines the speed ratio and the mechanical advantage of the gear set.
A planetary gear train provides high gear reduction in a compact package.
It is possible to design gear teeth for gears that are non-circular, yet still transmit torque smoothly.
The speed ratios of chain and belt drives are computed in the same way as gear ratios. See bicycle gearing.

The transmission of rotation between contacting toothed wheels can be traced back to the Antikythera mechanism of Greece and the south-pointing chariot of China. Illustrations by the Renaissance scientist Georgius Agricola show gear trains with cylindrical teeth. The implementation of the involute tooth yielded a standard gear design that provides a constant speed ratio.