Epicyclic gearing
An epicyclic gear train (also known as a planetary gearset) is a gear reduction assembly consisting of two gears mounted so that the center of one gear (the "planet") revolves around the center of the other (the "sun"). A carrier connects the centers of the two gears and rotates to carry the planet gear(s) around the sun gear. The planet and sun gears mesh so that their pitch circles roll without slip. If the sun gear is held fixed, then a point on the pitch circle of the planet gear traces an epicycloid curve.
An epicyclic gear train can be assembled so that the planet gear rolls on the inside of the pitch circle of an outer gear ring, or ring gear, sometimes called an annulus gear. Such an assembly of a planet engaging both a sun gear and a ring gear is called a planetary gear train. By choosing to hold one component or another—the planetary carrier, the ring gear, or the sun gear—stationary, three different gear ratios can be realized.
One important property of planetary gear systems is their ability to combine multiple rotational inputs into a single output. This behavior can be understood through an equivalent linear (rack-and-pinion) analogy, which simplifies the kinematic relationships.
- Object A → upper rack corresponds to one gear element (e.g., sun gear)
- Object C → lower rack corresponds to another gear element (e.g., ring gear)
- Object B → represents the planet carrier
If Object A is fixed and Object B moves one inch, Object C moves two inches.
C moves twice as far as B, because rotation and translation combine.