Generalized Method for Analysis of Compound Epicyclic Gear Trains

The paper is devoted to the presentation of a method able to calculate kinematic ratios, torque and power flow distribution of epicyclic gear trains having more than 2DOF (two Degrees of Freedom). The method is based on the transformation of the compound epicyclic gear train into a structure consisting of an epicyclic gear train with 2DOF, preserving the DOF (number of Degrees of Freedom) of the overall structure as for the compound epicyclic gear trains. Consequently, it become possible to use analytical tools, including the computer. The method is exemplified on the most frequently used compound epicyclic gear trains such as Ravigneaux.