Crowning – Gear Terminology
The term "crowning" refers to the process of adding an appropriate amount of bulge to the direction of the tooth flank of the gear teeth.
Crowning is a type of modification of the tooth flank in which the tooth thickness at both ends of the tooth is gradually reduced from the center to prevent single tooth contact at the ends of a gear tooth due to manufacturing or assembly errors in the gear or shaft, and to concentrate tooth contact near the center of the tooth width. This will ultimately reduce the noise and extend the life of the teeth.
However, if the crowning is larger than necessary, the tooth contact area becomes too small, which may negatively affect the strength of the tooth.
Crowning (and End Relief)