Creating Gear Joints

Automatic switch to Design mode:

If you work with the cache system in visualization mode, you no longer need to use Edit > Representations > Design Mode beforehand as the switch to design mode is automatic (an eye appears as you point the product in the geometry or specification tree). All you need to do is click on the object.

1. Click Gear Joint in the Kinematics Joints toolbar or select Insert > New Joint > Gear... from the Menu bar. The Joint Creation: Gear dialog box appears.

   The Mechanism is identified in the specification tree.

   Now you need to select two Revolute joints.

2. Select Revolute.1 either in the specification tree or in the geometry area. 

3. Create Revolute.2 within the Gear command. For this: click .The Joint Creation: Revolute dialog box appears automatically:

   Select line .1 (green cylinder axis) and line.2 (orange cylinder axis) as shown below in  the geometry area:
   Select plane.1 (green cylinder face) and plane.2 (orange cylinder face) either in the specification tree or in the geometry area:

4. Select the Offset option button and keep the default value. When done, click Ok.

5. Assign a command, select for instance the Angle driven for revolute1 check box. 

   About Ratio definition Two methods are available to define the ratio parameter: modifying the formula (in this case the ratio is a knowledge parameter) for this, right-click in the ratio field and use the Edit Formula contextual menu displayed using the Define option in the joint creation dialog box  to calculate the ratio automatically

6. Click to define the ratio parameter automatically. The Gear Ratio Definition dialog box is automatically displayed.

7. Select the two circles in the geometry area.

8. Click Ok when done

   The calculated ratio appears in the Joint Creation: Gear dialog box

9. Change the rotation direction option if needed.
   The default is Same (positive)
   Opposite is negative

   Note: simulate your mechanism with commands to check the direction is the one you want

10. Click Ok when done

    Now, if you use the formula editor, (a formula is already defined in our sample), from step 6 Right-click in the ratio field and use the Edit Formula contextual menu displayed

    The Formula Editor: Ratio is automatically displayed. Click Gear1 product in the specification tree and select the radius as shown below:

    The formula is automatically entered in the ratio field, enter a / (division symbol) Click Gear 2 and select radius.2 as shown below:

11. Click Ok when done. The ratio is updated

    The gear joint is created and identified in the specification tree. Now expand the gear joint you have just created, the embedded leaf joints are displayed. Note: the joints involved in a compound joint can be neither edited nor deleted directly.

12. Open the GearV5_Result.CATProduct to check your result

    	Note: To create a gear joint, the two revolute joints involved in the gear joint must rely on a same support part. See picture below: (P stands for Part, R for Revolute)