IJRET: International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology eISSN: 2319-1163 | pISSN: 2321-7308
DESIGNING OF THE RACK AND PINION GEARBOX FOR ALL
TERRAIN VEHICLE FOR THE COMPETITION BAJA SAE INDIA AND
ENDURO STUDENT INDIA
Omkar Diliprao Suryavanshi1, Prathmesh Prasad Sathe2, Mahesh Ashokrao Takey3
1
Student, Department of Mechanical, Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Maharashtra, India
2
Student, Department of Mechanical, Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Maharashtra, India
3
Student, Department of Mechanical, Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Maharashtra, India
Abstract
Preliminary aim is to design a Rack and Pinion Gearbox (RPG) which has desired steering ratio, zero play in the RPG and
sensitive steering.The design of rack and pinion has been done by using CATIA software. Computer aided analysis (CAE) of RPG
casing and clevis joint has been done so as to make sure they are safe. The newly designed RPG is compared withthe original
equipment manufacturer (OEM) rack and pinion gearbox on the basis of cost, weight and the steeringgear ratio parameter. The
results of the design shows that weight of new rack and pinion gearbox is 20% less than the OEM RPG with nearly 40% reduction
in the cost achieving the desired steering ratio.
Keywords: -Rack and Pinion Gearbox (RPG), CATIA, CAE, ATV, Baja, arm crossover.
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1. INTRODUCTION
The function of the steering system is to provide directional
control to the vehicle. For this a gearbox is used which
converts rotational motion of steering wheel into
translational motion of tie rod which in turn rotates the tires.
For the steering system there are different types of gear box
like Rack and Pinion, recirculating ball type, worm and
sector etc. Among these, the rack and pinion gearbox
consists of fewer moving parts and is easy to manufacture.
As a result, most of the modern vehicle use rack and pinion
gearbox. Therefore the objective of this paper is to design
the Rack and pinion gearbox for an All-Terrain Vehicle
Fig- 1: Basic rack and pinion steering mechanism [1]
(ATV) for the competition BAJASAE INDIA and
ENDURO STUDENT INDIA. The BAJA SAE Series is an
event for the undergraduate engineering students, organized 2. RACK AND PINION GEARBOX (RPG)
globally by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), A rack and pinion is a type of linear actuator that comprises
USA (United States of America). The BAJA SAE tasks the of a pair of gears which convert rotational motion into linear
students to design, fabricate and validate a single seated motion. A circular gear called "the pinion" engages teeth on
four-wheeled off road vehicle which is raced for 4 hours on a linear "gear" bar called "the rack"; rotational motion
the hard off-road terrain. The competition started in India in applied to the pinion causes the rack to move relative to the
2009 by the BAJA SAE INDIA. Enduro Student India is an pinion, thereby translating the rotational motion of the
exclusive student design competition which has been pinion into linear motion. A Rack and Pinion Gearbox
conceived and conducted exclusively by Delta Inc. The (RPG) has following components:-pinion gear with
competition focuses on safety, good engineering practice, integrated shaft, rack, casing, bearing, and bronze bush.
engineering design, education and creating opportunities for
participating students. 2.1 Aim to Design (RPG) Gearbox
1. Integrated pinion shaft – Generally conventional
manufacturing consists of pinion and shaft as a separate part
and are coupled by means of keyways. This increases
possibility of play in steering system as well as cost of
manufacturing.
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IJRET: International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology eISSN: 2319-1163 | pISSN: 2321-7308
2. Desired steering ratio - Since the ATV Baja is generally Material for rack and pinion= SAE 9310
designed with very compact space for driver. So driver’s Ultimate tensile strength of material (post hardening) (Sut) =
ergonomics must be considered. The original equipment 1500 Mpa
manufacturer (OEM) RPG has standard steering ratio of Bending strength=Sut/3= 500Mpa … [2]
4:1(Around 270 deg lock to lock) at the steering wheel. Number of teeth on pinion (Z) = 21
However this results in arm crossover which can affect Pressure angle=20 degree
driver’s performance in actual racing. Lewis form factor for pinion (Yp) = 0.544
Lewis form factor for rack (Yr) = 0.823
3. Reduction in weight – The OEM RPG weighed 1.5 kg
(The custom RPG weighs 1.2 kg) 3.4 Calculations [2]
4. Reduction in cost of product – The OEM being imported Factor of Safety(fs)
from the US cost 12000 INR including custom charges.The
cost of designed rack and pinion gearbox is 6000 INR The recommended factor of safety is from 1.5 to
2. [2]
3. RACK AMD PINION DESIGN
In preliminary design of pinion gear factor of safety of 1.5 is
3.1 Selection of Material selected.
For the designing of any machine part, selection of material Estimation of the module based on the Beam Strength:-
is the first step. Improper material selection can lead to its In order to avoid failure of tooth due to bending Sb (bending
failure. Material selection process considers the factors such strength) should be greater than Peff (effective load on the
as strength, hardness, cost, and availability.Since the pinion pinion)
is in rotational motion the tooth of the pinion gear is
subjected to the fluctuating bending stress because of the I.e. Sb >Peff
tangential component (Pt) which arises due to rated torque
(Mt).[2]The tangential force (Pt) causes the bending Therefore Sb = Peff * fs
moment about the base of the tooth of pinion gearwhen it
comes in contact withthe tooth of the rack gear. Since the Cs
teeth are subjected to the fluctuating stresses, endurance Peff = Pt
Cv
limit stress (Se) is the criterion of design. The endurance
limit stress of gear tooth or bending strength is Cs = 1.05
approximately one-third of the ultimate tensile strength of
the material. [2]Another possibility of failure is wear. Wear Cv = 0.9836 [2]
is an erosion of material from the surface by the action of
another surface. To avoid above failure modesand The tangential force onthe gear (Pt)
considering the above mentioned material selection factors
2∗maximum torque
the material for gear is chosen to be SAE 9310 with Yield =
no of teeth∗module
strength 896 Mpa and Ultimate tensile strength 1500 Mpa.
2∗Mt
=
3.2 Pinion Design Z∗m
In the design of gears, it is required to decide the number of =
2∗60000
teeth on the pinion and gear. There is a limiting value to the 21∗𝑚
minimum number of teeth on the pinion. While decreasing 5714.28
the number of teeth, a point is reached when there is =
𝑚
interference. Interference is non-conjugate action and results
in excessive wear, vibrations and jamming. To avoid Beam strength of gear (Sb)
interference, minimum number of teeth for 20° full depth
systemrequired is 17 [2]. Using Lewis equation, the module = Module*face width*maximum bending load*Lewis form
is calculated. The module and minimum no of teeth were factor.
cross-checked with KISSsoft: softwaredeveloped by
‘KISSsoft AG‘for gear design. It predicted the chances of This equation is known as Lewis equation.
teeth interference. So, number of teeth on gear is increased
to 21. And then again designed using Lewis equation and Sut
Sb = m*b* *Yp
Buckingham equation and cross-verified with Kiss Soft. The 3
mathematics of gear design is discussed below.
In the preliminary stages of gear design, the face
Width is assumed as ten times of module.
3.3 Inputs [2]
Maximum torque at the steering wheel (Mt) =60 N-m Therefore b = 10 m.
=60000 N-mm[4] fs = 1.5
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IJRET: International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology eISSN: 2319-1163 | pISSN: 2321-7308
Sut = 1500 Mpa Procedure to calculate steering ratio: - lotus shark software
Yp = 0.544 gives values of inside angle (in degree), outside angle (in
degree), turning radius and percentage Ackermann for a
Therefore particular rack travel (in Millimeter). Since the designed
rack and pinion gearbox has maximum rack travel of 24 mm
𝐶𝑠
Pt ∗ 𝑓𝑠 for the lock angle of 95 degree of steering wheel. We noted
m =𝐶𝑣𝑆𝑢𝑡 the inside angle for 24 mm rack shift from the results of
b∗ ∗Yp
3
lotus shark software.
From this we getpreliminary module (m) = 1.4983
Lotus shark software: -the Lotus Suspension Analysis
Modification in dimension of pinion gear SHARK module is a suspension geometric and kinematic
modelling tool, with a user- friendly interface which makes
Since the forces acting on the pinion gear cannot be of exact it easy to apply changes to proposed geometry and
values as it varies according to torque transmitting instantaneously assess their impact through graphical
efficiency of steering system. If the torque transmitted from results. Lotus shark software gives instantaneous results of
steering wheel to pinion gear is only 90% then the actual inside angle (in degree) for a particular rack shift.
force on pinion gear will be less than the assumed force.
Rack shift or rack travel per rotation is the horizontal
Therefore to decrease the module factor of safety is assumed distance travelled by the rack gear when the pinion gear
to be 1.4 and face width value changes to 16 *m completes one rotation.
New module Table -1: Results obtained from lotus shark software
Rack travel (mm) Inside
1.05
∗
5714.28
∗1.4
angle(degree)
m = 0.9836 m
24 40.38
16∗m∗500∗0.544
m= 1.2519 Steering ratio calculation:-
Therefore (Dp) pitch circle diameter of pinon = m * Z Turn of a steering wheel in degree
Steering ratio =
1.25 *21 Turn of the wheel
= 26.25
For the lock angle 95 degree of steering wheel the maximum
b (face width) = 16 *m
rack travel is 24 mm and inside angle in degrees is 40.38
= 20 mm
Therefore
Check for the design
95
The effective load on the gear Steering ratio =
40.38
2∗maximum torque Cs = 2.3526
= ∗
no of teeth∗module Cv
2∗60000 From the above results steering geometry selected has
= *1.0675 steering ratio of 2.3526 and lock angle of 95 degree of
21∗1.25
steering wheel which helps to eliminate arm crossover.
= 4879.99 N
4. SHAFT DESIGN AND BEARING SELECTION
𝑆𝑢𝑡
Sb= m*b* *Yp
3 4.1 Shaft Design
= 1.25*20*500*0.544 The design of shaft is based on torsional and bending
considerations so as to avoid failure in either. ASME Code
= 6800 N is used for designing shaft.
fs =
Sb Length of shaft = 44 mm
Peff Mt = Torque on shaft = 60000 N-mm
6800
The permissible shear stress for shaft material
=
4879.99
τ = Max. Shear stress for steel = 0.18* Sut [2]
= 0.18 *1500=270N/mm2
=1.3934 Mb = net bending moment of shaft
Mb = Bending moment due to radial load (Mb1) +
Hence design is satisfactory and module should be 1.25 mm Bending moment due to tangential force (Mb2)
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Volume: 06 Issue: 09 | Sep-2017, Available @ http://www.ijret.org 81
IJRET: International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology eISSN: 2319-1163 | pISSN: 2321-7308
Mb1 =Radial load (Pr) * distance of the load from Centre of 6. CLEVIS JOINT
bearing
Radial load (Pr) =Pt tan (pressure angle) It is a joint used to connect tie rods with rack Clevis joint
= 4571.4 tan (20) consists of a heim joint and C shaped cup which partially
= 1663.85 N. houses the heim joint. A bolt passes through the C shaped
Therefore Mb1 =1663.84 * 22 structure and the heim joint.
=36604.7 N-mm
6.1 Design of Clevis
(Mb2) = Pt * distance of the load from Centre of bearing Clevis was designed for the following constraints:
= 4571.42* 22 Distance between two (which) faces = 23 mm
= 100570.8 N-mm Hole on each face = 3/8” = 9.525 mm
Net bending moment (Mb) =√Mb12+ Mb22
= 107025.18 N-mm A general clevis has an extended threaded surface to enter
the rack. This creates a cantilever beam and subjected to
Therefore, bending failure. To avoid this, a countersunk bolt of grade
10.9 is used whose countersunk part enters the clevis thus
16∗√Mt^2+Mb^2 eliminating cantilever beam.
𝑑3= [2]
3.142∗τ
Where, 6.2 CAE of clevis
d= diameter of shaft Maximum Steering wheel torque = 60 Nm [4]
Pinion radius = 0.018238 m
Therefore diameter of shaft (d) =13.22mm ≈ 15 mm Steering wheel radius = 0.15 m
Force on steering wheel = steering wheel torque/radius of
4.2 Bearing Selection steering wheel [3]
Pinion torque = steering wheel torque (considering
Forces on Bearing:
100%efficiency)
Radial loadon bearing
Force along pinion =pinion torque *pinion radius
Total radial load on the pinion gear = Pt tan (pressure angle)
Force along rack =force along pinion
= 4571.4 tan (20)
Force along clevis =force along rack
= 1663.85 N.
Thus force on clevis=force along rack =3289.83N
Since there are two bearings, the effective load on each
bearing will be half of the total load i.e. 831.92 N 6.2.1 Mesh parameters and load steps
Therefore radial load (Pr) = 831.92 N While doing meshing main aim is to obtain maximum
accuracy with less computational time. Ideally results
Tangential load on each bearing (P) obtained from a finite element analysis get more accurate
with increase number of element but it is also important to
total tangential load on pinion gear
= find balance between the accuracy of results and process
2
time required to run the analysis.
4571.4
=
2
P = 2285.7 N
Considering bearing loads and Table 15.5 (Dimensions and
static and dynamic load capacities of single-row deep
groove ball bearings) from ‘Design of Machine Elements’
by Dr. V. B. Bhandari, SKF Bearing No. 6002 was used, the
dimensions for bearing are as follows-
Inner diameter (d) = 15 mm
Outer diameter (D) = 32 mm
Axial width (B) = 9 mm
5. BRONZE BUSH
In order to achieve free movement of rack inside the casing,
bronze bushes have been added on both ends. The bushes
are fixed to the casing via grub screws to ensure positive
locking.
Fig-2: Equivalent stress of clevis = 218.93 Mpa
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IJRET: International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology eISSN: 2319-1163 | pISSN: 2321-7308
Fig-3: Total deformation of clevis = 0.015384 mm Fig-4: Equivalent stress of casing = 121.18 Mpa
Yield strength of Aluminum 6062–T6 alloy is 280 Mpa.
Equivalent (von-mises) stress generated in clevis is 218
Mpa. As equivalent stress generated is less than yield
strength the design is safe.
7. CASING DESIGN
7.1 Description
Casing is important component in rack and pinion gear box
hence we must know that how much stress is generated
inside casing. In casing, stress isgenerated due to
compressive or radial forces. Forces on casing are same as
that of forces on bearing.
7.2 Material
Failure of casing is due to the compressive forces which
results in deformation of casing. Hence elastic modulus is
the selection criteria for material. Hence aluminum 6082–T6
material is selected with elastic modulus of 69 GPa.
Fx = total radial force on bearing = 831.92 N Fig- 5: Total deformation of casing = 0.10773 mm
Fz = total tangential force on bearing = 2285.7 N
Yield strength of Aluminum 6062–T6 alloy is 280 Mpa.
Equivalent (von-mises) stress generated in casing is 121.18
Mpa. As equivalent stress generated is less than yield
strength the design is safe.
8. KEY FEATURES OF DESIGNED RACK AND
PINION GEARBOX
1. Integrated pinion shaft –Manufacturing of both pinion and
shaft as one part. Therefore cost of two different
manufacturing parts has been reduced and design becomes
simple and full proof.
2. Weight reduction – we designed our casing with
minimum thickness and modification in design so that
weight is reduced but strength remains the same.
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IJRET: International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology eISSN: 2319-1163 | pISSN: 2321-7308
3. Sensitive steering – designed steering gear ratio (2.35:1) Prathamesh Prasad Sathe, Student at
helps to achieve sharper turn with less turn of steering Mechanical Engineering Department,
wheel and eliminates arm crossover Vishwakarma Institute of Technology,
Pune. Member of Steering Subsystem of
Table- 2: Comparison of designed RPG with OEM RPG BAJA SAE team ENDURANCE
Parameter weight cost Steering Lock RACING.
gear ratio to lock
angle Mahesh Ashokrao Takey,Student at
OEM RPG 1.5 kg 12000 INR 4:1 270 Mechanical Engineering Department,
11’’ (including degree Vishwakarma Institute of Technology,
custom Pune. Member of Steering Subsystem of
charges) BAJA SAE team ENDURANCE
Custom 1.2 kg 6000 INR 2.37:1 190 RACING.
made RPG degree
9. RESULT AND CONCLUSION
Design of custom made RPG gearbox has done with 20%
reduction in weight and in less cost than OEM.
By using designed RPG gearbox steering geometry selected
should produce lock to lock of 48 mm rack shift and thus
desired steering angle.
All the necessary analysis of component hasbeen done to
ensure that design is safe.
To reduce equivalent stresses edge fillet should be given
where stress concentration is more which reduces weight
with increase in strength.
From the structural analysis results we can conclude that to
avoid failure of material Deformation should be as small as
possible.
Thus RPG gearbox is designed with reduction in cost as
well as Weight and desired steering ratio can be used for
ATV Baja
REFERENCES
[1]. F10 M5carblog.blogspot.in/2013/02/steering
[2]. V. B. Bhandari (1994), Design ofmachine elements,
third edition Page 334,573-677
[3]. Thomas D Gillespie, Fundamentals of vehicle dynamics
page no 289-291
[4]. Steven Fox, ‘Cockpit Control Forces or How Robust Do
Driver Controls Really Need To Be’ July 2010
BIOGRAPHIES
Omkar Diliprao Suryavanshi, Student at
Mechanical Engineering Department,
Vishwakarma Institute of Technology,
Pune. Member of Steering Subsystem of
BAJA SAE team ENDURANCE
RACING.
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