Gearboxes and Gearheads: A Lesson for All

They are the living dead of the mechanical world. A miracle of science, allows these androids to continue an existence beyond the world of flesh and bone. Their blood is 5W-30, and their organs are metal toothed disks.

THEY ARE THE GEARHEADS!

...via Artinaart on Photobucket

They know no sleep, no anxiety, no emotion. They are relentless in the pursuit of…

"What's that…??"

"Oh, really? Are you sure?"

"Huh."

Well this is embarrassing.

Sorry readers. Gearheads are not robotic zombies. I reckon I have some misleading information.

I guess the good news is that while I dropped the ball, GlobalSpec Inc. certainly did not. Turns out gearheads are a little more like this…

Gearboxes and gearheads consist of gears arranged in a housing with a method for attaching to an input drive (a motor or drive shaft) and an output component (usually a shaft). Input and output connection configurations for gearboxes and gearheads include solid shaft, hollow shaft and integral coupling. The gears are mounted on shafts, which are supported by and rotate via rolling element bearings. The gearbox is a mechanical method of transferring energy from one device ...via WTC Direct to another and is used to increase torque while reducing speed. Torque is the power generated through the bending or twisting of a solid material. This term is used interchangeably with transmission. Located at the junction point of a power shaft, the gearbox is often used to create a right angle change in direction, as is seen in a rotary mower or a helicopter. Each unit is manufactured with a specific purpose in mind and the gear ratio used is designed to provide the level of force required. This ratio is fixed and cannot be changed once the box is constructed. The only possible modification after the fact is an adjustment that allows the shaft speed to increase, along with a corresponding reduction in torque.

While that may seem complicated, the gearboxes are relatively simple in design.

...via Ashoka Gears

Now, I'm not going to assume anything more about gearboxes or gearheads. Heck knows this is only what I've memorized from GlobalSpec's handy, dandy Selection Guide on Gearheads and Gearboxes.

I'm going to study up on it now. Can you even imagine what I thought a gearbox was?

Anyway, if there ever is a movie about robot-zombies, you heard the idea here first!