Comprehensive Guide: Design of
Multispeed Gearboxes
1. What is a Multispeed Gearbox?
Imagine the gearbox of a lathe. You have one electric motor spinning at a constant speed (e.g.,
1440 rpm). But depending on whether you are cutting hard steel or soft aluminum, you need the
lathe chuck to spin at 9 different speeds (e.g., from 100 rpm up to 1000 rpm).
The goal of this unit is to design the gears inside the box to take one input speed and step it
down/up into multiple output speeds.
2. What Type of Questions Will Come?
A full question will usually look like this:
"Design a 9-speed gearbox with a minimum speed of 100 rpm and maximum speed
of 630 rpm. The motor speed is 1440 rpm. Draw the kinematic layout, the speed
diagram, and determine the number of teeth on all gears."
To solve this, you must follow a strict 4-Step Pipeline.
Step 1: Calculate the Progression Ratio ( ) and
Speeds
Machine tool speeds are not random. They must follow a Geometric Progression so the
operator has a smooth range of choices.
The Formula:
●
= Highest output speed required
● = Lowest output speed required
● = Total number of speeds (e.g., 6, 9, 12, 18)
How to use it:
If , , and :
●
Databook Check: You must round to a standard value from Table 24.28. (1.259
becomes standard ).
⚠️ The "Rigged" Exam Secret (The Renard Series)
You might wonder: What if the calculated speeds overshoot the maximum limit? They won't,
because the numbers in the databook aren't random. They are based on the Renard Series
(roots of 10). For example, is actually . The values in Table 24.30 are
standardized mathematical locks.
Professors write these questions backwards. They look at Table 24.30, pick a starting speed
(like 100), pick , count down 9 steps to see the locked multiplier is 6.30, and then
say: "Design a gearbox from 100 to 630 rpm." The questions are physically designed so you will
never overshoot if you strictly copy the table multipliers!
How to find the speeds (Never calculate manually!):
Go to Table 24.30 in your databook, look at the column, and copy the pre-rounded
standard multipliers. Multiply each by 100:
●
● (Notice the table rounded 126 down to 125!)
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
(By copying the databook table, you land perfectly on the professor's 630 rpm maximum limit).
(Got this wrong so Special note: You are completely right to be angry. You followed the logic
perfectly by pulling the 3.15 multiplier from the table, and $160 \times 3.15$ is exactly 504.
Here is the hidden mathematical trap in Table 24.30: 160 and 3.15 are both heavily rounded
values. When you multiply two pre-rounded numbers together, the error balloons, which is
exactly why it spit out 504 instead of the locked 500.
The Rule: Never treat a mid-series number like 160 as your "1.00" base. Instead, look at the
table, find the 1.60 multiplier, and literally just read the next five numbers directly beneath it in
that exact same column: 2.00, 2.50, 3.15, 4.00, 5.00. Multiply those by 100, and you get your
perfect 160 to 500 sequence!
Step 2: The Structural Formula (Deconstructed)
You cannot put 8, 9, or 12 pairs of gears on a single shaft; the box would be too long. You must
split them across multiple intermediate shafts to create "combinations" of speeds.
The structural formula tells you how many gears go on each shaft, and how to draw the ray
diagram.
The Shaft Counting Rule
Before doing anything, you must know how many horizontal lines to draw for your gearbox.
Number of Shafts = Number of Stages + 1
● Example: A 2-stage gearbox needs 3 shafts (Input Intermediate Output). A
3-stage gearbox needs 4 shafts.
How to factor the speeds ( ):
You break the total speeds ( ) down into physical groups of 2 or 3 gears.
How to write the full formula with brackets:
⚠️ The Algebra Trap: This is a notation format, not a standard math equation. Do not calculate
the numbers inside the brackets! The math for the total speeds is simply .
The bracketed numbers are just drawing instructions attached to the gears.
The formula format is:
● = The number of gears in that stage (the factors you just found).
● = The "Step Distance" (the interval or spacing between the speed columns you connect
to).
The Step Distance Rule:
● : Step by 1. Connect to adjacent speeds (e.g., ). Zero empty
spaces.
● : Step by 2. (e.g., ). One empty space between dots.
● : Step by 3. (e.g., ). Two empty spaces between dots.
The Golden Rule for finding :
● is ALWAYS .
● (The number of gears from the 1st stage).
● (The number of gears from 1st 2nd stage).
Examples of Full Structural Formulas:
1. For a 6-speed gearbox ( ):
● Factors: ( )
● Skips: , .
● Formula:
2. For an 8-speed gearbox ( ):
● Factors: ( )
● Skips: , , .
● Formula:
3. For a 12-speed gearbox ( ):
● Factors: ( )
● Skips: , , .
● Formula:
Step 3: Draw the Ray Diagram (Speed Diagram)
This is a graph proving how the motor's single speed splits into the final output speeds. Let's
use the 9-speed
as our example.
The Rules of Drawing:
1. Horizontal lines = Shafts (Shaft 1, 2, 3).
2. Vertical lines = The 9 calculated speeds ( through ).
3. Stage 1
: Draw a dot on Shaft 1 (usually in the middle, above ). Draw 3 lines down to Shaft 2.
Because the step distance is , these lines land on adjacent speeds:
.
4. Stage 2
: * From the dot on Shaft 2, draw 3 lines down to Shaft 3. Because , step by
3: .
○ From the dot on Shaft 2, step by 3: .
○ From the dot on Shaft 2, step by 3: .
Notice how perfectly this fills out all 9 speeds at the bottom!
⚠️ The Kinematic Constraints Check (The 0.25 and 2 Rule)
You cannot draw lines that are too steep. The gearbox physically will not work if the ratio is too
extreme. You must verify that the slope of your steepest rays obeys this rule:
●
Maximum Reduction ( or ): If the ratio drops below , the driven gear
becomes too massive to fit in the casing. (Example: Stepping down from to
gives . This is acceptable. Dropping to gives
, which fails).
● Maximum Step-Up ( ): If the ratio exceeds , the gears will vibrate and create excessive
noise. (Example: Stepping up from to gives .
This is acceptable. Jumping to gives , which fails).
If a line violates this rule on your diagram, you have to draw it starting from a different speed
node to make the slope shallower!
Step 4: Draw the Kinematic Layout
This is a physical 2D sketch of the shafts and gears. It shows the examiner how you plan to
slide the gears to change speeds. (See Table 24.37 in your databook for a perfect visual
reference).
How to draw a 9-Speed Layout ( ):
1. Draw the 3 Shafts: Draw 3 parallel horizontal lines. Label the top one "Input Shaft (I)", the
middle one "Intermediate Shaft (II)", and the bottom one "Output Shaft (III)".
2. Draw the First Stage (Shaft I Shaft II):
○ On Shaft I: Draw a single sliding block of 3 gears glued together.
■ How to show sliding: Draw little parallel lines (splines) on the shaft inside the block.
Draw a double-headed arrow ( ) directly above the block. Ensure there is
empty space on the shaft for it to slide into.
○ On Shaft II: Draw 3 separate, spaced-out fixed gears positioned below Shaft I. They
must be aligned so that shifting the Shaft I block left or right meshes a different pair.
3. Draw the Second Stage (Shaft II Shaft III):
○ On Shaft II: Further down the line on the same intermediate shaft, draw another sliding
block of 3 gears glued together. Give it splines and a arrow. (Note: Shaft II
now has 6 gears total on it!)
○ On Shaft III: Draw 3 separate fixed gears positioned below the second sliding block.
4. Label the Gears: Label the first stage driving gears and their driven partners
. Do the same for Stage 2 ( to ).
Crucial Exam Check: Never draw all the gears touching (meshing) at the same time! A sliding
mesh gearbox only has ONE pair of gears touching per stage. The others must have visible
physical gaps between them.
Step 5: Calculating the Number of Teeth (The Pure
Algebra Method)
To find the exact teeth for every gear, we rely on the rule that pairs on the same stage must
have the exact same Constant Sum ( ). There is no guessing involved.
Rule 1: Transmission Ratio ( ) - Two Ways to Find It:
Every line on your Ray Diagram represents one pair of gears. You must determine its specific
ratio ( ).
● Method A (The Raw Math): Divide the output speed (bottom dot) by the input speed (top
dot).
(Example: A line going from 250 rpm down to 200 rpm gives )
● Method B (The Visual Shortcut): Because the speeds are a geometric progression, you
can just count the vertical columns your line crosses on the diagram! Assuming
○ Line goes straight down
○ Line goes 1 column Right
○ Line goes 2 columns Right (which is )
○ Line goes 1 column Left
○ Line goes 3 columns Left
Rule 2: The Constant Sum ( ):
How to Calculate the Gears (Step-by-Step)
Part 1: Find the Constant Sum ( ) using the steepest reduction.
1. Look at your Ray Diagram for Stage 1. Find the ray with the largest speed reduction (the
smallest value of , which is the line slanting furthest to the left). Let's say it's
2. We know . Therefore, .
3. To keep sizes small, set the smaller gear (the driver) to the absolute minimum allowed:
4. Calculate its partner: . Round to 22.
5. Lock in the Sum: .
(Every other pair in Stage 1 must now sum to exactly 39!)
Part 2: Calculate the remaining pairs using the Algebra Formula.
For the remaining pairs in Stage 1, you know their specific ratio ( ) from the Ray Diagram, and
you know their sum is locked at .
Substitute into the sum equation:
The Master Formula for the remaining gears:
●
Example for Pair 2 (Ratio ):
(Check: . Ratio , which is close enough to 1).
● Example for Pair 3 (Ratio ):
(Check: . Ratio , close enough to 1.26).
🤫 The Databook Cheat Code (Tables 24.38 to 24.43)
If you look at Pages 24.32 to 24.34 in your uploaded PDF, the engineers who wrote the
databook did all this algebra for you!
Once you find your constant sum (e.g., ), you can literally just open the table to find
the teeth:
1. Go to the top row and find your sum (e.g., 40).
2. Go down the left column and find your ratio (e.g., ).
3. Look at the intersection: The table says 20:20.
(This means , . Done!)
If your sum is smaller than 40 (the tables start at 40), you just use the simple Algebra Formula
above. It works 100% of the time for any number!
🎥 Helpful Reference Video
For a complete visual walkthrough of drawing the Ray Diagram using the structural formula and
verifying the kinematic constraints (the 0.25 and 2 rule), refer to this video tutorial:
● Ray Diagram for 8 Speed Gear Box (YouTube)