A pinion is a round
gear
A gear or gearwheel is a rotating machine part typically used to transmit rotational motion and/or torque by means of a series of teeth that engage with compatible teeth of another gear or other part. The teeth can be integral saliences or ...
—usually the smaller of two meshed gears—used in several applications, including
drivetrain
A drivetrain (also frequently spelled as drive train or sometimes drive-train) or transmission system, is the group of components that deliver mechanical power from the prime mover to the driven components. In automotive engineering, the driv ...
and
rack and pinion
rack and pinion is a type of linear actuator that comprises a circular gear (the '' pinion'') engaging a linear gear (the ''rack''). Together, they convert between rotational motion and linear motion: rotating the pinion causes the rack to be d ...
systems.
Applications
Drivetrain
Drivetrain
A drivetrain (also frequently spelled as drive train or sometimes drive-train) or transmission system, is the group of components that deliver mechanical power from the prime mover to the driven components. In automotive engineering, the driv ...
s usually feature a gear known as the pinion, which may vary in different systems, including
* the typically smaller gear in a
gear drive train (although in the first commercially successful steam locomotive—the ''
Salamanca
Salamanca () is a Municipality of Spain, municipality and city in Spain, capital of the Province of Salamanca, province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the ...
''—the ''pinion'' was rather large).
In many cases, such as
remote control
A remote control, also known colloquially as a remote or clicker, is an consumer electronics, electronic device used to operate another device from a distance, usually wirelessly. In consumer electronics, a remote control can be used to operat ...
led
toy
A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and p ...
s, the pinion is also the
drive gear
Drive or The Drive may refer to:
Motoring
* Driving, the act of controlling a vehicle
* Road trip, a journey on roads
Roadways
Roadways called "drives" may include:
* Driveway, a private road for local access to structures, abbreviated "drive"
* ...
for a reduction in speed, since electric motors operate at higher speed and lower torque than desirable at the wheels. However the reverse is true in watches, where gear trains commence with a high-torque, low-speed spring and terminate in the fast-and-weak escapement.
* the smaller gear that drives in a
90-degree angle towards a
crown gear
A crown gear (also known as a face gear or a contrate gear) is a gear which has teeth that project at right angles to the face of the wheel. In particular, a crown gear is a type of bevel gear where the pitch cone angle is 90 degrees. A pitch c ...
in a
differential drive.
* the small front
sprocket
A sprocket, sprocket-wheel or chainwheel is a profiled wheel
A wheel is a rotating component (typically circular in shape) that is intended to turn on an axle Bearing (mechanical), bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the whe ...
on a
chain driven motorcycle.
*the clutch bell gear when paired with a
centrifugal clutch
A centrifugal clutch is an automatic clutch that uses centrifugal force to operate. The output shaft is disengaged at lower rotational speed and engages as the output increases to a certain speed. It is often used in mopeds, underbones, lawn mower ...
, in
radio-controlled car
Radio-controlled cars, or RC cars for short, are miniature vehicles (cars, vans, buses, buggies, etc.) controlled via radio.
Nitro powered models use glow plug engines, small internal combustion engines fuelled by a special mixture of n ...
s with an
engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy.
Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ge ...
(e.g.,
nitro
Nitro may refer to:
Chemistry
*Nitrogen, a chemical element and a gas except at very low temperatures, with which many compounds are formed:
**Nitro compound, an organic compound containing one or more nitro functional groups, -NO2
**Nitro ligand ...
).
Rack and pinion
In
rack and pinion
rack and pinion is a type of linear actuator that comprises a circular gear (the '' pinion'') engaging a linear gear (the ''rack''). Together, they convert between rotational motion and linear motion: rotating the pinion causes the rack to be d ...
systems, the pinion is the round gear that engages and moves along the linear rack.
See also
*
List of gear nomenclature
This page lists the standard US nomenclature used in the description of mechanical gear construction and function, together with definitions of the terms. The terminology was established by the American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA), und ...
References
Gears
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