W ORM DRIVE

W HAT IS IT ? A worm drive is a gear arrangement in which a worm (which is a gear in the form of a screw) meshes with a worm gear (which is similar in appearance to a spur gear, and is also called a worm wheel). Like other gear arrangements, a worm drive can reduce rotational speed or allow higher torque to be transmitted. The image shows a section of a gear box with a worm gear being driven by a worm. A worm is an example of a screw, one of the six simple machines.

SECTION OF A GEAR types of screws and gears

USE IN REAL LIFE A worm drive controlling a gate. Worm drives are used in presses, in rolling mills, in conveying engineering, in mining industry machines, and on rudders. Worm gears are used on many lift (elevator) and escalator

Worm drives are used as the tuning mechanism for many musical instruments, including guitars, mandolins, which use planetary gears. A worm drive tuning device is called a machine head.

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