Design and Analysis of Single-Stage Reduction Gear System for Radio-Controlled Aircraft

Reduction gears are very commonly used in the automotive and aviation industries. A propeller’s efficiency decreases rapidly as the speed of the blade tips nears the speed of sound. An engine reduction gear enables the engine to develop more torque while reducing the propeller’s revolutions per minute (RPM). This prevents the propeller’s efficiency from decreasing. This work deals with a detailed methodology for the design and analysis of a single-stage reduction gear. Custom pinion and wheel were modelled along with the engine assembly. A custom mount was designed and fabricated to allow for engine-reduction gear system integration. In this work, a 7.5 cubic centimeter (cc) single-cylinder glow engine is used. Bending and contact stress analysis was performed, and the results were compared with the calculated stress values. The torque demands were analyzed for propellers of different sizes at varying aircraft speeds. Quantitative analysis of thrust is also carried out before and after using the reduction gear system. Attaining this reduction gear system at this small scale is an accomplishment, and the results obtained reveal that the system achieved better torque, resulting in greater lifting capacity without altering the aircraft speed, which is desirable.