• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.378-385
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• 2013

An epicyclic gearing system is compact and lightweight. However, it is difficult to share the driving force equally because the system has closed gear trains with multiple driving points, and it always has geometrical errors in the elements. Thus, in the case of planetary gears, the first problem is how to distribute the load evenly to the numerous planets. The method widely used abroad for this purpose is to utilize the elastic deformation of the components of the structure. However, the deflection is very complicated, and it is very easy for vibration problems to occur because of the decrease in the natural frequencies. Therefore, to equalize the load on the planets, this paper discusses the principle and theory behind the functioning of a floating intermediate ring. This magnifies the displacement of a planet's center arising from the equilibrium of the load and the lubricating film pressure, which improves the compliance of the planets. The results show that load equalization of the planets is possible through this improvement in their compliance.