This year there are national standards projects that are being developed, revised, and balloted that afford opportunities for participation in many areas of gearing. Individually each project may only be of interest to a relatively few number of people within the related industry segment, but collectively the many projects continue to advance gear technology in general. In addition to advancing the content of the standards, the AGMA development committee meetings are educational and allow the participants to network within their industry segment.
The United States' positions on ISO gear and coupling standards are formed by the ANSI Technical Advisory Groups that are guided by the appropriate national standards committee. In particular, the AGMA committee is also responsible for the U.S. input to the development of international standards. Therefore, participation on the related committee also provides information on the latest ISO and AGMA developments, and provides the ability to determine if these standards will have a substantive impact on your company's products and industry segment.
Opportunities for 2006
At any given time there are 15 to 20 active AGMA committees, which are always looking for new members to participate. Presently we are at the final stages of about 15 projects, but there are at least a dozen at earlier stages. The earlier a person becomes involved in the development process, the more that is learned, and the easier it is to influence the content. Some of the U.S. national standards projects presently under their initial development that may be of interest include:
Gear Materials and Heat Treatment:
- AGMA 2004, Revision Gear Materials and Heat Treatment Manual. Topics included are definitions, selection guidelines, quality control, and heat treatment processes such as through hardened, induction hardened, carburized, and nitrided gears.
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AGMA 6033, Revision Materials for Marine Propulsion Gearing. Identifies commonly used alloy steels, heat treatments, and inspection requirements for marine applications.
Helical Gear Capacity: -
AGMA 2101, Revision Fundamental Rating Factors and Calculation Methods for Involute Spur and Helical Gear Teeth (Based on ISO 6336). It specifies a method for calculating the pitting resistance and bending strength of involute spur and helical gear pairs.
Gear Cutting Tools: -
AGMA 1104, New Tolerance Specification for Shaper Cutters. The purpose is to provide specifications for nomenclature, dimensions, tolerances, and inspection of shaper cutters.
Mill Gear Capacity: -
AGMA 6115 (6005-B89 Replacement) Power Rating for Helical and Herringbone Gearing for Rolling Mill Service. This standard will specify a method for rating the pitting resistance and bending strength of single and double helical involute gear pairs as applied to metal rolling mills.
Gear Unit Components: -
AGMA 6001, Revision Design & Selection of Components for Enclosed Gear Drives. It gives basic practices for the design and selection of components such as shafts, keys, bearings, threaded fasteners, and housings.
Appropriate national standards projects, after completion, are often sent to the ISO Technical Committee for adoption as an international standard. By being involved you can help direct a portion of your industry toward the future while improving your own value, that of your company, and the industry as a whole. Detailed information on all of the standards, meetings scheduled, and how you may participate is provided on the AGMA Web site at [www.agma.org], or send an e-mail to tech@agma.org for information.
