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Gear-train rotational system transfer function

Short answer

Reflect all impedances to the N₃ shaft: input torque becomes 3T, load damping becomes 1 N·m·s/rad. Write equations for J=1, D=2, K=3, D_load=1, solve for θ₃, then θ_L = 5θ₃, giving θ_L(s)/T(s) = 45/[s(s²+5s+9)].

Find the transfer function θL(s)/T(s) of the mechanical rotational system shown below. [Figure: torque T(t) applied to gear N1 = 11, which drives gear N2 = 33; N2 is on a shaft with inertia 1 kg-m² and a viscous damper 2 N-m-s/rad, followed by a torsional spring 3 N-m/rad connected to gear N3 = 50; N3 drives gear N4 = 10, whose shaft (angle θL(t)) has viscous damping 0.04 N-m-s/rad to the frame]

Reflect everything to one shaft. Mechanical impedances move across a gear pair by (Ndest/Nsource)2(N_{dest}/N_{source})^2, and torques by Ndest/NsourceN_{dest}/N_{source}.

Step 1: Reflect the input torque to the N2N_2 shaft

T2=T N2N1=T⋅3311=3TT_2 = T\,\frac{N_2}{N_1} = T\cdot\frac{33}{11} = 3T

Step 2: Reflect the load damping to the N3N_3 shaft

Deq=0.04(N3N4)2=0.04(5010)2=1 N-m-s/radD_{eq} = 0.04\left(\frac{N_3}{N_4}\right)^2 = 0.04\left(\frac{50}{10}\right)^2 = 1\ \text{N-m-s/rad}

Step 3: Equivalent system

Let θ2\theta_2 = angle of the N2N_2 shaft (with J=1J = 1, D=2D = 2) and θ3\theta_3 = angle of gear N3N_3 (end of the spring, K=3K = 3, carrying the reflected damping 1):

 3T ─► [J=1, D=2] ──spring K=3── (θ3) ── D=1 ─► frame
        θ2

Equations (Laplace):

(s2+2s+3) θ2−3 θ3=3T−3 θ2+(s+3) θ3=0\begin{aligned} (s^2 + 2s + 3)\,\theta_2 - 3\,\theta_3 &= 3T \\ -3\,\theta_2 + (s + 3)\,\theta_3 &= 0 \end{aligned}

Step 4: Solve

From the second equation θ2=(s+3)3θ3\theta_2 = \dfrac{(s+3)}{3}\theta_3. Substituting:

[(s2+2s+3)(s+3)3−3]θ3=3T[(s3+5s2+9s+9)−9]θ3=9Tθ3(s)T(s)=9s(s2+5s+9)\begin{aligned} \left[\frac{(s^2+2s+3)(s+3)}{3} - 3\right]\theta_3 &= 3T \\ \left[(s^3 + 5s^2 + 9s + 9) - 9\right]\theta_3 &= 9T \\ \frac{\theta_3(s)}{T(s)} &= \frac{9}{s(s^2 + 5s + 9)} \end{aligned}

Step 5: Output shaft

θL=θ3 N3N4=5 θ3\theta_L = \theta_3\,\frac{N_3}{N_4} = 5\,\theta_3

Answer:

θL(s)T(s)=45s(s2+5s+9)\frac{\theta_L(s)}{T(s)} = \frac{45}{s(s^2 + 5s + 9)}

The pole at s=0s=0 appears because no spring ties the system to the frame, so a constant torque gives a steadily increasing angle.

✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)

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