Application of Mechanical Gear Shafts in the Field of Construction Machinery
As the “neural hub” of the transmission system in construction machinery, the gear shaft undertakes the core missions of power transmission, torque conversion and motion control. Therefore, whether it is excavators, cranes or loaders, they all adopt the mechanical gear shafts as a core component — the “source of power” that determines the reliability and service life of these machines. So, what are the specific applications of this shaft in the field of construction machinery? This article will explore this with you.
1. Cranes
Thanks to its exceptional load-bearing capacity and fatigue strength, mechanical gear shafts serves as the “load-bearing transmitter” for the lifting safety of cranes, with core applications in the hoisting mechanism, slewing mechanism, and luffing mechanism. For example, in the hoisting mechanism of tower cranes, the mechanical shaft is connected to the drum. Through gear meshing, it transmits power to the drum, converting the high-speed rotation of the motor into the low-speed and high-torque output of the drum to achieve the lifting and lowering of goods. To meet such high-intensity work requirements, gear shafts are usually made of high-strength alloy steel.
In cranes, its main applications include slewing bearing drive gear shafts, winch system reducer gear shafts, telescopic mechanism drive shafts, and mounting shafts for various transmission gears. These shaft forgings in cranes are responsible for adjusting lifting speed and traction, ensuring that heavy objects are stable and controllable during lifting, lowering, and movement, making it possible to accurately control lifting weights ranging from several tons to hundreds of tons.
Songjie Case: A large crane manufacturer from Poland customized our gear shafts for their crane’s main transmission system. This achieved more stable torque output, maintained meshing stability under high-load operations, reduced maintenance frequency, and ensured high torque output while keeping low noise and low wear.
2. Excavators
In excavators, a type of large-scale mechanical equipment, forged gear shafts are core components in key parts such as power transmission systems, slewing mechanisms, traveling systems, and excavator arm control systems. They can withstand the enormous reverse impact force during excavation. For example, in the excavator arm control system, the lifting, lowering, telescoping, and retracting movements of the boom, arm, and bucket are all achieved by mechanical gear shafts driving hydraulic cylinders. This enables precise control of the excavator arm’s movements for efficient excavation. Statistics show that excavators equipped with high-performance gear shafts have an excavation efficiency 15% – 20% higher than traditional products, significantly accelerating project progress.
In excavators, the main application positions include slewing mechanism gear shafts, traveling reducer gear shafts, hydraulic pump drive shafts, etc.
Songjie Case: A customer from New Zealand customized alloy steel mechanical gear shafts from us for the drive system of crawler excavators. These shafts connect the engine to the hydraulic pump, realizing torque amplification and helping the crawler move smoothly. Meanwhile, during the telescoping and rotation of the excavator arm, the gear shafts ensure precise torque transmission and prevent equipment jitter. Simply put, they are like the “joints” of the excavator, allowing the bucket to efficiently excavate soil or rocks.
3. Loaders
Loaders adopt a compound transmission mode of hydraulic torque converter + mechanical gearbox, and mechanical gear shafts is the key connecting the two. It undertakes the functions of power distribution and speed regulation, endures frequent impact from forward and reverse reversing, and serves as the core support for efficient material loading and transportation. It can transmit engine power to the bucket lifting mechanism and traveling system, enabling the equipment to quickly complete loading, handling, unloading and other operations at construction sites and mines.
The gear shafts for loaders are mainly applied in gearboxes, steering systems and drive axles, including helical gear shafts, planetary gear shafts, input gear shafts of gearboxes, etc.
Songjie Case: A customer adopted the specially designed splined mechanical gear shafts provided by us in the drive shaft system of a certain wheel loader. This effectively enhanced torque transmission capacity, simplified the assembly process, improved production efficiency, and enabled the loader to easily handle the transportation of heavy-load materials.
4. Road Rollers
In road rollers, mechanical gear shafts are widely used in the equipment’s vibration mechanism, steering mechanism, and traveling system, thanks to their excellent fatigue resistance, wear resistance, and stability. They can not only withstand high-frequency alternating loads, improve compaction efficiency and operational stability, but also adjust vibration frequency, converting engine power into the pressure required for compaction.
The main applications of mechanical gear shafts include drive shafts, vibration shafts, gear shafts for reduction systems, and eccentric gear shafts inside vibration wheels, etc.
Songjie Case: A machinery manufacturer from Chile purchased our mechanical gear shafts for their road rollers. This allows the machines to accurately control the speed and torque of the steel wheels when compacting various pavement materials, achieving uniform compaction of the road surface. It effectively reduces the pavement void ratio, improves the pavement’s load-bearing capacity and impermeability, and serves as the power source ensuring the road roller’s stable operation and uniform pavement compaction.
Conclusion
In the field of construction machinery, mechanical gear shafts are not only applied to the above-mentioned equipment but also used in engineering machinery such as bulldozers, crushers, graders, and milling machines. They not only bear high-intensity torque but also achieve precise control of speed and direction through precision transmission. Beyond the construction machinery sector, automotive gear shafts also play an important role in the automobile manufacturing industry, providing strong support.