#transmission

Worm-gear engineering maths as an API, computed locally and deterministically — the ratio, lead-angle and efficiency numbers a machine designer or millwright sizes a worm drive with. The ratio endpoint gives the reduction = wheel teeth ÷ worm starts, so a single-start worm on a 40-tooth wheel is a big 40:1 reduction in one compact stage — the high ratio in a small package is the whole appeal of a worm drive. The geometry endpoint gives the lead (= starts × axial pitch, with axial pitch = π × module) and the lead angle = atan(lead ÷ (π × worm pitch diameter)), and tests for self-locking: a small lead angle (roughly under 5–6° for typical steel-on-bronze) means the wheel cannot back-drive the worm — invaluable for hoists and holding loads, at the cost of efficiency. The efficiency endpoint gives the mesh efficiency when the worm drives = tan(lead angle) ÷ tan(lead angle + friction angle), which is low for the small lead angles that give big ratios — often 50–70 %, which is why worm gears run warm and need good lubrication — while high-lead multi-start worms reach 90 %+; when the lead angle drops to the friction angle the drive becomes self-locking. Everything is computed locally and deterministically, so it is instant and private. Ideal for mechanical-design and gearbox tools, machine-building and CAD utilities, and engineering calculators. Pure local computation — no key, no third-party service, instant. Confirm self-locking dynamically — vibration can unlock a marginal pair. 3 compute endpoints. For spur gears use a spur-gear API; for a general ratio a gear-ratio API.

api.oanor.com/wormgear-api

Gear-train ratio, speed and torque maths as an API, computed locally and deterministically. The ratio endpoint computes the gear ratio of a single pair from the driver and driven tooth counts (or pitch diameters), ratio = N_driven/N_driver, classifies it as a reduction (more torque, less speed) or an overdrive, and — given an input speed and torque — returns the output speed (input/ratio) and the output torque (input·ratio·efficiency). The train endpoint computes a compound gear train: the overall ratio is the product of the individual stage ratios, and it returns each stage ratio, the output speed and torque, noting that idler gears change only the direction of rotation, not the ratio. The solve endpoint finds the missing one of the input speed, the output speed and the ratio from the other two — for example, the ratio needed to drop a 1500 rpm motor to a 500 rpm output. Everything is computed locally and deterministically, so it is instant and private. Ideal for drivetrain, robotics and machine-design tools, gearbox and transmission selection, bicycle and vehicle gearing, and mechanical-engineering education. Pure local computation — no key, no third-party service, instant. Live, nothing stored. 3 endpoints. This is gear-train ratio and torque; for spur-gear tooth geometry use a spur-gear API.

api.oanor.com/gearratio-api