This paper from members of the Ministry of Defence (Navy) reviews the service in the Royal Navy of main propulsion gearboxes incorporating surface-hardened gears. The introduction of surface hardening for warship gears is described and the gear designs in use in the Fleet are discussed. Comment is made on the problems of procurement of surface-hardened gears. The very few defects experienced are described, some unexplained since they are of such a minor nature that the gears have not been removed and no full report is available. The paper concludes by indicating the Royal Navy's continued reliance on surface-hardened gears at even higher loads as a result of their research work.
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