alt Hacker NewsThe simplest explanations I have found for involute gears is from one of those old 50's training films[0]. Not sure if this is the same one, but the first few minutes give a very intuitive explanation of where the involute shape comes from.
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_xerces_ • 11/23/2024
This old training video is great too, it also mentions the idea touched upon in the article that gear teeth are levers:
Spinning Levers - How A Transmission Works (1936) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOLtS4VUcvQ
The idea of shining polarized light through gears made of Lucite to view the stress lines at the point of tooth contact is genius!