Double Helical Gears

Double helical gears, or herringbone gears, overcome the problem of axial thrust presented by “single” helical gears, by having two sets of teeth that are set in a V shape. A double helical gear can be thought of as two mirrored helical gears joined together. This arrangement cancels out the net axial thrust, since each half of the gear thrusts in the opposite direction. However, double helical gears are more difficult to manufacture due to their more complicated shape.