Hypoid gears with low shaft angles

A method for providing a bevel gear pair having a first bevel gear member and a second bevel gear member, said bevel gear pair further comprising:

• a shaft angle (AWI) between said first and second members being in the range of greater than zero degrees to 30 degrees, and
• a hypoid offset (TTX) between said first and second members being in the range of greater than zero to the sum of half the mean pitch diameters of said first and second members,
• wherein said method comprises the steps of:
• providing for the first member a pitch angle (Ygear-hypoid) which is changed, in dependency of the hypoid offset (TTX), with respect to that of a reference bevel gear pair (10, 12) with the same shaft angle (AWI) and the same mean pitch diameter of the provided second member but with no offset,
• wherein the crossing point (R3-Zgear) of the axis (Zgear) of the provided second member and the axis (Zpin) of the provided first member is set at a distance (ZTKR2***) from the pitch apex of the provided second member, said distance (ZTKR2***) being based on said changed pitch angle (Ygear-hypoid) and on a displacement (ΔS;
• ΔS*) of the axis of the first member, said displacement (ΔS;
• ΔS*) being orthogonal to the offset direction and re-establishing the center distance of the reference bevel gear pair.