The loaded flank of a gear tooth during normal driving. The opposite flank, the coast side, carries load only when power flows backward, as during engine braking or overrunning. In a hypoid ring gear the drive side is the convex side of the tooth and the coast side the concave side, and both patterns are checked at setup because each tells something different about pinion position.
Drive side pattern is centered, coast side is a touch toward the toe, that's close enough to button it up.
Also heard as
- loaded flank
- drive flank
Related terms
Contact pattern
The imprint left on gear teeth by marking compound after running, showing where and how the teeth touch.
Set the pattern
Shop phrase for adjusting pinion depth and backlash on a bevel or hypoid set until the contact pattern is right.
Heel and toe
The outer, wide end (heel) and inner, narrow end (toe) of a bevel or hypoid gear tooth.
Ring and pinion
Shop name for the hypoid final drive in a vehicle axle, named by its ratio, such as 3.73 or 4.10.