Flex Coupling Assembly With Restricted Bending and NVH Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dampening couplers in automotive shaft assemblies compromise noise and vibration dampening to meet increased bending stiffness requirements, sacrificing their effectiveness in isolating noise and vibrations from the driver.
Innovation Solution
A flex coupling assembly with an inner and outer housing, a resilient flex coupling, and an annular band that decouples axial and torsional stiffness from bending stiffness, allowing adjustable bending stiffness without affecting torsional and axial stiffness or dampening performance, using a metal core overmolded with an elastomeric body and a retention member to enhance bending rigidity and dampening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If known dampening couplers are used to reduce noise and vibration, then noise and vibration dampening is improved, but bending stiffness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The dampening coupler is segmented into an inner housing, outer housing, and resilient flex coupling components. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for specific functions: the resilient flex coupling provides dampening while the housing structures provide bending stiffness support.
Solution Approach 2:
The dampening coupler uses composite construction combining resilient material (for dampening) with rigid housing structures (for bending stiffness). The inner and outer housings may include reinforcement elements or ribs that provide bending stiffness while the resilient flex coupling provides noise and vibration isolation.
2Strength
If bending stiffness is increased to meet manufacturer requirements, then bending stiffness is improved, but noise and vibration dampening effectiveness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Different parts of the dampening coupler have different stiffness characteristics optimized for their specific functions. The housing structures and mounting points have high bending stiffness, while the resilient flex coupling region has low stiffness for effective dampening. This local differentiation allows the system to meet overall bending stiffness requirements while maintaining dampening effectiveness at critical locations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides robust, durable, and economical noise and vibration dampening while meeting increased bending stiffness demands, allowing for independent adjustment of stiffnesses and maintaining effective dampening performance.
Implementation Method 1
a resilient flex coupling is fixed to the inner housing in the inner housing cavity
Implementation Method 2
to dampen the transmission of noise and vibration between the first shaft and second shaft
Data Source
AI summary
A flex coupling assembly for coupling a first shaft to a second shaft of a shaft assembly. The flex coupling assembly decouples axial and torsional stiffness from bending stiffness of the shaft assembly, thereby dampening the transmission of noise and vibration between the first and second shafts. The flex coupling assembly includes an inner housing subassembly and an outer housing subassembly. The inner housing subassembly includes an inner housing and a resilient flex coupling disposed in an outer housing cavity of an outer housing of the outer housing subassembly. A retention member is fixed to an outer housing to retain the inner housing subassembly in the outer housing cavity. The inner and outer housing subassemblies can rotate and translate relative to a common axis, while the inner and the outer housings restrict bending between the inner and outer housing subassemblies, thereby restricting bending between the first and second shafts.