Flexible Coupling Torque Insert Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flexible couplings face issues with torque transmission and misalignment, as the metal retainer bands can 'walk-off' the belt when shafts are grossly misaligned, leading to coupling disassembly and axial thrusts that can cause undesirable hub movement.
Innovation Solution
A flexible coupling design featuring a flexible plastic torque transmitting belt with equally spaced lobes and radial segments, which engages both the hub and retainer components, providing improved torque transmission and reduced axial thrusts by distributing stress uniformly and accommodating minor misalignments without axial forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a metal retainer band is used to retain the belt, then the belt can be retained in position, but the band may 'walk-off' the belt when shafts are grossly misaligned
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the rigid metal retainer band with a flexible retainer band made of resilient material that can flex and deform. This flexibility allows the retainer to accommodate shaft misalignment without generating harmful axial thrusts, while still effectively retaining the belt in position through its elastic properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameter of the retainer band from rigid metal to flexible resilient material. This parameter change transforms the retainer's mechanical behavior, enabling it to absorb misalignment stresses through elastic deformation rather than transmitting them as axial thrusts to the hubs.
2Reliability
If axial grooves and pins are used to position the metal band, then the band can be retained, but the coupling may still come apart under gross misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible retainer band replaces the rigid pinned groove system, providing continuous flexible retention rather than discrete rigid contact points. This allows the retainer to adapt to various misalignment conditions while maintaining belt retention, eliminating the 'walk-off' problem that occurs with rigid pin-and-groove systems under gross misalignment.
3Device complexity
If a rigid metal band is used, then the structure is simple, but it cannot accommodate thermal growth and misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible retainer band maintains structural simplicity while incorporating flexibility to accommodate thermal expansion and misalignment. The elastic material allows the retainer to expand and deform with thermal growth without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms, combining simplicity with adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the thermal expansion principle by employing a flexible retainer band that can expand and contract with temperature changes. The resilient material's elastic properties allow it to accommodate thermal growth of the coupling components without generating harmful stresses or requiring complex compensation mechanisms.
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 design enhances torque transmission capacity by ⅓, reduces axial thrust loads, and allows for greater shaft separation, accommodating thermal growth while preventing equipment damage from overload through shear protection.
Implementation Method 1
a flexible plastic torque transmitting belt or insert 107 adapted to transmit torque between the hub component and retainer component
Implementation Method 2
Each lobe further has an outer surface of a same selected first width and an outer perimeter including a rounded portion
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible coupling and flexible belt or insert therefor, the belt or insert comprising a plurality of equally spaced circumferentially disposed identically shaped lobes centrally joined together by radial segments of a constant width.