Flexible Drive Shaft Coupling With Compliant Flange Connection

The coupling is divided into multiple independent diaphragm elements (typically 3-5 diaphragms) arranged in parallel between the two flanges. Each diaphragm is a simple, standardized component with uniform thickness and geometry, rather than a single complex-shaped coupling piece. This segmentation allows each diaphragm to be manufactured independently using simpler, less expensive processes while collectively providing the required torsional load transfer capability through their combined structural action.

The design changes the geometric parameters of the coupling components from complex, non-uniform shapes with tight tolerances to simple, uniform diaphragm shapes with relaxed tolerances. The diaphragms have constant thickness and standard dimensions that can be produced by conventional stamping or bending processes. The torsional stiffness is achieved not through complex geometry but through the number, arrangement, and material properties of the diaphragms, fundamentally changing the design parameters from shape-critical to quantity-and-material-critical.

The diaphragms are designed as simple, inexpensive components that can be manufactured using low-cost stamping, punching, or bending processes rather than expensive precision machining. While individual diaphragms are simple and replaceable, their collective arrangement provides the required performance. The simplicity of each diaphragm allows for rapid production and easier replacement if needed, trading the longevity of a single complex component for the economy of multiple simple components.

The design extracts and eliminates the complex machining and welding operations from the manufacturing process. Instead of machining complex shapes and performing precision welding to achieve geometric tolerances, the solution uses simple diaphragm components that achieve coupling performance through their arrangement and elastic deformation characteristics rather than through precision-fitted complex geometries. The complex manufacturing steps are taken out and replaced with simpler forming operations.