Flexible Shaft Coupling for Misalignment Accommodation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rotational shaft couplings face challenges in maintaining precise alignment due to misalignment issues, particularly exacerbated by the length of power transmission shafts in cooling tower systems, where traditional torque tubes often fail to provide satisfactory alignment.
Innovation Solution
A coupling assembly featuring a flange member, flex elements, spacers, and a collar with specific patterns of fastener attachment points, allowing for flexible accommodation of misalignment through the use of fasteners that maintain spacing and alignment between components, enabling effective torque transmission while accommodating axial or angular misalignments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid torque tube is used to span between motor and gear box, then structural stability is improved, but alignment precision deteriorates due to inability to accommodate misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible coupling elements with radially extending flexible blades that can deflect to accommodate misalignment between shafts. These flexible blades maintain structural integrity while allowing angular and parallel misalignment, resolving the contradiction between structural stability and alignment precision by providing both rigidity for torque transmission and flexibility for misalignment accommodation.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling design allows dynamic change in the stiffness parameter of the flexible elements based on operating conditions. The flexible blades can deflect within specific angular ranges, effectively changing the coupling's alignment accommodation capability while maintaining torque transmission, thus resolving the contradiction between stability and precision.
2Shape
If the power transmission shaft is made longer to position motor outside fan swept area, then spatial arrangement is improved, but alignment difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible coupling elements compensate for misalignment that occurs over long shaft lengths, allowing the motor to be positioned optimally outside the fan swept area while maintaining proper alignment through the flexible blades' ability to deflect and accommodate angular and parallel misalignment.
3Device complexity
If traditional torque tube coupling is used, then device simplicity is improved, but alignment accommodation capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces flexible blades with specific geometric features into the coupling design, adding minimal complexity while dramatically improving alignment accommodation capability. The flexible elements can deflect to accommodate misalignment while maintaining a relatively simple overall coupling structure, resolving the contradiction between simplicity and adaptability.
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 coupling assembly effectively transmits rotational power while accommodating misalignment between shafts, ensuring reliable operation and reducing maintenance complexities in cooling tower systems by providing a flexible and robust connection between motor and gear box.
Implementation Method 1
a first set of fasteners passes through all of the outer attachment points to fasten the flex element and the flange to each other maintaining spacing between the flange and the flex element
Implementation Method 2
A second set of fasteners passes through all the inner attachment points to fasten the flex element and the collar together
Data Source
AI summary
A coupling assembly that provides rotational shaft couplings or connections. The aforementioned coupling assembly pertains to such connections or couplings which can transmit rotational torque between two shafts and/or hubs, while accommodating center-line misalignment between the shafts on both sides of the coupling wherein the coupling assembly may be provided at each end of a shaft or the like.