Grooved Drive Shaft Structure for Misalignment Flexibility

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Solution Overview

Problem

Drive shafts in aerospace applications often experience misalignment between input and output, necessitating flexibility that existing designs with single tubular members and flexible diaphragms or grooves fail to adequately provide, especially under varying operational conditions.

Innovation Solution

The method involves forming grooves or detents on the outer surface of a drive shaft using molds that extend for less than 180°, allowing for flexibility while maintaining structural integrity, and optionally using bumps or varying groove distributions to enhance bending flexibility and mitigate stress concentrations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If flexible diaphragms are added to the drive shaft, then flexibility is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveflexibilityVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The drive shaft is segmented by forming grooves that divide the continuous tubular structure into sections. These grooves create detents that allow the shaft to flex and accommodate misalignment while maintaining structural integrity, eliminating the need for separate diaphragm components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Grooves are formed at specific locations along the drive shaft where flexibility is needed, rather than making the entire shaft flexible. This localized approach provides adaptability at critical points while maintaining rigidity elsewhere, reducing overall device complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Adaptability or versatility

If grooves extend across 360° on the shaft, then flexibility is improved, but strength decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveflexibilityVSAvoidstrength

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of forming complete 360° grooves that would compromise strength, the invention uses partial grooves that extend only for a portion of the circumference. These partial grooves create detents that provide flexibility for misalignment while leaving sufficient material to maintain structural strength.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Adaptability or versatility

If the drive shaft is made more flexible, then misalignment compensation is improved, but stress concentrations increase

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveflexibilityVSAvoidstress concentrations

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The grooves are formed with curved profiles that create smooth transitions and detents along the drive shaft. These curved features allow the shaft to flex gradually to accommodate misalignment while distributing stress more evenly, preventing sharp stress concentrations that would occur with abrupt geometric changes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Data Source

PatentUS11407165B2Methods of making components

Publication Date: 2022.08.09 HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORP

AI summary

A method of forming a component having grooves formed into an outer surface of a component includes the steps of applying at least one mold to an outer surface of a component preform. The mold is forced into contact with the outer surface to form a detent into the outer surface.