Spline Lock Shaft System for Axial Load Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing coupling shaft systems experience axial load transfer issues during mechanical energy transmission, leading to wear and degradation of components, as axial loading is not effectively managed when connecting and disconnecting.

Innovation Solution

A coupling shaft assembly system with a spline lock body and a main coupling shaft body, featuring a locking bolt, phasing slot, and phasing tab, which aligns and locks the spline teeth to prevent axial movement and reduce axial load transfer by maintaining a fixed axial position with respect to the drive shaft.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Power

If a coupling shaft system uses splines to transfer mechanical energy, then mechanical energy transfer is achieved, but axial loading is generated causing wear and degradation of components

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemechanical energy transferVSAvoidaxial loading wear
Core Design Contradiction:
PowerVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The coupling shaft system is divided into separate components: a coupling shaft spline lock body with spline lock spline teeth, a main coupling shaft body with input spline teeth, and a locking bolt. This segmentation allows the axial load to be isolated and managed separately from the mechanical energy transfer function, reducing wear on components while maintaining power transmission capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The locking bolt acts as an intermediary element that retains the coupling shaft spline lock body in fixed communication with the main coupling shaft body. This intermediary component absorbs and manages axial loading forces, preventing them from being transferred to other system components, while allowing the spline teeth to continue transferring mechanical energy efficiently.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If the coupling shaft assembly is allowed to move axially during connection and disconnection, then ease of operation is improved, but axial load transfer to other components increases causing wear

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconnection and disconnectionVSAvoidaxial load transfer
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The locking bolt and phasing tab mechanism are designed to preemptively counteract axial movement before it can occur during operation. The phasing slot with locked and unlocked portions provides a preliminary constraint that prevents axial inertial movement, thereby preventing axial load transfer to other components while maintaining ease of connection and disconnection through the controlled phasing mechanism.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

3Object-affected harmful factors

If the coupling shaft assembly is locked in fixed axial position, then axial load transfer is reduced, but device complexity increases due to additional locking mechanisms

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaxial load transferVSAvoidlocking mechanism
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The locking function is merged with the existing spline structure by integrating the locking bolt with the coupling shaft spline lock body and main coupling shaft body. The phasing tab and phasing slot mechanism is combined with the spline teeth alignment, creating a unified structure that achieves axial load reduction without requiring entirely separate locking components, thereby minimizing the increase in device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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 system effectively limits axial inertial movement and reaction forces, ensuring consistent axial load transfer and reducing wear by locking the coupling shaft assembly in a fixed axial position, thereby minimizing the transfer of axial loads to other components.

Implementation Method 1

rotating the coupling shaft assembly system; transmitting an inertial torque to the locking bolt in response to the rotating; and rotating the locking bolt in response to the torque

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectInertial torque: Inertia

Data Source

PatentEP2913550B1Spline lock shaft locking system
Publication Date: 2019.03.06 HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORP
  • EP2913550B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2913550B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2913550B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A coupling shaft assembly system (200) is disclosed. A coupling shaft assembly system (200) may have a coupling shaft spline lock body (204) having spline lock spline teeth (206), a main coupling shaft body (212) having input spline teeth (202), and a locking bolt (208), wherein the locking bolt (208) retains the coupling shaft spline lock body (204) in substantially fixed communication with the main coupling shaft body (212), wherein the coupling shaft spline lock body (204) retains the coupling shaft assembly system (200) in mechanical communication with a power shaft (300). In this manner, a coupling shaft assembly system (200) may reduce the axial forces transferred by the coupling shaft assembly system (200).