Coupling

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Rotating coupling
An improvised flexible coupling made of car tire
pieces connects the drive shafts of an engine and a
water pump. This one is used to cancel out
misalignment and vibrations.

A coupling is a device used to connect two

shafts together at their ends for the
purpose of transmitting power. The
primary purpose of couplings is to join two
pieces of rotating equipment while
permitting some degree of misalignment
or end movement or both. In a more
general context, a coupling can also be a
mechanical device that serves to connect
the ends of adjacent parts or objects.[1]
Couplings do not normally allow
disconnection of shafts during operation,
however there are torque limiting
couplings which can slip or disconnect
when some torque limit is exceeded.
Selection, installation and maintenance of
couplings can lead to reduced
maintenance time and maintenance cost.

Uses
Shaft couplings are used in machinery for
several purposes. A primary function is to
transfer power from one end to another
end (ex: motor transfer power to pump
through coupling).

Other common uses:

To alter the vibration characteristics of

rotating units
To connect driving and the driven part
To introduce protection
To reduce the transmission of shock
loads from one shaft to another
To slip when overload occurs

Types
Clamped or compression rigid couplings
come in two parts and fit together around
the shafts to form a sleeve. They offer
more flexibility than sleeved models, and
can be used on shafts that are fixed in
place. They generally are large enough so
that screws can pass all the way through
the coupling and into the second half to
ensure a secure hold. Flanged rigid
couplings are designed for heavy loads or
industrial equipment. They consist of
short sleeves surrounded by a
perpendicular flange. One coupling is
placed on each shaft so the two flanges
line up face to face. A series of screws or
bolts can then be installed in the flanges to
hold them together. Because of their size
and durability, flanged units can be used to
bring shafts into alignment before they are
joined together.

Examples of rigid couplings …

Rigid couplings are used when precise

shaft alignment is required; shaft
misalignment will affect the coupling's
performance as well as its life.

Beam coupling …
A beam coupling

A beam coupling, also known as helical

coupling, is a flexible coupling for
transmitting torque between two shafts
while allowing for angular misalignment,
parallel offset and even axial motion, of
one shaft relative to the other. This design
utilizes a single piece of material and
becomes flexible by removal of material
along a spiral path resulting in a curved
flexible beam of helical shape. Since it is
made from a single piece of material, the
Beam Style coupling does not exhibit the
backlash found in some multi-piece
couplings. Another advantage of being an
all machined coupling is the possibility to
incorporate features into the final product
while still keep the single piece integrity.

Changes to the lead of the helical beam

provide changes to misalignment
capabilities as well as other performance
characteristics such as torque capacity
and torsional stiffness. It is even possible
to have multiple starts within the same
helix.
The material used to manufacture the
beam coupling also affects its
performance and suitability for specific
applications such as food, medical and
aerospace. Materials are typically
aluminum alloy and stainless steel, but
they can also be made in acetal, maraging
steel and titanium. The most common
applications are attaching rotary encoders
to shafts and motion control for robotics.
A beam coupling with optional features
machined into it

Increasing number of coils allows for

greater angular misalignment
Bellows coupling E…

Metal bellows

low backlash

Bushed pin coupling …

Bush pin type flange coupling …

This is used for slightly imperfect

alignment of the two shafts.

This is modified form of the protected type

flange coupling. This type of coupling has
pins and it works with coupling bolts. The
rubber or leather bushes are used over the
pins. The coupling has two halves
dissimilar in construction. The pins are
rigidly fastened by nuts to one of the
flange and kept loose on the other flange.
This coupling is used to connect shafts
which have a small parallel misalignment,
angular misalignment or axial
misalignment. In this coupling the rubber
bushing absorbs shocks and vibration
during its operations. This type of coupling
is mostly used to couple electric motors
and machines.

Constant velocity …
There are various types of constant-
velocity (CV) couplings: Rzeppa joint,
Double cardan joint, and Thompson
coupling.

Clamp or split-muff coupling …

In this coupling, the muff or sleeve is made

into two halves parts of the cast iron and
they are joined together by means of mild
steel studs or bolts. The advantages of
this coupling is that assembling or
disassembling of the coupling is possible
without changing the position of the shaft.
This coupling is used for heavy power
transmission at moderate speed.
Diaphragm …

Diaphragm couplings transmit torque from

the outside diameter of a flexible plate to
the inside diameter, across the spool or
spacer piece, and then from inside to
outside diameter. The deforming of a plate
or series of plates from I.D. to O.D
accomplishes the misalignment.

Disc …

Disc couplings transmit torque from a

driving to a driven bolt tangentially on a
common bolt circle. Torque is transmitted
between the bolts through a series of thin,
stainless steel discs assembled in a pack.
Misalignment is accomplished by
deforming of the material between the
bolts.

Donut coupling …

Elastic …

An elastic coupling (for connecting a windsurfing sail

rig to the board).

An elastic coupling transmits torque or

other load by means of an elastic
component. One example is the coupling
used to join a windsurfing rig (sail, mast,
and components) to the sailboard.[2] In
windsurfing terminology it is usually called
a "universal joint", but modern designs are
usually based on a strong flexible material,
and better technically described as an
elastic coupling. They can be tendon or
hourglass-shaped, and are constructed of
a strong and durable elastic material. In
this application, the coupling does not
transmit torque, but instead transmits sail-
power to the board, creating thrust (some
portion of sail-power is also transmitted
through the rider's body).

Elastomeric coupling …
Flexible …

Flexible couplings are usually used to

transmit torque from one shaft to another
when the two shafts are slightly
misaligned. They can accommodate
varying degrees of misalignment up to 1.5°
and some parallel misalignment. They can
also be used for vibration damping or
noise reduction. In rotating shaft
applications a flexible coupling can protect
the driving and driven shaft components
(such as bearings) from the harmful
effects of conditions such as misaligned
shafts, vibration, shock loads, and thermal
expansion of the shafts or other
components.

Fluid …

Gear …

A gear coupling

A gear coupling is a mechanical device for

transmitting torque between two shafts
that are not collinear. It consists of a
flexible joint fixed to each shaft. The two
joints are connected by a third shaft, called
the spindle.

Each joint consists of a 1:1 gear ratio

internal/external gear pair. The tooth
flanks and outer diameter of the external
gear are crowned to allow for angular
displacement between the two gears.
Mechanically, the gears are equivalent to
rotating splines with modified profiles.
They are called gears because of the
relatively large size of the teeth.

Gear couplings and universal joints are

used in similar applications. Gear
couplings have higher torque densities
than universal joints designed to fit a given
space while universal joints induce lower
vibrations. The limit on torque density in
universal joints is due to the limited cross
sections of the cross and yoke. The gear
teeth in a gear coupling have high
backlash to allow for angular
misalignment. The excess backlash can
contribute to vibration.

Gear couplings are generally limited to

angular misalignments, i.e., the angle of
the spindle relative to the axes of the
connected shafts, of 4–5°. Universal joints
are capable of higher misalignments.
Single joint gear couplings are also used
to connect two nominally coaxial shafts. In
this application the device is called a gear-
type flexible, or flexible coupling. The
single joint allows for minor
misalignments such as installation errors
and changes in shaft alignment due to
operating conditions. These types of gear
couplings are generally limited to angular
misalignments of 1/4–1/2°.

Geislinger coupling …

Giubo ( sometimes misspelled as guibo) ,

also known as a flex disc, or Boschi joint
Grid …

A grid coupling is composed of two shaft

hubs, a metallic grid spring, and a split
cover kit. Torque is transmitted between
the two coupling shaft hubs through the
metallic grid spring element.

Like metallic gear and disc couplings, grid

couplings have a high torque density. A
benefit of grid couplings, over either gear
or disc couplings, is the ability their grid
coupling spring elements have to absorb
and spread peak load impact energy over
time. This reduces the magnitude of peak
loads and offers some vibration
dampening capability. A negative of the
grid coupling design is that it generally is
very limited in its ability to accommodate
the misalignment.[3]

Hirth …

Hirth joints use tapered teeth on two shaft

ends meshed together to transmit torque.

Hydrodynamic coupling (fluid coupling) …

Jaw coupling (or Spider or Lovejoy

coupling) …
Magnetic coupling …

A [magnetic] coupling uses magnetic

forces to transmit the power from one
shaft to another without any contact. This
allows for full medium separation.
Therefore can provide the ability to
hermetically separate two areas whilst
continuing to transmit mechanical power
from one to the other making these
couplings ideal for applications where
prevention of cross contamination is
essential.

Schmidt coupling …

Oldham …
Animated Oldham coupler

An Oldham coupling has three discs, one

coupled to the input, one coupled to the
output, and a middle disc that is joined to
the first two by tongue and groove. The
tongue and groove on one side is
perpendicular to the tongue and groove on
the other. The middle disc rotates around
its center at the same speed as the input
and output shafts. Its center traces a
circular orbit, twice per rotation, around the
midpoint between input and output shafts.
Often springs are used to reduce backlash
of the mechanism. An advantage to this
type of coupling, as compared to two
universal joints, is its compact size. The
coupler is named for John Oldham who
invented it in Ireland, in 1821, to solve a
problem in a paddle steamer design.
 Oldham coupler, assembled

Oldham coupler, disassembled

Sleeve, box, or muff coupling …

A sleeve coupling consists of a pipe
whose bore is finished to the required
tolerance based on the shaft size. Based
on the usage of the coupling a keyway is
made in the bore in order to transmit the
torque by means of the key. Two threaded
holes are provided in order to lock the
coupling in position.

Sleeve couplings are also known as box

Couplings. In this case shaft ends are
coupled together and abutted against
each other which are enveloped by muff or
sleeve.
A gib head sunk keys hold the two shafts
and sleeve together (this is the simplest
type of the coupling) It is made from the
cast iron and very simple to design and
manufacture. It consists of a hollow pipe
whose inner diameter is same as diameter
of the shafts. The hollow pipe is fitted over
a two or more ends of the shafts with the
help of the taper sunk key. A key and
sleeve are useful to transmit power from
one shaft to another shaft.

Tapered shaft lock …

A tapered lock is a form of keyless shaft

locking device[4] that does not require any
material to be removed from the shaft. The
basic idea is similar to a clamp coupling
but the moment of rotation is closer to the
center of the shaft.[5] An alternative
coupling device to the traditional parallel
key, the tapered lock removes the
possibility of play due to worn
keyways.[6][7][8] It is more robust than using
a key because maintenance only requires
one tool and the self-centering balanced
rotation means it lasts longer than a keyed
joint would, but the downside is that it
costs more.

Twin spring coupling …

A flexible coupling made from two
counterwound springs with a ball bearing
in the center, which allows torque transfer
from input to output shaft. Requires no
lubrication to consistently run as it has no
internal components.[9]

Rag joint …

Rag joints are commonly used on

automotive steering linkages and drive
trains. When used on a drive train they are
sometimes known as giubos.

Universal joint …

Requirements of good shaft

alignment / good coupling
set-up
easy to connect or disconnect the
coupling.
does allow some misalignment between
the two adjacent shaft rotation axes.
no projecting parts
goal should be to minimise the
remaining misalignment in running
operation so as to maximise power
transmission and to maximise machine
runtime (coupling, bearing and sealing's
lifetime).
It is recommended to use
manufacturer's alignment target values
 to set up the machine train to a defined
non-zero alignment, due to the fact that
later, when the machine is at operation
temperature, the alignment condition is
perfect

Coupling maintenance and

failure
Coupling maintenance requires a regularly
scheduled inspection of each coupling. It
consists of:

Performing visual inspections,

checking for signs of wear or fatigue
cleaning couplings regularly
 Checking and changing lubricant
regularly if the coupling is lubricated.
This maintenance is required annually
for most couplings and more frequently
for couplings in adverse environments
or in demanding operating conditions.
Documenting the maintenance
performed on each coupling, along with
the date.[10]

Even with proper maintenance, however,

couplings can fail. Underlying reasons for
failure, other than maintenance, include:

Improper installation
Poor coupling selection
 Operation beyond design capabilities.[10]

The only way to improve coupling life is to

understand what caused the failure and to
correct it prior to installing a new coupling.
Some external signs that indicate potential
coupling failure include:

Abnormal noise, such as screeching,

squealing or chattering
Excessive vibration or wobble
Failed seals indicated by lubricant
leakage or contamination.[10]

Checking the coupling

balance
Couplings are normally balanced at the
factory prior to being shipped, but they
occasionally go out of balance in
operation. Balancing can be difficult and
expensive, and is normally done only when
operating tolerances are such that the
effort and the expense are justified. The
amount of coupling unbalance that can be
tolerated by any system is dictated by the
characteristics of the specific connected
machines and can be determined by
detailed analysis or experience.[10]

References
1. "Definition of COUPLING" . Merriam-
webster.com. Retrieved 28 November
2018.
2. "Review of Windsurf Universal Joint
Types – 'Your Ride, Our Gear' " .
Unifiber.net. Retrieved 28 November
2018.
3. "Why a Grid Coupling – Features &
Benefits, Design Basics, and Element
Options" . Couplinganswers.com.
Retrieved 2014-12-22.
4. "Lovejoy, Inc. : Products : Couplings &
Power Transmission: Shaft Locking
Devices" . Lovejoy-inc.com. Archived
 from the original on 16 February
2015. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
5. "U.S. Tsubaki POWER-LOCK Catalog"
(PDF). Ustsubaki.com. Retrieved
7 January 2015.
. "Power Lock" . Tsubakimoto.com.
Archived from the original on 10 June
2015. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
7. "Wayback Machine" (PDF).
Web.archive.org. 4 September 2012.
Retrieved 28 November 2018.
. "NEF Taper-Lock Series" .
Tsubakimoto.com. Retrieved
7 January 2015.
 9. "Twin Spring Coupling – Universal
Joint and CV Joint Replacement" .
Twinspringcoupling.com. Retrieved
2017-07-14.
10. Boyle, B. (2008). "Tracking the causes
of coupling failure" .
Plantservices.com. Retrieved
7 January 2015. "Explore coupling
maintenance and the telltale signs of
failure to maximize coupling life and
ensure reliable system operations"

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media

related to Oldham couplings.
 Biography of Oldham at Cornell
University
Yutaka Nishiyama, From Oldham's
Coupling to Air Conditioners

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