Hackforth Gmbh & Co. Kg

Vulkan Kupplungs-und Getriebebau Bernhard Hackforth Gmbh & Co. Kg

Manfred Lunke

Jurgen Walter

Ulrich Falz

The device for mechanically transmitting torque from a motor to a power transmission is especially suitable for marine propulsion systems as a sound-damping transfer coupling of a drive shaft. The device comprises a damping member with two halves mirror-symmetrical relative to a plane that is perpendicular to the axial direction. Each half is a composite body comprised of a first and a second conical rubber ring of opposite conical orientation. The second conical rubber ring is concentrically arranged inside the first conical rubber ring. A metallic conical center ring is vulcanized to the mantle surfaces of the first and second conical rubber rings that are facing one another. A metallic outer ring is vulcanized to an outer conical mantle surface of the first conical rubber ring and a metallic inner ring is vulcanized to an inner conical mantle surface of the second conical rubber ring. The device further comprises screws for fastening the two halves to one another at the inner and outer rings, whereby the halves are arranged such that a respective base portion of the conical center rings face one another. The device has a strong center ring effect in all directions so that a universal joint may be guided and supported without any further mechanical bearings for the drive shaft.

Device for mechanically transmitting torque

A resilient shaft coupling, especially for Diesel engine drives, essentially comprises two rigid coupling parts such as a hub on the drive side of the shaft coupling and a flange ring on the end of the drive shaft opposite to the drive side, whereby the hub and the flange ring are connected in an elastic rotating manner via a series of identical elastic annular connecting links. Radial supports for the elastic annular connecting links are provided at one of the rigid coupling parts in order to avoid improperly restraint masses that cause imbalance of the shaft due to centrifugal forces. In order to improve the angular movability of the resilient shaft coupling, the radial supports are provided with angular movability. This is achieved by a metallic ring membrane which provides angular movability between two axially neighboring annular connecting links, whereby the ring membrane is clamped between the connecting rims of the annular connecting links. The ring membrane is equipped with a boring, that tightly embraces the hub, and is thereby supported in a radially rigid, but axially and in a circumferential direction flexible fashion that also allows angular motion. The support at the hub is achieved by a sliding sleeve. Each metallic ring membrane may consist of one or more segments, successively arranged in its circumferential direction.

Resilient shaft coupling

A resilient shaft coupling in which a rigid primary and a rigid secondary coupling member are connected together by at least one resilient annular assembly of a multi-part construction that is composed of a number of ring segments that are identical and run circumferentially in close succession. Each segment is composed of axially outer metallic segment plates and an inner rubber body that has a trapezoidal cross-sectional shape with a radially outwardly increasing width in an axial plane. In order to obtain higher thermal stressability of the shaft coupling, at least one window is provided in the rubber body of each segment. The ends of the window end in the vicinity of the radial end faces of the segment. Openings are also provided in the two segment plates of each segment and are congruent with the window in the rubber body.

A resilient shaft coupling that, to transmit torque, includes an annular intermediate member made of rubber disposed between an inner rigid coupling part and an outer rigid coupling part. The intermediate member has, on its outer periphery, pinion-like rubber teeth that mesh, with provision for axial movement, with companion inner teeth of the outer coupling part. The radially inner zone of the intermediate member is embodied as a member of uniform torsional strength. For radial support of the projecting portions of the outer zone, at least one closed metal ring is embedded in the rubber concentrically of the rotational axis near the radially inner interface of the zone and near each of the axial outer surfaces. The rings are preferably in the form of cables made from wire strands. To further increase the transmissible torque, the rubber of the outer zone is harder than the rubber of the inner zones. With this kind of arrangement of the metal rings, the endangered axially terminal annular zones are given effective radial support, so that in the axially central core zone of the intermediate member the rubber can still be urged outwardly by centrifugal force and, after overcoming the noraml clearance, can press the teeth firmly into the inner teeth of the outer coupling part.

A highly-resilient shaft coupling includes a hub for rotating about a longitudinal axis, a drive ring, a resilient ring assembly including two axially-continuous circular ring parts bearing radially on the hub. Each ring part includes elastomeric ring sectors and ring sector plates adhered to opposite axial ends of each elastomeric ring sector. An elastomeric ring sector of one circular ring part spans parts of two elastomeric ring sectors of the other ring part. A drive ring drivingly interconnects the hub and the resilient ring assembly at one axial end thereof. Fastener means secure together the ring sector plates at one axial end of each of the two circular ring parts, in a confronting relation. Passageways for cooling air extend between the ring sectors which are secure together. A coupling part is secured to one of the ring sectors at the end which is opposite the drive ring.

A link coupling having at least one coupling hub and one outer coupling flange interconnected by links or groups of links which are disposed at a tangent to the rotational axis. The links are arranged in pairs at an angle to one another, and are secured at their ends, by dowels or bolts, alternately to the hub and to the coupling flange. As an improvement, bolt-on ring segments are provided on at least one coupling part for the securing of the links. The bores for receiving the securing bolts or fasteners are enlarged, i.e. are formed with clearance. Unavoidable tolerances in bore diameters, and spacing errors, can therefore be compensated especially along with increase in reliability of operation.

Ring segment connection arrangement for link coupling

An extra-resilient shaft coupling. Two rigid parts are interconnected by a resilient intermediate member which transmits torque. The intermediate member includes two external metal ring members which are in the form of one or more peripheral parts and are interconnected by an elastomeric material, preferably vulcanized in situ. To avoid over-stressing the elastomeric material at the regions adjacent to the metal parts, the ring members, near the outer peripheral surface of the rubber element, are provided with an axially projecting annular shoulder which abuts an edge region of the rubber element. The inner peripheral edge of the ring members has an approximately V cross-section, the point of the V being rounded and the outer side surface being recessed relative to the outer surface of the ring member to thus form a peripheral recess for receiving a lip formed on the rubber element. In the case of an intermediate member which is divided into segments, the abutting edges of the metal segments are formed in the same member as the inner peripheral edge of the ring members.

Extra-resilient shaft coupling

A safety shaft coupling member for coupling together two coaxial shafts and ncorporating an overload safety device, which causes complete interruption of the transmission of torque when an acceptable maximum torque is exceeded, comprises a hub sleeve which is adapted to be fixed to a driven shaft, and a cup-shaped assembly in which the hub sleeve is freely rotatably mounted and is capable of limited axial displacement. The hub sleeve and the cup-shaped assembly have concentric toothed end faces situated in a common plane extending normal to the axis of rotation of the coupling member, and a first annular piston has two annular sets of teeth arranged to mesh with the toothed end faces. This first annular piston is extensible against the force of a restoring spring out of a liquid pressure device which is fixed either to the sleeve or to the cup-shaped assembly, and a second annular piston is also extensible against the force of a restoring spring in a direction opposite to that of the first annular piston out of the liquid pressure device to press against an end face of the cup-shaped assembly or the sleeve, whichever does not have the liquid pressure device fixed to it. Extension of both the pistons engages the teeth of the first piston to the two toothed end faces and so transmits torque from the hub sleeve to the cup-shaped assembly, but release of the liquid pressure in the device causes the first piston to be retracted and interrupt the transmission of torque.

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Dortmund, Germany

Manfred Lunke