Kaman Aerospace Corporation

Robert B Bossler, Jr

Charles P Hardersen

A flexible coupling for drivingly connecting two rotatable shafts or the like includes a flex member connected between driving and driven members. The flex member consists of four flat arms, arranged to form two Vs with their interior angles facing one another, and a connecting piece connected to and extending between the vertices of the two Vs. Angular and endwise misalignment of the axes of the two rotatable parts joined by the coupling is accommodated by bending of the flat arms out of the neutral plane of the flex member and by twisting of the connecting piece. The flex member is easily fabricated as a one-piece unit by cutting it from a flat sheet of metal or plastic or by forming it through a molding or casting process. The coupling may include only a single flex member or it may have a number of such members connected in series to increase its misalignment capabilities.

Rotary drive flexible coupling

In a gear drive for drivingly connecting two rotatable shafts the transmitted power and torque is split between two parallel paths to reduce the size and required power handling capacity of the gears and other components. The power and torque is divided between the two paths by an axially shiftable torque distributing member carrying two gears each meshing with a respective one of two other gears each comprising part of a respective one of the two parallel power paths. The torque distributing member is rotatably supported relative to the frame or casing of the drive by a bearing surrounding and engaging the member itself. This accurately locates and fixes the axis of rotation of the member and reduces the bearing requirements for its associated shaft.

Torque splitting gear drive

A method and apparatus for testing stress on a bolt head or nut having a central portion which deflects along the bolt axis as a function of stress, in which three electrical contacts, for example screws, are mounted in a line on and extending outwardly from a housing member, the two outer contacts being positioned to electrically connect to peripheral portions of a bolt head or nut when the center contact electrically connects to the deflected central portion and the head or nut has the desired pre-load. The outer contacts are connected to one polarity terminal of a battery via respective indicator bulbs while the center contact connects directly to the other polarity terminal so that both bulbs are lit when the contacts are so applied and the peripheral and central portions are in a given relation, preferably a single plane.

Growing community of inventors

Bloomfield, CT, United States of America

Robert B Bossler, Jr