Spline shaft connection

Abstract

A spline shaft connection between a shaft and a hub with a large number of axially extending teeth and tooth gaps respectively counter-teeth and counter-tooth gaps which form-lockingly engage with one another, whereby a tooth flank clearance is provided between the flanks of mutually contacting teeth and counter-teeth that becomes larger in the direction of the axial extent; the teeth and counter-teeth engage into one another at least approximately uniformly without clearance at least over a small fraction of the axial extent of the spline shaft connection while the remaining part of the axial extent is constructed with a tooth flank clearance that becomes larger in the direction toward the end opposite the flow of forces; the enlargement of the tooth flank clearance thereby follows a law, pursuant to which the tooth flank clearance is a function of the axial coordinate whose first derivative is equal to zero along the axial coordinate at the location of the beginning of the clearance enlargement.