Couplings

• Couplings are used to connect two shafts for torque transmission in varied applications.

• It may be to connect two units such as a motor and a generator or it may be to form a long line
shaft by connecting shafts of standard lengths say 6-8m by couplings.

• Coupling can be roughly divided into two categories:

Couplings

Compliant
Rigid
(Flexible)

Muff Bush Pin type

Split Muff Flange Oldham Universal
(Sleeve) Flange

• Rigid couplings lock the shafts together allowing no relative motion between them.
Examples:
1. Conveyor belts
2. Blade shafts are directly coupled to generator shaft in small wind turbines.
3. In agriculture, the pump is directly coupled with the motor.
 Figure 1: Co-linear shafts

Figure 2: Non co-linear shafts

Muff Couplings
 • Power is transmitted from driver shaft to the sleeve through the key and then to
the driven shaft.
• It is difficult to assemble and disassemble

Split Muff Couplings

These are used to overcome the difficulty of assembling and disassembling of Muff couplings.

• Friction force exit between sleeve and shaft which helps in transmitting the power.
• For higher power transmission, the gap between the shaft and the sleeve increases which results
in decrease in frictional power. This may lead to reduce power transmission.
• Not suitable for higher power transmission.

Flange Couplings
• It has higher torque transmitting capacity.
• Power is transmitted from driver shaft to the flange through the key and then to another
flange through bolts & nuts and finally to driven shaft.
• It is easy to assemble and disassemble
• It has simple design and easy to manufacture.
Flexible Couplings
• In case of misaligned shaft caused by inaccurate assembly. Flange couplings may induce force
which tends to bend the shafts thus it is not suitable for misaligned or non-coaxial shafts.
• For this purpose, bush pin type flange couplings are used.
 • Rubber bush not only accommodates the misalignment, but absorbs the shock and
vibrations during power transmission.
• Rubber may wear during power transmission so it is eliminated by providing a
brass lining in between the inner surfaces. This will increase the cost of
couplings.

Oldham Couplings
• No rubber bushes are used.
• A center disc with protruded surfaces are used to fit the two internally grooved flanges
connected to the shaft through which power is transmitted.
• Not suitable for angular shafts.
 Universal Couplings

• Forks and a central block arrangement.

• Prevents the shock from the load and absorbs vibrations.
• Used for transmission of higher torques.
• Easy to assemble disassemble due to simple design
• It is used to couple the propeller shaft in automobiles.
• Cost is higher than the rigid flange couplings.
• requires more radial space
Example 1:
A rigid flange coupling has a bore diameter of 2.000 inch. Four machined bolts on is bolt circle of 5-
inch diameter are fitted in reamed holes. If the bolts are made from the same material as the shaft, SAE
1030, with an ultimate tensile strength of 80,000 psi and a yield point in tension of 50,000 psi,
determine the necessary size of bolts to have the same capacity as the shaft in torsion.

Solution:
a) The shaft capacity as determined from the ASME shafting code is found from:
𝟏𝟔
𝑫𝟑 = 𝑴𝒕 𝑲𝒕 (the shafting equation for a solid shaft in torsion only)
𝝅𝑺𝒔

𝟏𝟔
𝟐𝟑 = 𝑴𝒕 𝑲𝒕 𝒐𝒓 𝑴𝒕 𝑲𝒕 = 𝟏𝟕, 𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝒍𝒃 − 𝒊𝒏
𝝅(𝟏𝟒,𝟒𝟎𝟎)(𝟎.𝟕𝟓)

Where 𝑆𝑠 is smaller of (0.18)𝑆𝑢 = (0.18)(80,000) = 14,400𝑝𝑠𝑖

and (0.3)𝑆𝑦𝑝 = (0.3)(50,000) = 15000𝑝𝑠𝑖

the allowance for the keyway effect is 0.75

b) The coupling can be designed for shock and fatigue 𝐾𝑡 , equal to 1, or 𝑴𝒕 𝑲𝒕 can be left as a
product that carried through the analysis. The same final result is obtained.
c) The analysis of the bolt can be made in any one of several different ways:
i- Assume that the bolts are just finger-tight and load is transferred from one half of the
coupling to the other half by a uniform shear stress in the shank of the bolt.
ii- Assume that the bolts are just finger-tight, and load is transferred from one half of the
coupling to the other half with a maximum shear stress in the shank of the bolt equal to
4/3 times the average shear stress.
iii- Assume the bolts are tightened sufficiently so that the power is transmitted from one half
of the coupling to the other half by means of friction.
 iv- Assume the bolts are tightened and the part of the power is transmitted by means of
friction and the rest of the power is transmitted by shear in the bolt.

In (i) & (ii), it is usual practice to assume that all the bolt shared the load proportionally
for finished bolts in drilled and reamed holes. (If the bolts are set in clearance holes, it is
also usual practice to assume that half of the bolts are effective).
d) Using arbitrarily (i) above, which gives the most conservative design,
1 1 1 1
𝑀𝑡 𝐾𝑡 = 𝑆𝑠 (4 𝜋𝑑2 ) (2 𝐷𝐵𝐶 ) (𝑛) 𝑜𝑟 17,000 = 14,400 (4 𝜋𝑑 2 ) (2 × 5) (4)
∴ 𝑑 = 0.387 𝑖𝑛.
e) Using (ii) above,
3 1 1 3 1 1
𝑀𝑡 𝐾𝑡 = 𝑆𝑠 ( 𝜋𝑑 2 ) ( 𝐷𝐵𝐶 ) (𝑛) 𝑜𝑟 17,000 = ( )14,400 ( 𝜋𝑑 2 ) ( × 5) (4)
4 4 2 4 4 2
∴ 𝑑 = 0.447 𝑖𝑛.
Example 2:
In the design of rigid flange couplings, it is assume that the bolts are loosened in service and the
capacity of the coupling is based, in part, upon the stresses set up in the bolts due to shearing the bolt.
The tightening effects of the bolts, with friction as the basis of power transmission, is generally
neglected. However, the purpose of this problem is to evaluate the capacity of the particular coupling
based upon friction.
Assume that the flange coupling has a following specifications:
Number of bolts = 6
Size of bolts = 0.5-inch diameter

Preloading of bolts = 5000 lbs in each bolt

Inner diameter of contact = 7-inch
Outer diameter of contact = 8-inch
Speed of rotation of coupling = 300rpm
Coefficient of friction = 0.15
Shaft diameter = 2-inch
Shaft material: SAE 1045, ultimate strength = 85,000psi, yield strength in tension = 45,000psi
Determine:
 (1) the maximum power capacity based upon friction such that slip occurs between faces of contact
(2) compare the shaft horsepower capacity with the friction horsepower capacity. Assume steady
load conditions and that the shaft is in torsion only.
Solution:
(a) the torque based on friction is:
𝑀𝑡 = 𝐹𝑓𝑅𝑓 = 30,000(0.15)(3.75) = 16,900 𝑙𝑏 − 𝑖𝑛
Where F = axial force caused by bolts loading = 30,000lbs
f = coefficient of friction
2 𝑅 3 −𝑅 3 2 43 −3.53
𝑅𝑓 = 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑠 = 3 (𝑅𝑜2−𝑅𝑖2) = 3 (42−3.52) = 3.75 𝑖𝑛.
𝑜 𝑖
This assumes that the pressure is uniformly distributed.

𝑀𝑡 𝑁 16,900(300)
Friction horsepower = = = 80.4 ℎ𝑝
63,024 63,024

(b) Shaft torque capacity,

𝑆𝑠 𝜋𝐷 3 (0.75)𝜋𝐷 3
𝑀𝑡 = = 13,500 = 15,900 𝑙𝑏 − 𝑖𝑛
16 16
𝑀𝑡 𝑁 15,900(300)
Shaft horsepower capacity = = = 75.7 ℎ𝑝
63,024 63,024
(c) The coupling has greater horsepower capacity based on friction (80.4 hp) than the shaft
capacity (75.7 hp)

Example 3:
Examples 1 & 2 have dealt with the diameter of the bolt necessary to transmit power through a flange
coupling. This problem is concerned with the necessary proportions for
the various parts of the flange coupling. Set up the equations or
relations necessary to determine:
(a) Diameter ‘DH’ of hub
(b) Thickness ‘t’ of web
(c) thickness ‘h’ of the flange