Section I-A

Flexible Couplings

I-A. OVERVIEW OF FLEXIBLE COUPLINGS

A. OVERVIEW OF FLEXIBLE COUPLINGS 1. Functions of Flexible Couplings a. Transmit Pow er b. Misalignment c. End Movement d. Axial Displacement e. Other Functions of Flexible Couplings 2. Types of Couplings a. Rigid Couplings b. Flexible Couplings 3. Characteristics & Capacities. I-A-1 I-A-1 I-A-1 I-A-2 I-A-2 I-A-3 I-A-4 I-A-5 I-A-5 I-A-5 I-A-5

Page I-A

Section I-A

Flexible Couplings

A. OVERVIEW OF FLEXIBLE COUPLINGS

Historically, rotating equipment w as first connected by means of rigid flanges (Figure I-A1) Experience indicates that this method did not accommodate the motions and excursions experienced by the equipment.. F. Roots w as the first to thin these flanges and allow them to flex. Rigid couplings are used to connect equipment that experiences very small shaft excursions or w ith shafts made long and slender enough so that they can accept forces and moments produced from flexing flanges and shafts. Figure I-A-1 Rigid Coupling

misalignment or end movement or both. The three basic functions of a flexible coupling are to (Figure I-A-2) 1. Transmit pow er (Figure I-A-2A) 2. Accommodate misalignment (Figure IA-2B) 3. Compensate for end movement (Figure IA-2C) Figure I-A-2. Functions of a Flexible Coupling

1.

Functions of Flexible Couplings Flexible couplings join tw o pieces of rotating equipment w hile permitting some degree of

a. Transm it Pow er Couplings are primarily used to transmit mechanical pow er from one machine to another. The pow er is in the form of mechanical torque at

Page I- A-1

Section I-A

Flexible Couplings
some speed, or w ork per unit of time, In general, the pow er lost by a flexible coupling is small, although some couplings are more efficient than others. b. Misalignm ent There are tw o types of misalignment - shaft misalignment and coupling misalignment. 1) Shaft Misalignm ent: Shaft misalignment is the relationship betw een the driver and driven shafts. This can be broken dow n into parallel offset - the axes of the connected shafts are parallel, but not in the same straight line (Figure I-3-A) or angular - the axes of the shafts intersect at the center (Figure I-3-B). A more common misalignment is a combination of parallel offset and angular coupling misalignment (Figure I-3-C). 2) Coupling Misalignm ent Coupling misalignment comes into play w hen you look at how the coupling accommodates for shaft misalignment. There are tw o general approaches. One is w hen using a double-flex coupling such as a gear, disc or diaphragm. These couplings can only accept angular misalignment at each flexing plane. This means there must be tw o flex elements in order to accept shaft misalignment (Figure I-3-D). The second approach is used primarily for elastomeric couplings w here the parallel offset and angular shaft misalignment are accommodated through one elastomeric flex element.

Figure I-A-3 Types of Misalignm ents

c. End Movem ent Most flexible couplings are designed to accommodate axial movement of the connected equipment or shaft ends. In pumps that are driven by motors w ith sleeve bearings, the couplings are usually required to limit the axial end float to prevent internal rubbing of the bumping collars of the motor bearings.

Page I- A-2

Section I-A

Flexible Couplings
It is important to recognize that w hile the equipment may see these three types of misalignment, the coupling sees only angular and axial displacement. The "Flexible Elements" see only angularity and axially therefore equipment needs a couplings w ith more than one flexible element to accommodate offset. The exception being some Elastomeric Element coupling w hich can accommodate all three types of misalignments. d. Axial Displacem ent Most flexible couplings are designed to accommodate axial movement of equipment or shaft ends. In pumps that are driven by motors, the couplings are usually required to limit the axial float of the equipment to prevent internal rubbing. Some pumps are driven by motors w ith sleeve bearings that do not have thrust bearings. Accommodation of misalignment and end movement must be done w ithout inducing abnormal loads in the equipment. Generally, machines are set up at installation quite accurately. temperature in driver media such as gas and steam. The vertical motions could be a result of support structure expansions due to temperature differences, distortion due to solar heating, axial grow th or a combination of these. Horizontal motions are usually caused by piping forces caused by poor installation practices, and expansions or contractions caused by changes in temperature or pressure differential of the media in the system. It is a fact of life that machinery appears to live and breathe, move, grow , and change form and position; this is one the basic reasons for using flexible couplings. A flexible coupling is not the solution to all movement problems that can or could exist in a sloppy system. Using a flexible coupling in hope that it w ill compensate for any and all motions is naive. Flexible coupling have their limitations. The equipment or system designer must make calculations that w ill give a reasonable estimate of the outer boundaries of the anticipated gyrations. Unless those boundaries are defined, the equipment or system designer may just be transferring equipment failure into coupling failure (Figure I-A-4).

Figure I-A-4 Failed Gear Coupling There are many things that force equipment to run out of alignment. The thermal effects of handling hot and cold fluids cause some movement in the vertical and axial direction. together w ith differentials of Page I- A-3

Section I-A

Flexible Couplings

One thing to remember is that w hen subjected to torque and misalignment, "ALL" couplings react on the connected equipment components. Some produce greater reactionary forces than others and if overlooked, can cause vibration, shaft failures, bearing failures, and other operational and early failure of other components of the drive train ( Figure I-A-5).

Figure I-A-5 Equipm ent Failure

It is important for the equipment or system designer not to confuse the term "Coupling Misalignment" capacity vs "Equipment Misalignment Tolerance". The capabilities of a coupling is usually substantially higher than the equipment can accept e. Other Functions of Flexible Couplings Besides these basic function flexible couplings "sometimes" are required to do the follow ing: Dampen vibration and reduce peak or shock loads. Protect equipment from overload Measure output torque of driven equipment Electrically Insulate the driver from the driven equipment Position a rotor of a motor or generator Be used to tune a system out of a torsional critical

Page I- A-4

Section I-A

Flexible Couplings
2. Types of Couplings There are tw o basic types Rigid and Flexible There are over fifty types of couplings that are used in general industry (see Figure I-A-6). Of these about 70% are used in the Turbo Industry (see Figure I-A-7). There are tw o categories of couplings used in the Turbo Industry. General Purpose Couplings (Figure IA-8) and Special Purpose Couplings (Figure I-A9). 3. Characteristics & Capacities. Select Couplings Based on Their Characteristics and Capacities The coupling selector (equipment designer or system designer must decide w hat coupling or u-joint is best for the system. The designer must review the possible candidates for a flexible coupling and make a selection. The person responsible for the selection of couplings should build a file of the most recent coupling and u-joint catalogs. This file should be review ed at regular intervals because designs, models, materials, ratings are constantly being updated and improved.. Couplings are usually selected based on their capacities and characteristics. The two most important capabilities are torque and speed.. One should consider the capacities of the couplings by review ing the application requirements and determine w hich couplings meet the requirements (Figure I-A-10A for general purpose couplings and Figure I-A-10B for special purpose couplings). Finally, the designer must also look at the application, its history, and then trade off features and characteristics of available couplings, and pick the best one suited for the equipment and operating condition (Figure I-A-11 for general purpose couplings and Figure I-A-11B for special purpose couplings.

Rigid Couplings Rigid couplings produce the greatest reactions on equipment. Mechanical Element type such as gear, chain, and grid couplings produce moderate to high moments and forces on equipment that are a function of torque and misalignment. Elastomeric element couplings produce moderate to low moments and forces that are slightly dependent on torque. Metallic Element couplings produce relatively low moments and forces w hich are relatively independent of torque. The most commonly used flexible couplings today are those that produce the greatest flexibility (misalignment and axial capacity) w hile producing the low est external loads on equipment. b. Flexible Couplings There are three basic types of flexible couplings: 1. Mechanical Element 2. Elastomeric Element 3. Metallic Element The mechanical element type generally obtain their flexibility from loose-fitting parts or rolling or sliding of mating parts or from both. They require lubrication unless one moving part is made of a material that supplies its ow n lubrication need (e.g., a nylon gear coupling). The elastomeric element types obtain their flexibility from stretching or compressing a resilient material (rubber, plastic, etc.) . The metallic element types obtain their flexibility from the flexing of thin metallic disc or diaphragms.

a.

Page I- A-5