A Iluid coupling consists oI three components, plus the hydraulic Iluid:

O 1he houslng also known as Lhe sbell

4
(whlch musL have an oll LlghL seal around Lhe drlve shafLs) conLalns Lhe fluld
and Lurblnes
O 1wo Lurblnes (fan llke componenLs)
4 ne connecLed Lo Lhe lnpuL shafL known as Lhe or ellot
4
tfty wbeel
4
tbe
4 1he oLher connecLed Lo Lhe ouLpuL shafL known as Lhe tbe o tbe secofty wbeel
4
or tet
%he driving turbine, known as the 'pump', (or driving torus
|note 1|
) is rotated by the prime mover, which is
typically an internal combustion engine or electric motor. %he impellor's motion imparts both outwards linear
and rotational motion to the Iluid.
%he hydraulic Iluid is directed by the 'pump' whose shape Iorces the Ilow in the direction oI the 'output turbine'
(or driven torus
|note 1|
). Here, any diIIerence in the angular velocities oI 'input stage' and 'output stage' result in a
net Iorce on the 'output turbine' causing a torque; thus causing it to rotate in the same direction as the pump.
%he motion oI the Iluid is eIIectively toroidal - travelling in one direction on paths that can be visualised as
being on the surIace oI a torus:
O f Lhere ls a dlfference beLween lnpuL and ouLpuL angular veloclLles Lhe moLlon has a componenL whlch ls clrcular
(le round Lhe rlngs formed by secLlons of Lhe Lorus)
O f Lhe lnpuL and ouLpuL sLages have ldenLlcal angular veloclLles Lhere ls no neL cenLrlpeLal force and Lhe moLlon of
Lhe fluld ls clrcular and coaxlal wlLh Lhe axls of roLaLlon (le round Lhe edges of a Lorus) Lhere ls no flow of fluld
from one Lurblne Lo Lhe oLher
[edit] Stall speed
An important characteristic oI a Iluid coupling is its stall speed. %he stall speed is deIined as the highest speed
at which the pump can turn when the output turbine is locked and maximum input power is applied. Under stall
conditions all oI the engine's power would be dissipated in the Iluid coupling as heat, possibly leading to
damage.
LepclrculL coupllng
A modiIication to the simple Iluid coupling is the step-circuit coupling which was Iormerly manuIactured as the
"S% coupling" by the Fluidrive Engineering ompany.
%he S% coupling contains a reservoir to which some, but not all, oI the oil gravitates when the output shaIt is
stalled. %his reduces the "drag" on the input shaIt, resulting in reduced Iuel consumption when idling and a
reduction in the vehicle's tendency to "creep".
When the output shaIt begins to rotate, the oil is thrown out oI the reservoir by centriIugal Iorce, and returns to
the main body oI the coupling, so that normal power transmission is restored.
|5|

[edit] Slip
A Iluid coupling cannot develop output torque when the input and output angular velocities are identical.
|6|

Hence a Iluid coupling cannot achieve 100 percent power transmission eIIiciency. Due to slippage that will
occur in any Iluid coupling under load, some power will always be lost in Iluid Iriction and turbulence, and
dissipated as heat.
%he very best eIIiciency a Iluid coupling can achieve is 94 percent, that is Ior every 100 revolutions input, there
will be 94 revolutions output. Like other Iluid dynamical devices, its eIIiciency tends to increase gradually with
increasing scale, as measured by the Reynolds number.
[edit] Hydraulic fluid
As a Iluid coupling operates kinetically, low viscosity Iluids are preIerred.
|6|
Generally speaking, multi-grade
motor oils or automatic transmission Iluids are used. Increasing density oI the Iluid increases the amount oI
torque that can be transmitted at a given input speed.
|7|

[edit] Hydrodynamic braking
Fluid couplings can also act as hydrodynamic brakes, dissipating rotational energy as heat through Irictional
Iorces (both viscous and Iluid/container). When a Iluid coupling is used Ior braking it is also known as a
retarder.
|4|

edit] Applications
[edit] Industrial
Fluid couplings are used in many industrial application involving rotational power,
|8||9|
especially in machine
drives that involve high-inertia starts or constant cyclic loading.
[edit] Rail transportation
Fluid couplings are Iound in some Diesel locomotives as part oI the power transmission system. SelI-hanging
Gears made semi-automatic transmissions Ior British Rail, and Voith manuIacture turbo-transmissions Ior
railcars and diesel multiple units which contain various combinations oI Iluid couplings and torque converters.
[edit] Automotive
Fluid couplings were used in a variety oI early semi-automatic transmissions and automatic transmissions.
Since the late 1940s, the hydrodynamic torque converter has replaced the Iluid coupling in automotive
applications.
In automotive applications, the pump typically is connected to the Ilywheel oI the enginein Iact, the
coupling's enclosure may be part oI the Ilywheel proper, and thus is turned by the engine's crankshaIt. %he
turbine is connected to the input shaIt oI the transmission. While the transmission is in gear, as engine speed
increases torque is transIerred Irom the engine to the input shaIt by the motion oI the Iluid, propelling the
vehicle. In this regard, the behavior oI the Iluid coupling strongly resembles that oI a mechanical clutch driving
a manual transmission.
Fluid Ilywheels, as distinct Irom torque converters, are best known Ior their use in Daimler cars in conjunction
with a Wilson pre-selector gearbox. Daimler used these throughout their range oI luxury cars, until switching to
automatic gearboxes with the 1958 Majestic. Daimler and Alvis were both also known Ior their military
vehicles and armored cars, some oI which also used the combination oI pre-selector gearbox and Iluid Ilywheel.
[edit] Aviation
%he most prominent use oI Iluid couplings in aeronautical applications was in the Wright turbo-compound
reciprocating engine, in which three power recovery turbines extracted approximately 20 percent oI the energy
or about 500 horsepower (370 kW) Irom the engine's exhaust gases and then, using three Iluid couplings and
gearing, converted low-torque high-speed turbine rotation to low-speed, high-torque output to drive the
propeller.
edit] Calculations
Generally speaking, the power transmitting capability oI a given Iluid coupling is strongly related to pump
speed, a characteristic that generally works well with applications where the applied load doesn't Iluctuate to a
great degree. %he torque transmitting capacity oI any hydrodynamic coupling can be described by the
expression r(N
2
)(D
5
), where r is the mass density oI the Iluid, N is the impeller speed, and D is the impeller
diameter.
|10|
In the case oI automotive applications, where loading can vary to considerable extremes,
r(N
2
)(D
5
) is only an approximation. Stop-and-go driving will tend to operate the coupling in its least eIIicient
range, causing an adverse eIIect on Iuel economy.
edit] Manufacture
Fluid couplings are relatively simple components to produce. For example, the turbines can be aluminum
castings or steel stampings, and the housing can also be a casting or made Irom stamped or Iorged steel.


A fluid coupling is a simple mechanical device that connects a prime mover, typically a squirrel cage
motor, to a driven machine. These can be conveyors, crushers, fans, pumps and blowers. They are
used in many industries including Power Generation, Steel Production, Mining and Quarrying,
Petrochemical and food production. They have given over 70 years of reliable efficient operation, and
still provide the engineer with a reliable method of starting a operating heavy industrial equipment.
The basic principle of operation for any fluid coupling, irrespective of manufacturer is as follows.
The 'working' part of the coupling consists of two elements, one (impeller) connected to the prime
mover (usually an electric motor), the second one (runner) connected to the driven machine. These
are positioned face to face inside a casing, which is partially filled with an appropriate fluid.
This is called the working circuit.
When the motor is rotated, the fluid is picked up in the vanes of the impeller and thrown outwards,
across the gap, towards the vanes of the runner. As a result of the fluid kinetic energy, the runner
begins to rotate and drive the driven machine.
There are no physical connections between the two halves of the coupling, and therefore the driver
and driven machines are not directly connected


Fluid Coupling Considerations
O Provides a soft start for the motor
4 As the motor is allowed to run up light to full speed, the inherent overload capacity of the motor can be
used to accelerate the driven machine. This allows the motor to be sized for the running duty, and not for
starting the drive. This is at odds with electronic drives which tend to be 'oversized' to cope with the
starting duty, which has a negative effect on the initial cost, and the power factor of the drive.



O Reduced Motor Current
4 For motors fixed rigidly to the driven machine, they will tend to accelerate slowly up to speed. During this
acceleration time, the electrical current being drawn is typically very high. With a fluid coupling offering
the motor a soft 'no load' start, the electrical current drawn by the motor is significantly reduced , and the
acceleration time is much reduced. The coupling will only ever absorb from the motor the power needed
to run the machine and itself when in a running condition.
O Smooth Controlled Acceleration
4 As there is no direct mechanical connection between the two halves of the coupling, the torque is
transmitted by the fluid due to the relative motion of the coupling impeller. The vortex created in the fluid
then impinges on the runner therefore transferring the torque to the driven machine. This allows the
output side of the coupling to gradually and smoothly come up to speed in a controlled and repeatable
manner.
O Overload Protection
4 As there is no mechanical connection between the two coupling halves, in an overload or stall condition,
the fluid will 'sheer' and the coupling slip. This capability provides protection to the driver and driven
machine, without causing any damage to coupling.
O solates Shock Loading and Torsional Vibration
4 As the two coupling halves are not mechanically connected, any inherent vibration or shock loading will
be damped out of the system by the fluid. This helps to reduce wear on the drive components and
increases machine operational life.30+ year old couplings are very common items.
O Simple and Reliable Machines
4 Fluid couplings are very simple machines with few moving parts. They are are very robust, making them
extremely reliable in operation. There are no meshing components and meshing parts to go wrong. They
are also very low maintenance devices.
O High Operating Efficiency
4 Fluid couplings typically operate with a slip of approximately 2%, giving an operational efficiency close to
97%
O Tolerant to Poor/Low Electrical Supply
4 Fluctuations in electrical supply will not have any direct consequence to the coupling performance. A fluid
coupling can also help a motor to start a machine in areas of poor electrical supply.