Form-Flex® BP & B5

Installation and Maintenance Manual

P-5015-TBW
Form 1186A
 WARNING: Rotating equipment must be properly guarded. It is the responsibility of the user to
properly guard all rotating equipment to comply with OSHA or any applicable regulations. Failure to
properly guard may contribute to severe injury should someone come in contact with the rotating parts
or should the rotating part fail.

WARNING: DO NOT use TB Wood’s products on any primary aircraft drive or any other drive which
could endanger human life should a drive component fail.

WARNING: Cancer and Reproductive Harm - www.P65Warnings.ca.gov

Proper care with installation and alignment of couplings and equipment will permit a coupling to operate to
full capacity, compensate for angular misalignment, and provide very good service life.

Shafts may become misaligned as a result of many natural and unavoidable causes. Heat, vibration, bearing
wear, settling of foundations, etc., all tend to alter initial alignment. To ensure long life re-check alignment after
a short period of actual equipment running time.

In general, coupling life is increased when shafts are initially aligned carefully. If this is not done and torque
or other forces heavily stress a coupling, it will have little reserve left in which to accommodate misalignment
stresses, and might not provide the length of service intended. The closer the alignment T.I.R. is to zero the
better the service life of the coupling.

INSTALLATION

Preparation

Inspect the shafts and hubs and make sure they are clean and free from burrs. If the bore is straight, measure
the bore and shaft to ensure a proper fit. Check for the proper fit of the keys to the shafts and hubs. If the
bore is tapered, check for a good contact pattern.

Straight Bored Hubs

Coupling hubs are normally bored for an interference fit according to AGMA Standard 9002-AB6, unless
otherwise specified. If the hub was specified with a clearance fit and set screws are used, install the coupling
hubs so that they are in the correct position and tighten the set screw(s). If the hub is bored for an interference
fit, the hub should be heated to expand the bore until it is sufficiently larger then the shaft. A hub temperature
of approximately 300°F is sufficient for most interference fits. NEVER EXCEED 600°F. DO NOT SPOT HEAT
THE HUB AS IT MAY CAUSE DISTORTION. After hub has been heated a sufficient amount, quickly position
on the hub onto the shaft to the desired axial location. Hold the hub in place as it cools.

Taper Bored Hubs

Carefully mount the hub on the shaft without key(s), O-ring and back-up rings (if applicable), and tap lightly
with a soft mallet to establish a metal to metal fit. This is the initial position for starting the hub advance.
Measure this position, shaft end to hub flange face, with a depth gauge and record the value. Hub draw
must be monitored during installation. This may be done using a dial indicator or by use of a shaft stop
ring. The method of monitoring the hub draw must be established prior to removing the hub after the initial
starting position has been determined. Draw the hub on the shaft the required distance to achieve the level
of interference desired. Heat may be required to achieve the proper fill. DO NOT SPOT HEAT THE HUB AS
IT MAY CAUSE DISTORTION. The amount of hub draw is dependent upon the taper angle, level of required
interference, and bore diameter. Install the shaft-retaining device provided with the shaft to hold the hub.

2 TB Wood’s • 888-449-9439 P-5015-TBW Form 1186A

 Figure 1

PARTS LIST QTY.

1 BOLT 12
2 HUB 2
3 THIN ELEMENT WASHER 12
4 THICK ELEMENT WASHER 12
5 NYLON LOCKING UNIT 12
6 SPACER 1
7 FLEX DISCS 2
8 SET SCREW 4
Spacer Sub-Assembly 9 KEY (NOT INCLUDED) 2

1. Move the equipment to be connected into position. Set the gap between the hub faces to the required
distance between shaft ends, “D” dimension in Figure 1. Set the average gap between flanges to the “G”
dimension shown in Table 1 for the proper size coupling.
TABLE 1 - FLANGE TO FLANGE, DIMENSION “G” - INCHES
Size 33 38 43 48 53 58 63 68
G .285 .335 .465 .495 .520 .555 .600 .849
+ .010 .010 .010 .010 .010 .015 .015 .015

2. Assemble the flex discs to the spacer as shown Figure 2

in Figure 2. Ensure that the beveled part of the
washer is against the flex disc. Tighten the nylon
ocking nuts shown in Figure 2 to the proper THIN WASHER
torque value as indicated in Table 2 for the
THICK WASHER
respective size coupling.

NOTE: The flex disc are designed for a specific

thickness and are not to be used for axial
adjustments. BEVELED EDGE OF
WASHER TO DISC PACK
3. Bring the equipment into an approximate good alignment by
attaching one end of the spacer to the equipment via a hub. Be sure the spacer assembly is fully supported at
this time. Damage to the connected disc packs may result if the spacer is not fully supported.

Assemble the spacer to the hub via the same method as Item 2 (see figure 2 for reference). Secure the
bolts with the nylon locking nuts and tighten to the proper torque value shown in Table 2 for the respective
size coupling.

4. With one end of the coupling attached, align the two pieces of equipment well enough to assemble the
opposite end of the spacer to its hub in the same manner as above.

TABLE 2 - NUT TIGHTENING TORQUE (LIGHTLY OILED THREADS ON STAINLESS FASTERNS)

Size 33 38 43 48 53 58 63 68
FT.LB. 8 17 40 40 60 120 120 200

TB Wood’s • 888-449-9439 P-5015-TBW Form 1186A 3

ALIGNMENT

1. Attach a dial indicator to each hub. Indicate a point on

the nearest spacer flange face as shown in Figure 3. Any
method may be used to attach the dial indicator to the
hub as long as it is firmly attached.

2. Rotate the coupling 360° to locate the minimum reading

on the dial, then rotate the body or face of the indicator so
that the zero reading lines up with the pointer.

3. Rotate the coupling 360° while watching the indicator for

misalignment readings. The driver and driven equipment
will be aligned when the maximum indicator readings are
within the allowable limits as shown in Table 3. Adjust the
equipment as necessary to comply with the limits. Figure 3
4. Repeat this method for the other end of the coupling.
Note: When the equipment is properly aligned, it is advisable to dowel a right angle gearbox to its base. It
has been found from experience that right angle gearboxes tend to creep in a counter rotational direction.
Re-check alignment after doweling.

5. With equipment aligned and coupling assembled, make sure all bolts and washers are in their proper
orientation. As stated previously, the beveled part of the washer must be against the flex discs as shown in
Figure 2.

IMPORTANT: To ensure long life, re-check alignment after a short period (one to two hours) of actual
equipment running time. At this time also re-torque the nylon locking nuts to the values shown in Table 3.

TABLE 3 - TOTAL INDICATOR READING, MAXIMUM; INCHES

SIZE 33 38 43 48 53 58 63 68
T.I.R.* .024 .030 .034 .039 .04 .046 .052 .056
* Equivalent to .3° per flex element. Lower T.I.R. readings will provide better alignment of shafts and longer service life.
NOTE: The closer to zero misalignment the better the service that can be expected.

REPAIR PARTS REPAIR KIT FLEX DISC

SIZE
Repair Kit contains: PART # PART #
All Hardware and 1 Flex Disc Pack
(2 required per coupling) 33 B033RKA B0334101
38 B038RKA B0384101
Flex Disc Kit contains:
1 Flex Disc Pack 43 B043RKA B434101
(2 required per coupling) 48 B048RKA B0484101
53 B053RKA B0534101
58 B058RKA B0584101
63 B063RKA B0634101
68 B068RKA B0684101

ROTATING EQUIPMENT IS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS AND MUST BE

PROPERLY GUARDED. THE USER SHOULD COMPLY WITH APPLICABLE SAFETY CODES IN
ACCORDANCE TO OSHA STANDARDS.

4 TB Wood’s • 888-449-9439 P-5015-TBW Form 1186A

 Notes

TB Wood’s • 888-449-9439 P-5015-TBW Form 1186A 5

 TB Wood’s Facilities

North America
Europe
USA Canada
Merchant Drive, Hertford
440 North Fifth Avenue 12759 149 Street NW Hertfordshire SG13 7BL - England
Chambersburg, PA 17201 - USA Edmonton, AB T5L 4M9 - Canada +44(0)1992 501900
888-829-6637 • 717-264-7161 1-800-829-6631
Elastomeric Couplings
Belted Drives and Elastomeric
Couplings 1070 Mid Way Blvd
Units 11-14
Customer Service Mississauga, ON L5T 1T4 - Canada
1-888-829-6637 1-800-829-6631

Application Support 1073 Rue Bégin

1-888-829-6637 Saint-Laurent, QC H4R 1V8 - Canada
+1 514-332-4812
2000 Clovis Barker Road
San Marcos, TX 78666 - USA Mexico
1-888-449-9439
General Purpose Disc Couplings Comisión Federal de Electricidad 850,
Industrial San Luis,
Customer Service San Luis, S.L.P., 78395 - Mexico
1-888-449-9439 +52 444 137 1500

4970 Joule St
Reno, NV 89502 - USA
775-857-1800

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Neither the accuracy nor completeness of the information contained in this publication is guaranteed by the company and may be subject to change in its sole discretion. The operating
and performance characteristics of these products may vary depending on the application, installation, operating conditions and environmental factors. The company’s terms and
conditions of sale can be viewed at http://www.altramotion.com/terms-and-conditions/sales-terms-and-conditions. These terms and conditions apply to any person who may buy,
acquire or use a product referred to herein, including any person who buys from a licensed distributor of these branded products.

©2023 by TB Wood’s LLC. All rights reserved. All trademarks in this publication are the sole and exclusive property of TB Wood’s LLC or one of its affiliated companies.

www.tbwoods.com
2000 Clovis Barker Road
San Marcos, TX 78666
512-353-4000

P-5015-TBW Form 1186 8/18