SHAFT COUPLING

Shafts are usually available up to 7 metres length due to inconvenience in transport. In order to
have a greater length, it becomes necessary to join two or more pieces of the shaft by means of a
coupling.
Shaft couplings are used in machinery for several purposes, the most common of which are the
following :
1. To provide for the connection of shafts of units that are manufactured separately such as a
motor and generator and to provide for disconnection for repairs or alternations.
2. To provide for misalignment of the shafts or to introduce mechanical flexibility.
3. To reduce the transmission of shock loads from one shaft to another.
4. To introduce protection against overloads.
5. It should have no projecting parts.
Note : A coupling is termed as a device used to make permanent or semi-permanent connection
where as a clutch permits rapid connection or disconnection at the will of the operator. 13.12
Requirements of a Good Shaft Coupling
A good shaft coupling should have the following requirements:
1. It should be easy to connect or disconnect.
2. It should transmit the full power from one shaft to the other shaft without losses.
3. It should hold the shafts in perfect alignment.
4. It should reduce the transmission of shock loads from one shaft to another shaft.
5. It should have no projecting parts.
13.13 Types of Shafts Couplings
Shaft couplings are divided into two main groups as follows :
1. Rigid coupling. It is used to connect two shafts which are perfectly aligned. Following types
of rigid coupling are important from the subject point of view :
(a) Sleeve or muff coupling.
(b) Clamp or split-muff or compression coupling, and
(c) Flange coupling.
2. Flexible coupling. It is used to connect two shafts having both lateral and angular
misalignment. Following types of flexible coupling are important from the subject point of
view :
(a) Bushed pin type coupling,
(b) Universal coupling, and
(c) Oldham coupling.
13.14 Sleeve or Muff-coupling
It is the simplest type of rigid coupling, made of cast iron. It consists of a hollow cylinder whose
inner diameter is the same as that of the shaft. It is fitted over the ends of the two shafts by means
of a gib head key, as shown in Fig. 13.10. The power is transmitted from one shaft to the other
shaft by means of a key and a sleeve. It is, therefore, necessary that all the elements must be
strong enough to transmit the torque. The usual proportions of a cast iron sleeve coupling are as
follows :
Outer diameter of the sleeve, and
D = 2d + 13 mm
length of the sleeve, where d is the
L = 3.5 d
diameter of the shaft.
In designing a sleeve or muff-coupling, the following procedure may be adopted.

13.15 Clamp or Compression Coupling

It is also known as split muff coupling. In this case, the muff or sleeve is made into two halves
and are bolted together as shown in Fig. 13.11. The halves of the muff are made of cast iron. The
shaft ends are made to abutt each other and a single key is fitted directly in the keyways of both
the shafts. One-half of the muff is fixed from below and the other half is placed from above.
Both the halves are held together by means of mild steel studs or bolts and nuts. The number of
bolts may be two, four or six. The nuts are recessed into the bodies of the muff castings. This
coupling may be used for heavy duty and moderate speeds. The advantage of this coupling is that
the position of the shafts need not be changed for assembling or disassembling of the coupling.
The usual proportions of the muff for the clamp or compression coupling are :
Diameter of the muff or sleeve, D = 2d + 13 mm
Length of the muff or sleeve, L = 3.5 d

Where, d = Diameter of the shaft.

In the clamp or compression coupling, the power is transmitted from one shaft to the other by
means of key and the friction between the muff and shaft. In designing this type of coupling, the
following procedure may be adopted.
13.16 Flange Coupling
A flange coupling usually applies to a coupling having two separate cast iron flanges. Each
flange is mounted on the shaft end and keyed to it. The faces are turned up at right angle to the
axis of the shaft. One of the flange has a projected portion and the other flange has a
corresponding recess.

This helps to bring the shafts into line and to maintain alignment. The two flanges are coupled
together by means of bolts and nuts. The flange coupling is adopted to heavy loads
and hence it is used on large shafting. The flange couplings are of the following three types :
1. Unprotected type flange coupling. In an unprotected type flange coupling, as shown in Fig.
13.12, each shaft is keyed to the boss of a flange with a counter sunk key and the flanges are
coupled together by means of bolts. Generally, three, four or six bolts are used. The keys
are staggered at right angle along the circumference of the shafts in order to divide the
weakening effect caused by keyways. The usual proportions for an unprotected type cast iron
flange couplings, as shown in Fig. 13.12, are as follows : If d is the diameter of the shaft or inner
diameter of the hub, then Outside diameter of hub,
D=2d

2. Protected type flange coupling. In a protected type flange coupling, as shown in Fig. 13.13,
the protruding bolts and nuts are protected by flanges on the two halves of the coupling, in order
to
avoid danger to the workman.
The thickness of the protective circumferential flange (tp) is taken as 0.25 d. The other
proportions of the coupling are same as for unprotected type flange coupling.
3. Marine type flange coupling. In a marine type flange coupling, the flanges are forged integral
with the shafts as shown in Fig. 13.14. The flanges are held together by means of tapered
headless bolts, numbering from four to twelve depending upon the diameter of shaft. The number
of bolts may be choosen from the following table.

The other proportions for the marine type flange coupling are taken as follows :
Thickness of flange = d / 3
Taper of bolt = 1 in 20 to 1 in 40 Pitch circle diameter of bolts, D1 = 1.6 d
Outside diameter of flange, D2 = 2.2 d

13.18 Flexible Coupling

We have already discussed that a flexible coupling is used to join the abutting ends of shafts
when they are not in exact alignment. In the case of a direct coupled drive from a prime mover to
an
electric generator, we should have four bearings at a comparatively close distance. In such a case
and in many others, as in a direct electric drive from an electric motor to a machine tool, a
flexible
coupling is used so as to permit an axial misalignemnt of the shaft without undue absorption of
the
power which the shaft are transmitting. Following are the different types of flexible couplings :
1. Bushed pin flexible coupling, 2. Oldham's coupling, and 3. Universal coupling.

13.19 Bushed-pin Flexible Coupling

A bushed-pin flexible coupling, as shown in Fig. 13.15, is a modification of the rigid type of
flange coupling. The coupling bolts are known as pins. The rubber or leather bushes are used
over the pins. The two halves of the coupling are dissimilar in construction. A clearance of 5 mm
is left
between the face of the two halves of the coupling. There is no rigid connection between them
and the drive takes place through the medium of the compressible rubber or leather bushes.
In designing the bushed-pin flexible coupling, the proportions of the rigid type flange coupling
are modified. The main modification is to reduce the bearing pressure on the rubber or leather
bushes and it should not exceed 0.5 N/mm2. In order to keep the low bearing pressure, the pitch
circle diameter and the pin size is increased.

Let , l = Length of bush in the flange,

d2= Diameter of bush,
pb = Bearing pressure on the bush or pin,
n = Number of pins, and
D1 = Diameter of pitch circle of the pins.
We know that bearing load acting on each pin,
W = pb × d2 × l
Total bearing load on the bush or pins = W × n = pb × d2 × l × n
13.20 Oldham Coupling
It is used to join two shafts which have lateral mis-alignment. It consists of two flanges A and B
with slots and a central floating part E with two tongues T1 and T2 at right angles as shown in
Fig. 13.17. The central floating part is held by means of a pin passing through the flanges and the
floating part. The tongue T1 fits into the slot of flange A and allows for ‘to and fro’ relative
motion of the shafts, while the tongue T2 fits into the slot of the flange B and allows for vertical
relative motion of the parts. The resultant of these two components of motion will accommodate
lateral misalignment of the shaft as they rotate.
13.21 Universal (or Hooke’s) Coupling
A universal or Hooke’s coupling is used to connect two shafts whose axes intersect at a small
angle. The inclination of the two shafts may be constant, but in actual practice, it varies when the
motion is transmitted from one shaft to another. The main application of the universal or
Hooke’s
coupling is found in the transmission from the gear box to the differential or back axle of the
automobiles. In such a case, we use two Hooke’s coupling, one at each end of the propeller shaft,
connecting the gear box at one end and the differential on the other end. A Hooke’s coupling is
also used for transmission of power to different spindles of multiple drilling machine. It is used
as a knee joint in milling machines. In designing a universal coupling, the shaft diameter and the
pin diameter is obtained as discussed below. The other dimensions of the coupling are fixed by
proportions as shown in Fig.13.18.