Custom solutions lead coupling trends in 2019

With application environments increasing in complexity year over year, standard couplings are often solving only part of the problem. Coupling industry leaders are reporting an increase in customer requests for custom solutions; Engineers want their coupling performance fine-tuned for precisely the task at hand.

With a peak torque value of 12,700 in-lbs, the CD Coupling is torsionally stiff and able to operate at speeds up to 4,400 rpm. The custom CD Coupling ensures low reaction loads on the system’s shaft bearings.

INCREASED MISALIGNMENT CAPACITY

When connected motion components in a composite fiber processing system needed extra parallel misalignment capacity to prevent premature bearing failure and oil leakage, Zero-Max created a custom, shortened Double Flex CD Coupling.

In this application, the original machine design called for a single flex, steel disc coupling to connect the system motor to a gearbox. When operating, the steel disc coupling did not allow enough parallel misalignment to protect the connected components from excess stress and wear. Component failure resulted, causing system downtime with excess cost and time for restart of the equipment.

Zero-Max engineers proposed a shortened version of its Model 6P60C CD coupling. Designed with a composite disc center member, this coupling handles the misalignment, minimizing reaction loads in a confined operating space much better than the previously used steel disc coupling.

With a peak torque value of 12,700 in-lbs, the CD Coupling is torsionally stiff and able to operate at speeds up to 4,400 rpm, far above the system’s upper-performance requirements. The custom CD Coupling ensures low reaction loads on the system’s shaft bearings. This custom CD Coupling has up to 3° angular misalignment with 0.069 (1.8mm) parallel and 0.260 (6.6mm) axial misalignment also allowed. The coupling has aluminum hubs with little inertia.

The coupling was installed by removing the failed coupling and connecting the newly modified CD Coupling’sclamp- style hubs in the system’s powertrain, without having to redesign or relocate any machine components.

This Ameridrives custom 11-in. diameter gear coupling has a peak torque rating of 397,225 in.lbs. (44,880 Nm).

The engineering disciplines Zero-Max applies to its custom coupling applications include metallurgy and alloy material design, composite disc formation, disc deflection control, precision fastening of components, and dynamic coupling balancing. These engineering disciplines require precise control of the coupling body, stiffness properties of the composite disc, and overall weight of the coupling assembly.

Other custom designs from Zero-Max include couplings handling high power in a small space, blind fit couplings, large-scale floating shaft couplings, high misalignment, and high torque couplings, high-speed couplings, and high precision couplings.

CUSTOM FLEXIBLE GEAR COUPLINGS

A global manufacturer of oil and gas drilling equipment needed a coupling solution for its 1,000-ton top drive. The 2,000 HP drive used two AC motors suspended from the rig’s mast to rotate the drill string of pipe sections into the well hole. These pipe strings can reach lengths of more than two miles. As the long pipe string drills down deeper into the sea floor, the top drive is repeatedly lifted to insert 2-3 additional 25-32 ft. long pipe sections at a time. The process is reversed when it’s time to remove the pipe string from the drill hole.

The top drive couplings are used to connect the drive motors and gearbox to the drill string. Ameridrives supplied a custom 11-in. diameter gear coupling with a peak torque rating of 397,225 in.lbs. (44,880 Nm).

Amerigear fully-crowned gear teeth provided operational benefits including maximum load carrying capacity with minimum size and reliability. Optimum separation of gear meshes also permited high parallel offset capacity. Units feature accurately machined medium carbon steel hubs and sleeves. Positive-type O-ring seals keep lubricant in and contaminants out.