GB1585044A

GB1585044A - Drive-transmitting joints

Info

Publication number: GB1585044A
Application number: GB2038778A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: BONDIOLI E
Current assignee: BONDIOLI E
Priority date: 1977-05-26
Filing date: 1978-05-18
Publication date: 1981-02-18
Also published as: ES470152A1; IT1081429B; DE2822586C2; FR2392273A1; DE2822586A1; FR2392273B1

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO DRIVE-TRANSMITTING JOINTS (71) I, EDI BONDIOLI, an Italian citizen, of Via Gina Bianchi 24, Suzzara, Mantova, Italy, do hereby declare the invention for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The present invention relates to drivetransmitting joints.

According to the invention, there is provided a drive-transmitting joint for two mutually-inclined shafts, said joint comprising two universal joints each comprising a fork arranged for connection to a respective one of the shafts and a spider, the spiders being mounted in a common housing, a centering disc guided within the housing for movement in its own plane along a plane of symmetry between the instantaneous positions of the two shafts, the disc having seats perpendicular to the plane of the disc for spherical tailpieces axially carried by the forks, the housing comprising two tubular parts coupled end to end by welding, and each fork having a circumferentially continuous annular neck arranged to operate with the outer end of a respective one of the two housing parts in order to limit the angular travel between each shaft and the housing.

In a preferred embodiment, each neck may have a conical surface.

The centering disc can be in sliding contact with the opposed surfaces of two flat parallel annular washers engaged and centered by the two welded parts of the housing. This facilitates the manufacture of the two parts, so that they can be manufactured by pressing.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a drive-transmitting joint according to the invention, taken in a plane containing the axes of the two inclined shafts; Figure 2 is a longitudinal section in a plane perpendicular to that of the section of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a cross section to a reduced scale, taken on line III-III of Figure 2.

With reference to the drawings, 1 and 3 denote two parts which form a central housing of the joint. The two parts 1 and 3 are each in the form of a tubular shell, and have outer annular edges 1A and 3A, respectively. The housing parts 1 and 3 are joined at their inner annular edges 1C and 3C by a weld 25. A spider 7 of a respective universal joint is rotatably mounted in each of the two housing parts 1 and 3 about an axis 5 and extends diametrically across the corresponding housing parts 1 or 3. Each spider 7 carries a respective fork 10 or 12 which is articulated to the spider about an axis 9 perpendicular to the axis 5 of the spider. The forks 10 and 12 are fast for rotation with mutually inclined shafts 12 and 15.

The forks 10 and 12 each carry at their inner end, a spherical tailpiece 17 and 19 respectively, which is co-axial with the corresponding shaft 13 and 15 and which lies in the central portion of the housing. The two tailpieces 17 and 19 are slidingly accommodated in a cylindrical seat 21 carried by a centering disc 23 perpendicularly to the plane of the disc 23.

The disc 23 is adapted to move in its own plane, that is the instantaneous plane of symmetry of the joint. For this purpose the centering disc 23 is guided between two parallel annular washers 24 lodged in annular recesses of the same diameter formed in the housing parts 1 and 3 at their inner edges. The washers 24 define between them, an annular seat for the centering disc 23 so that the disc is guided in the seat during movement in any direction.

The two spiders 7 and associated forks 10 and 12 form two universal joints which permit inclination with any orientation of the shafts with respect to the housing. The housing is always symmetrical with respect to the angle between the axes of the shafts 12 and 15, as a result of the constraint imposed by the centering disc 23 and by the seat 21 in co-operation with the spherical tailpieces 17, and 19.

The outer edges 1A and 3A of the housing are adapted to co-operate with circumferentially continuous conical necks 10A and 12A respectively formed on the forks 10 and 12 in order to prevent the shafts 13 and 15 from -assuming inclinations exceeding a given limit imposed by the design geometry of the joint. In this way a limitation of the inclination is obtained without harmful strains being transmitted to the components of the joint; this is obtained by the engagement of the neck 10A or 12A against the edge 1A or 3A at any orientation of shaft inclination.

The joint particularly described has reduced radial dimensions and does not have projections which represent a danger during rotation of the joint. The construction also permits an increase in the possible relative angle between the two shafts.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A drive-transmitting joint for two mutually-inclined shafts, said joint comprising two universal joints each comprising a fork arranged for connection to a respective one of the shafts and a spider, the spiders being mounted in a common housing, a centering disc guided within the housing for movement in its own plane along a plane of symmetry between the instantaneous positions of the two shafts, the disc having seats perpendicular to the plane of the disc for spherical tailpieces axially carried by the forks, the housing comprising two tubular parts coupled end to end by welding, and each fork having a circumferentially continuous annular neck arranged to operate with the outer end of a respective one of the two housing parts in order to limit the angular travel between each shaft and the housing.

2. A drive-transmitting joint according to claim 1, wherein each said neck has a conical surface.

3. A drive-transmitting joint according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the centering disc is in sliding contact with the opposed surfaces of two flat parallel annular washers engaged and centered by the two welded housing parts.

4. A drive-transmitting joint substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. The two spiders 7 and associated forks 10 and 12 form two universal joints which permit inclination with any orientation of the shafts with respect to the housing. The housing is always symmetrical with respect to the angle between the axes of the shafts 12 and 15, as a result of the constraint imposed by the centering disc 23 and by the seat 21 in co-operation with the spherical tailpieces 17, and 19. The outer edges 1A and 3A of the housing are adapted to co-operate with circumferentially continuous conical necks 10A and 12A respectively formed on the forks 10 and 12 in order to prevent the shafts 13 and 15 from -assuming inclinations exceeding a given limit imposed by the design geometry of the joint. In this way a limitation of the inclination is obtained without harmful strains being transmitted to the components of the joint; this is obtained by the engagement of the neck 10A or 12A against the edge 1A or 3A at any orientation of shaft inclination. The joint particularly described has reduced radial dimensions and does not have projections which represent a danger during rotation of the joint. The construction also permits an increase in the possible relative angle between the two shafts. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A drive-transmitting joint for two mutually-inclined shafts, said joint comprising two universal joints each comprising a fork arranged for connection to a respective one of the shafts and a spider, the spiders being mounted in a common housing, a centering disc guided within the housing for movement in its own plane along a plane of symmetry between the instantaneous positions of the two shafts, the disc having seats perpendicular to the plane of the disc for spherical tailpieces axially carried by the forks, the housing comprising two tubular parts coupled end to end by welding, and each fork having a circumferentially continuous annular neck arranged to operate with the outer end of a respective one of the two housing parts in order to limit the angular travel between each shaft and the housing.