US703582A - Flexible shaft-coupling. - Google Patents

Description

Patented July 1; I902. G. C. HICKS, .In. FLEXIBLE SHAFTGOUPLING.

(Apphcahon filed Feb 96 1902) in mm.

' Wiisnessesi Attorney onms PETERS ca. inmmu'mo" WASHINGTON, n. c

THEN

UNITED STATES GEORGE C. HICKS, JR, OF CONNERS P. H. F. M. ROOTS COMPANY,

VILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO THE OF CONNERSVILLE, INDIANA.

FLEXIBLE SHAFT-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Application filed February 26, 1902. Serial No. 95,651.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE C.'HICKS, Jr. a citizen of the United States, residing at Connersville, Fayette county, Indiana, (post-office address Connersville, Indiana,) have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flexible Shaft-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention,pertaining to improvements in flexible couplings for rotary shafts, will be readily understood from the following description,taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure Us a face elevation of my improved coupling, a portion of the nearer flange being broken away to expose the construction be-. hind it, certain studs of this broken-away flange appearing in vertical section; Fig. 2, a side elevation half-vertical diametrioal section of the coupling; Fig. 3, a side elevation of the transmitting-rope, on a reduced scale, indicatingits course, crossings, &c.; and Fig. 4, a perspective view of one of the links employed at the crossing of the rope.

In thedrawings, 1 indicates a flange adapted to be secured to the end of one of the shafts to be coupled, which shaft will be assumed as the driving-shaft; 2, a flange to be secured to the other member of the pair of shafts, which member will be considered as the driven shaft, though it may be stated that it is quite immaterial which of the two flan ges is employed as the driver; 3, a circumferential series of studs projecting from the inner face of the driving-flange toward the other flange; 4, a similar series of studs projecting from flange 2 toward flange 1, both series of studs being arranged concentric to the common axis of the twoflanges, the studs 4. being upon a smaller circle than studs 3, but of equal number therewith; 5, circumferential grooves in the projecting portions of all of the studs, the devicebeing illustrated as provided with three sets of these grooves arranged, respectively, in three planes parallel with each other and with the faces of the flanges; 6, a continuous rope engaging all of the grooves of all of the studs, its course, circumferentially considered, being around the outer portion of the larger circle of studs 3 and the inner portion of the smaller circle of Patent No. 703,582, dated July 1, 1902'.

(No model.)

studs 4:, the rope thus zigzagging from a stud of one seriesto a stud of the other series, and so oncontinuously; 7, one of the crossings of the rope where its course leads from the middle set ofgrooves to one of the exterior sets; 8, the other crossing of the rope where its course leads from the other exterior set; and 9 links applied at the crossings of the rope, these'links being formed each with a double eye to fitthe rope, the two eyes of the link being twisted into planes slightlyoblique to each other.

In Fig. 1 the parts are illustrated in condition resulting from the driving strain. When theparts are idle or not under studs AC stand farther in advance-say about angularly midwaybetween the outer studs. The driving strain in the direction of the arrow applied to flange 1 causes the outer studs to angularly advance relative to the inner ones until the strain of the rope is sufficient to impart full motion to flange 2. The rope being non-rigid endows the system with the capacity for elastic transmission of the motion from one flange to the other, and it is obvious that the transmission will not be interfered with by the axes of the two flanges being thrown out of line with each other within limits whether such disturbance of alinement be eccentric or angular. The individuality of the rope members permits of very considerable disturbance ofalinement without interferin g with satisfactory transmission of motion. Couplings have been produced with wide flat wrapping-connectors zigzagging over studs in the flanges; but the width of such single wrapping-connector is seriously lacking in the peculiar flexibility of the present system with its plurality of rope members. The zigzagging wrapping-connectors in couplings of this classhave alsobeen-formed of a plurality of rope windings; but in either case the construction has been such that the wrapping-connector, whether flat or in rope form, required to substantially fill the space between the faces of the two flanges in order to prevent improper displacement, the result being, first, that there was a serious limit to the angular flexibility 0f the coupling; second, that the extreme sides of the wrappingconnector were subject to wearing contact strain, then the center set of grooves to with the flanges, and, third, that in the case of the rope form of connector the strands were capable of relative displacement and liable to undesired wear upon each other. This dependence on the relationship of the two flanges in their distance from each other to maintain the wrapping-connector in proper position involves the necessity for special means for insuring the tautness of the wrapping-connector under all conditions. In the construction herein set forth it becomes possible to realize the peculiar merits of the rope system without depending upon the sidewise relationship of the flanges to maintain the strands in proper position. In other words, each stud takes care of all of the rope strands engaging it at its point of office Without help from the contiguous flange-faces and without necessity for the strands lying against each other. The faces of the flanges may thus assume decided angles without aifectin g the relation of the rope strands to each other or to their studs.

In applying the rope suflicient is taken to make the round of the grooves three times. A point about the middle is selected and the winding started both ways around in all the grooves of one set. This brings the rope together in the same line of grooves at a point opposite the starting-point. At this point the rope is crossed and provided with a link 9 to maintain the crossing. The rope ends are now coursed backward in the second set of grooves, and having traversed this set the ropes are again crossed and provided with a link, after which the rope ends are traversed forward again in all of the third set of grooves, the rope ends meeting and then being spliced.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a shaft-coupling, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a pair of flanges adapted to be secured to the shafts to be coupled, circumferentiallygrooved studs projecting from the face of each flange toward the face of the other flange, the studs being arranged in a circular series upon each flange and the two series being concentric with each other, and a rope engaging grooves of all of the studs, zigzagging from within the smaller circle of studs to without the larger circle of studs and free of the faces of the flanges.

2. In a shaft-coupling, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a pair of flanges adapted to be secured to the shafts to be coupled, studs provided with a plurality of circumferential grooves and projecting in circular series from one of the flanges toward the other, a similar series of studs arranged in a smaller circle upon the second flange and projecting toward the first flange, and an endless rope arranged in zigzag course and engaging all of the grooves of all of the studs and free of the faces of the flanges.

3. In a shaft coupling, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a pair of flanges adapted to be secured to the shafts to be coupled, studs provided with a plurality of circumferential grooves and projecting in circular series from one of the flanges toward the other, a similar series of studs arranged in a smallercircle upon the second flange and projecting toward the first flange, an endless rope arranged in zigzag course and engaging all of the grooves of all of the studs, and double-eyed links applied to the crossings in said rope where it diverges from one set of stud-grooves to the other.

4. In a shaftcoupling, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a pair of flanges adapted to be secured to the shafts to be coupled, studs projecting from the face of each flange toward the face of the other flange, the studs being arranged in a circular series upon each flange and the two series being concentric with each other, a rope engaging all of the studs, zigzagging from within the smaller circle of studs to without the larger circle of studs and free of the faces of the flanges, and means carried by said studs and engaging the rope and serving to prevent its sidewise displacement upon the studs.

GEORGE C. HICKS, JR.

Vitnesses:

E. D. JOHNSTON, J. M. SHADE.

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