- Gear coupling
A gear coupling is a mechanical device for transmitting
torque between two shafts that are notcoaxial . It consists of a flexible joint fixed to each shaft. The two joints are connected by a third shaft, called the spindle.Each joint consists of a 1:1
gear ratio internal/externalgear pair. The tooth flanks and outer diameter of the external gear are crowned to allow forangular displacement between the two gears. Mechanically, the gears are equivalent torotating spline s with modified profiles. They are called gears because of the relatively large size of the teeth.Gear couplings and
universal joint s are used in similar applications. Gear couplings have higher torque densities than universal joints designed to fit a given space while universal joints induce lowervibration s. The limit on torque density in universal joints is due to the limited cross sections of the cross and yoke. The gear teeth in a gear coupling have high backlash to allow for angular misalignment. The excess backlash can contribute to vibration.Single joint gear couplings are also used to connected two nominally coaxial shafts. In this application the device is called a gear-type flexible, or
flexible coupling . The single joint allows for minor misalignments such as installation errors and changes in shaft alignment due to operating conditions.External links
* [http://www.conbear.com/images/G-cutaway.jpgCutaway model of a gear coupling]
* [http://www.davidbrown.com/gear-couplings.php Gear Coupling information]
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