Rotary shafts – gudgeons – housings – and flexible couplings for ro – Torque transmitted via flexible element – Nonmetallic element
Patent
1994-10-11
1996-10-08
Stodola, Daniel P.
Rotary shafts, gudgeons, housings, and flexible couplings for ro
Torque transmitted via flexible element
Nonmetallic element
F16D 378
Patent
active
055625452
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a flexible disc especially for use in the drive line in motor vehicles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Such a flexible disc is known, for instance, from DE 39 42 432 C1. There, the supporting ring profile is of L shape. The supporting rings each include a cylindrical portion which is press fitted on the corresponding bushing and has a flange extending substantially radially outwardly from the axially inner end thereof with respect to the bushing. The cylindrical portions must be relatively long in order to warrant a secure press fit and, therefore, each supporting ring takes up about one tenth of the total length of the corresponding bushing. Thus the space left to receive sets of loops between two supporting rings on a bushing is much shorter in axial direction than the bushing. Up to now, it was thought to be necessary to provide a thick layer of the rubber-elastic material, which forms the disc body, axially outside of the loop sets and flanges of the supporting rings. It was for this reason, among others, that the supporting rings were disposed with an axially inner flange on the bushings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is based on the finding that sufficient protection of the sets of loops and reliable integrity of a flexible disc of the kind specified above can be obtained also if the loop sets at the two face ends of the flexible disc are coated with but a rather thin layer of rubber-elastic material. The thickness of this layer, in principle, need not be greater than the thickness of the sheet metal used so far for making the supporting rings, i.e. for example from 0.4 to 0.6 mm.
Starting from this finding, it is the object of the invention to provide space as large as possible, in axial direction of the bushings, for installation of loop sets, at a given total thickness of a flexible disc of the kind described.
The object is met, in accordance with the invention, by a flexible disc comprising a disc body made of rubber-elastic material and having a central axis of rotation. A number of bushings are spaced from one another around the central axis of rotation. Loop sets consisting of string loops are wrapped around the bushings in pairs and supporting rings are slipped axially on the bushings to keep the loop sets together axially. Each supporting ring comprises an annular disc having teeth which project radially inwardly and anchor firmly on the corresponding bushing.
The supporting rings according to the invention preferably are stamped out of spring steel strip material having a thickness of from 0.4 to 1.0 mm, hardened, and annealed. It is sufficient to push a supporting ring of the type used according to the invention for approximately 1.5 to 2 mm in axial direction on a bushing in order to make sure that the teeth of the supporting ring become anchored reliably on the bushing.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the annular disc is formed between the teeth with guide sections where the inner diameter of the disc is as great as or slightly greater than the outer diameter of the corresponding bushing. The guide sections center the annular disc and thus the entire supporting ring on the bushing without scratching the surface of the bushing. Any coating provided in conventional manner on the outer surface of the bushing thus might suffer damage only from the teeth, while its integrity otherwise is maintained.
It is further convenient if the annular disc has a recess at either side of each tooth, the width of the recesses being approximately the same as the width of the tooth. During manufacture of the disc body, rubber-elastic material can be injected through these recesses to displace any air trapped inside. In this way bridges are formed of the rubber-elastic material in the recesses and they firmly link a layer of this material, provided axially outside of the supporting rings, with the axially inner portion of the disc body, thus preventing separation of the outer layer, in operation, even if thi
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Maierbacher Georg
Wahling Werner
Dunn Eileen A.
SGF - Suddeutsche Gelenkscheibenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG
Stodola Daniel P.
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