Splined and threaded shaft for marine drive
AssigneeBrunswick Corporation
InventorsKass W. Sawyer, Laura K. Mueller
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A propeller shaft includes a cylindrical outer surface having a series of external splines formed thereupon and having a series of external threads formed in the series of external splines. The series of external splines engages with a mating series of internal splines on a driven gear. The series of external threads engages with a mating series of internal threads on a nut that holds the driven gear axially in place on the propeller shaft. A shaft for a marine drive unit and a marine drive assembly are also described.
Claims20
A propeller shaft comprising a cylindrical outer surface having a series of external splines formed thereupon and having a series of external threads formed in the series of external splines, wherein the series of external splines is configured to engage with a mating series of internal splines on a driven gear, and the series of external threads is configured to engage with a nut that holds the driven gear axially in place on the propeller shaft.
A shaft for a marine drive unit, the shaft comprising a cylindrical outer surface having a series of external splines formed thereupon and having a series of external threads formed in the series of external splines, wherein the series of external splines is configured to engage with a mating series of internal splines on a gear, and the series of external threads is configured to engage with a nut that holds the gear axially in place on the shaft, and wherein the shaft is a propeller shaft configured to be coupled to the gear at a proximal end thereof and configured to be coupled to a hub of a propeller at a distal end thereof.
A marine drive assembly comprising:
- a drive shaft having a pinion gear coupled to a lower end thereof;
- first and second concentric counter-rotating propeller shafts, each propeller shaft having a respective first or second series of external splines formed on at least a portion of an outer surface thereof;
- a first driven gear meshed with the pinion gear and connected to the first propeller shaft by a first series of internal splines;
- a second driven gear meshed with the pinion gear and connected to the second propeller shaft by a second series of internal splines;
- and
- a nut surrounding at least one of the first and second propeller shafts and fixing a respective one of the first and second driven gears axially with respect to the at least one of the first and second propeller shafts;
- wherein the at least one of the first and second propeller shafts comprises a series of threads formed in the respective first or second series of external splines for mating with the nut.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.