Flexible flywheel coupling
AssigneeDodge Industrial, Inc.
InventorsChristopher L. England, Galen E. Burdeshaw
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A flywheel coupling assembly for transmitting torque between a shaft and a flywheel includes a clamp ring assembly and a flywheel attachment flange assembly. The clamp ring assembly includes a first clamp ring adapted to be coupled to the shaft, a second clamp ring coupled to a coupling hub of the flywheel attachment flange assembly, and an elastomeric center element coupling the first and second clamp rings. A planer plate element of the flywheel attachment flange assembly is adapted to be coupled with the flywheel. Also disclosed are a method of forming a flywheel coupling assembly and a method of coupling a flywheel to a shaft.
Claims16
A flywheel coupling assembly for transmitting torque between a shaft and a flywheel approximately aligned on an assembly axis, the flywheel coupling assembly comprising:
- a clamp ring assembly defining a clamp ring axis and including
- a first clamp ring,
- a second clamp ring disposed spaced apart from and substantially parallel to the first clamp ring along the clamp ring axis, and
- a center element formed of an elastomer material, the center element extending axially and circumferentially between the first and second clamp rings,
- the clamp ring assembly including a first axial end and a second axial end, the first clamp ring being disposed substantially adjacent the first axial end and the second clamp ring being disposed substantially adjacent the second axial end, the first axial end of the clamp ring being adapted to be coupled to the shaft, and
- a flywheel attachment flange assembly, the flywheel attachment flange assembly including a coupling hub and a planer plate element, the planer plate element including a plurality of through holes and being adapted to be disposed adjacent the flywheel, the coupling hub defining a flywheel attachment axis, the coupling hub being coupled with the second axial end of the clamp ring assembly, the flywheel attachment axis and the clamp ring being substantially coincident, the flywheel attachment axis and the clamp ring axis being adapted to be substantially aligned with the assembly axis;
- wherein the first clamp ring and the second clamp ring each include a plurality of radially extending holes adapted to receive a plurality of fasteners.
A method of coupling a flywheel to a shaft along an assembly axis, the method comprising:
- providing a clamp ring assembly defining a clamp ring axis and including
- a first clamp ring disposed substantially adjacent a first axial end of the clamp ring assembly,
- a second clamp ring disposed substantially adjacent a second axial end of the clamp ring assembly, the first and second clamp rings being substantially parallelly disposed and spaced apart along the clamp ring axis, and
- a center element formed of an elastomer material, the center element extending axially and circumferentially between the first and second clamp rings, coupling the second clamp ring to a coupling hub of a flywheel attachment flange assembly,
- inserting a plurality of first fasteners extending from a planer plate element of the flywheel attachment flange assembly into openings in the flywheel to couple the flywheel attachment flange assembly to the flywheel, and
- coupling the first axial end of the clamp ring assembly to the shaft;
- wherein the first clamp ring and the second clamp ring each include a plurality of radially extending holes adapted to receive a plurality of second fasteners.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.