Torsionally flexible coupling, a mold, and a method of producing same

A vulcanization mold for producing a torsionally flexible coupling having a hub ring, a vibrationally separated pulley surrounding the hub ring at a radial distance, a spring body made of a rubber-elastic material being situated in the gap formed by the radial distance, and a sliding-contact bearing for mutual support of the hub ring and pulley, the sliding-contact bearing having a sliding-contact surface on the side facing the hub ring, the sliding-contact surface having an elastically flexible projection in a radial direction contacting a surface of the hub ring under elastic prestress, the sliding-contact bearing being made of a thermoplastic polymer material, comprising:

• a mold cavity, into which the pulley and a blank for the sliding-contact bearing are insertable;
• a core surrounded on an outside circumference by the blank when the vulcanizing mold is used as intended, the core having at least one flattened region on the outside circumference, corresponding in size and shape to the projection of the sliding-contact bearing;
• and
• injection nozzles for free-flowing elastomer material, the injection nozzles being situated radially between an inside circumference of the pulley and the outside circumference of the blank for production of a receptacle.

A method of producing a torsionally flexible coupling comprising a hub ring, a vibrationally isolated pulley surrounding the hub ring at a radial distance, a spring body made of a rubber-elastic material being situated in the gap formed by the radial distance, and a sliding-contact bearing for mutual support of the hub ring and the pulley, the sliding-contact bearing having a sliding-contact surface on a side facing the hub ring, the sliding-contact surface having at least one elastically flexible projection in the radial direction contacting a surface of the hub ring under an elastic prestress, the sliding-contact bearing being made of a thermoplastic polymer material, the method comprising:

• inserting the pulley and a blank for the sliding-contact bearing blank into a mold cavity so that the sliding-contact bearing blank surrounds a core of the mold cavity on the outside, the core being flattened on the outside circumference so as to define at least one flattened region;
• injecting free-flowing elastomer material to produce a receptacle into an annular gap between the pulley and the sliding-contact bearing blank, the sliding-contact bearing blank automatically coming in contact with a surface of the core having the at least one flattened region due to the production process and due to the injection pressure and temperature;
• and,
• after solidification and cooling of the elastomer material, removing the prefabricatable unit comprising the pulley, the receptacle of elastomer material, and the sliding-contact bearing from the mold cavity;
• and
• assembling the unit with the hub ring to form the torsionally flexible coupling.