Drive shaft assembly

A drive shaft assembly comprising:

• (a) a first shaft;
• (b) a casing surrounding said first shaft and having openings at each axial end thereof, said casing receiving an end portion of said first shaft through the opening at one end thereof and being provided with a first flange on the periphery of the other end, said first flange having first planar annular end surface perpendicular to the axis of said first shaft;
• (c) a second shaft which is coaxial with said first shaft and which is provided with a second flange at one end thereof, said second flange having a second planar annular end surface perpendicular to the axis of said second shaft;
• (d) an end cover having an annular planar periphery disposed between said first and second planar annular end surface, said end cover having two axial surfaces, one of which makes planar contact with said first planar annular end surface when the assembly is assembled and one of which makes planar contact with said second planar annular end surface when the assembly is assembled;
• (e) a sealing member sealingly held between said end cover and said first flange inwardly of said annular periphery of said end cover and said first planar annular end surface on said first flange when the assembly is assembled;
• (f) first means for quickly and accurately centering said first and second end flanges in precisely aligned coaxial relationship prior to joining said first and second flanges with bolts and nuts, said first means comprising:
• (i) two and only two knock pin receiving holes in each of said first and second flanges, said knock pin receiving holes being located at a uniform radial distance from said first and second shafts defining a first circle located in said first and second annular end surfaces and outside said sealing member, said two and only two knock pin receiving holes in said first flange being coaxial with said two and only two knock pin receiving holes in said second flange;
• (ii) two and only two knock pin passing holes in said end cover, said two and only two knock pin passing holes being larger than said two and only two knock pin receiving holes in at least one of said first and second flanges and being coaxial with said knock pin receiving holes;
• and
• (iii) two and only two knock pins, each of said two and only two knock pins having a chamfer at each end thereof and, when the assembly is assembled, being secured by press fitting in corresponding ones of said two and only two knock pin receiving holes in said first and second flanges, said knock pins extending in the axial direction defined by said first and second shafts, said knock pins being sized and shaped to be closely received in said knock pin receiving holes to thereby precisely position said first and second end flanges in precisely aligned coaxial relationship;
• and
• (g) second means for joining said first and second flanges after they have been centered in precisely aligned coaxial relationship, said second means comprising:
• (i) a plurality of corresponding bolt holes located in said first and second flanges and in said end cover on a second circle which is concentric to said first circle;
• (ii) a plurality of bolts which, when the assembly is assembled, extend through said bolt holes, said bolts not being as closely received in said bolt holes as said knock pins are received in said knock pin holes in said first and second flanges;
• and
• (iii) a plurality of nuts which, when the assembly is assembled, are threadedly received on said bolts,
• whereby, during assembly of the drive shaft assembly:
• (h) said first and secodd flanges and said end cover may be quickly and accurately centered in precisely aligned coaxial relationship by said two and only two knock pins, after which
• (i) said first and second flanges may be joined by said plurality of bolts and corresponding nuts, which prevent axial dislocation of said first and second flanges, and
• (j) after assembly of the drive shaft assembly, said two and only two knock pins and said plurality of bolts both transmit torque.