Couplings play a critical role in any industrial machinery configuration. As the point of connection between rotating shafts, they allow power to be transmitted to the gear reducer, converted into torque and passed on to the machinery being driven. When chosen properly, the right couplings can even adjust for misalignments between connecting shafts.
There are many different types of Falk couplings available, from G couplings to T couplings; selecting the right one depends heavily upon the application at hand as well as how the drive system is arranged. The following is a look at the differences between two basic coupling types: grid couplings and gear couplings.
Gear Couplings (aka G Couplings)
Gear couplings are equipped with gear teeth to transmit torque from one shaft to another. The clearance between the inner and outer rings of teeth gives the gear coupling its flexibility in accommodating misalignments. Falk’s Lifelign gear couplings, also known as G couplings, feature an innovative cost-effective design and come in a variety of configurations, from single-engagement couplings to floating shaft assemblies:
Single engagement.
Single-engagement G couplings typically consist of two hubs (each of which connects to a shaft) joined by a continuous sleeve.
Double engagement.
Double-engagement G couplings offer two flex halves to accommodate minor misalignments.
Spacer couplings.
Spacer G couplings – a double-engagement coupling with a spacer tube in the center – are also available to correct small gaps between connecting parts.
Floating shaft assemblies.
When these gaps are too large for spacer couplings, floating shaft assemblies may be used; these G couplings consist of two single-engagement couplings joined by a connecting shaft.
Grid Couplings (aka T Couplings)
Instead of gear teeth, grid couplings transmit torque using a steel grid running through two slotted hubs. This design provides the high torque capacity of a gear coupling while offering much higher torsional flexibility. Falk’s current line of Steelflex grid couplings, known as T couplings, offer the additional benefit of a “replace-in-place” design, which means a replacement grid can be dropped right into the coupling without having to remove the hubs or realign the shafts.
In the Falk catalog, T couplings have replaced F couplings, the original Steelflex grid design. F couplings are now obsolete but may still be available from our surplus parts inventory.
Posted under Products/Services on Friday, March 30th, 2012