Easy reference to coupling specifications

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Feb 27, 2004

A new, handy reference brochure details the specifications for the Lovejoy/Sier-Bath Farr gear coupling.

It's hard to take a laptop into the quarry.

Nothing can replace a physical binder with information such as equipment specifications, and installation and alignment instructions for vital replacement parts.

A new, handy reference brochure from Lovejoy details the specifications for the Lovejoy/Sier-Bath Farr gear coupling.

The brochure is conveniently three-hole punched to fit into an operation manager's parts binder.

The Farr gear coupling is equally at home on the harvesting fields, in the quarry or in the plant, steadying the workhorses of American industry such as mixing equipment and conveyor drives.

Of all the components that can ensure smooth operations in a conveyor system, this small yet vital part - the coupling - is the key to providing a continuous, trouble-free ride for any commodity.

The Lovejoy/Sier-Bath Farr gear coupling is designed specifically for the rugged requirements of high horsepower underground and surface belt conveyors, sometimes referred to as "alignment-free", which allows the gear drive to be mounted directly to the conveyor, eliminating the need for a foundation and a conventional low-speed shaft coupling.

The bolt-on design of the drive also lends itself to fast installations requiring no alignment.

The low-speed shaft bolts directly onto the conveyor shaft by means of Farr coupling on the two shafts.

Simple, piloted fits and bolt-on mounting connections eliminate the need for time-consuming alignment of both input and output shafts during installation and periodic maintenance - a profitable time-saver compared with conventional couplings.

In addition, the Lovejoy/Sier-Bath Farr coupling eliminates shaft misalignment as a cause of failure and downtime.

Even scheduled maintenance time and costs are reduced.

The improved reliability and reduced costs for heavy-duty conveyor systems helps maintain an effective system for moving high volumes of bulk materials in the mining, power generation, cement, bulk food processing and other industries.

Made from 4140 alloy steel, the coupling consists of a male and female piloted coupling assembled with Grade 8 bolts and Grade C prevailing torque nuts.

The 4140 alloy steel material provides the part with increased yield and tensile strength compared to conventional AISI 1045 material, commonly used in alternative gear coupling choices.

Ten sizes of the Lovejoy/Sier-Bath gear coupling offer a broad ranging torque capacity, from 10 to 870kNm, in standardised designs.

Lovejoy offers up to a 15in design size.

With this size range, smaller operations that move 500 to 1000lb of media, such as a simple mixer drive in a baking operation, can benefit from this design, up to an aggregate operation moving tons of material every hour.

In another unique design move, the Lovejoy/Sier-Bath gear coupling provides a belt-and-suspenders provision in the form of a keeper plate, that is bolted on to the end of the shaft in the event the interference fit fails.

This keeper plate holds the assembly together long enough to halt operations and prevent potentially critical damage.

"If the coupling were to fall off the head shaft of a pulley, you are going to have anywhere from 3000 to 20,000lb of motor/gearbox assembly material dump onto a worker or another piece of equipment", says Kevin Remack, Director, Product Management for Lovejoy.

"Companies can safeguard their work force and protect their capital investments".