Product category:
Gears, brakes, couplings and engines
News Release from: Reliance Precision Mechatronics | Subject: Reli-a-Flex
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 27 June 2003
Coupling's slit design minimises stress
The Reli-a-Flex slit coupling range is designed to provide extremely accurate transfer of motion between two rotating shafts, while at the same time catering for parallel and angular misalignments.
In the 1950s three Comet aircraft disintegrated in mid-air before engineers realised through fatigue testing that the aircraft's designers had overlooked stress concentrations at the corners of the square windows This unforeseen inherent weakness had terrible repercussions - cracks which started at the corners of the square windows led to explosive decompression at altitude
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 13 Oct 2000 at 8.00am (UK)
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Design engineers at Reliance Gear Co of Huddersfield, well aware of the potentially devastating effect of premature fatigue failure, have used a combination of skilful design, careful testing and a unique in house developed finite-element-based design tool to produce the Reli-a-Flex flexible one piece slit couplings.
The Reli-a-Flex slit coupling range is not only specifically designed to provide extremely accurate transfer of motion between two rotating shafts, while at the same time catering for parallel and angular misalignments, but also the unique patented double slit pattern provides excellent reliability.
Unlike some other cross-slit couplings the full form radius at the base of each slit minimises stress raising effects leading to longevity even in the most arduous applications.
Manufactured from low inertia Grade 7075-T6 aluminium, the Reli-a-Flex coupling does not suffer from surface fatigue.
Alternative hard and comparatively brittle material coatings, such as those produced by anodising, can initiate the propagation of fatigue cracks and eventual failure.
In fatigue tests at rated torque and 80% maximum offset, the Reli-a-Flex coupling completed 50 million cycles and beyond without failure, where other comparable products failed at as low as 3 million cycles.
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