PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - 'Thompson Coupling', a pretty interesting design.
Old 26th Feb 2008, 11:42
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Graviman
 
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I'm pleased this design is still being developed. I first learned about it 10 years ago. The problem is generally a catch 22, in that major OEMs won't invest until the company demonstrates production capacity, but that requires investment...

Universal joints in drivelines are generally limited to a maximum recommended angle of 3 degrees (shaft vibration limitation), and a minimum angle of 1 degree (to keep grease flowing). Constant velocity joints can handle higher angles, since there is no shaft accel/deccel, but are limited for torque by bearing B10 life.

This design captures the best of both world by allowing higher angles at higher torque capacities. For applications like tail rotor drives i imagine this design would be very robust. Dave Jackson also had a clever application for an articulated head, although the trend now is towards higher effective hinge offset with designs to handle lead/lag forces.
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