What are couplings?

Couplings, also known as shaft couplings or joints, are components used to connect two shafts to transmit power from a driving shaft to a driven shaft, whilst absorbing misalignment and compensating for axial movement. Propellers are one application example of couplings, where the motor shaft drives a coupling, which is connected to the propeller blades, causing them to turn.

The main purpose of couplings is to drive function, and these components can even transfer power between axes of different diameters.

Types of couplings

There are two main categories of couplings, including:

• Material flexing couplings (including jaw couplings, sleeve couplings, tire couplings, disc coupling and diaphragm couplings)
• Mechanical flexing couplings (including gear couplings, grid couplings and roller chain couplings)

Benefits of couplings

The main benefits of couplings include:

• Effective power transmission
• Absorption of mounting errors to ensure smooth operations
• Absorption of vibration to protect equipment
• Absorption of shock to protect components
• Effective avoidance of heat transfer from the motor to the drive side