Patent ID: 6358154
Filing Date: 2002-03-19
Classification: F16D

Abstract:
A flexible coupling for transmitting torque from a drive shaft to a driven shaft, the coupling comprising: a rotatable drive member securable to the drive shaft; a rotatable driven member securable to the driven shaft; a plurality of radial vanes on the drive member and a plurality of radial vanes on the driven member which interdigitate with said vanes on the drive member; a first and a second set of resiliently deformable pads interposed respectively between the interdigitating vanes to transmit torque there between; said resiliently deformable first set of pads being detachably secured to the vanes on the drive member and said second set of pads being detachably secured to the vanes on the driven member and removeable in a radial direction without having to remove the drive or driven vanes from the coupling; said first set of pads being adapted to transmit compressive loads in one direction of rotation and said second set of pads being adapted to transmit compressive loads in an opposite direction of rotation of the drive shaft; each pad having opposed ends, said first set being secured to the drive member vanes at one end and free to move in one circumferential direction at the other end, said second set being secured to said driven member vanes at one end and free to move in an opposite circumferential direction at the other end and wherein the first set of pads has a different overall resilience than the second set of pads.