Patent ID: 7874925

Claim:
An assembly comprising: a metallic end coupling; and a polymeric fibre reinforced composite tubular shaft, wherein the coupling has an inner cylindrical crown surface with an internal crown surface diameter such that the crown surface has an interference with an outer surface of a cylindrical end portion of the shaft, the coupling is press fit over the outer surface of the cylindrical end portion of the shaft, the coupling has a multiplicity of splines and troughs circumferentially spaced apart by lands of the crown surface and forming longitudinal cutting teeth each associated with a pair of adjacent troughs and extending axially of the crown surface with respective pairs of troughs being parallel to each side of a respective cutting tooth and having an external diameter greater than the crown surface diameter, and the teeth have cut longitudinal channels into the outer surface of the shaft during the press fit with the troughs accommodating reshaping of the outer surface by said teeth and containing cutting debris formed by the teeth during said press fit with the lands exerting a compressive load on the outer surface of the end portion of the shaft.