Patent ID: 7118300

Claim:
A shaft coupling comprising: a pair of complementally shaped, detachably joinable coupling sleeve halves ( 11 , 12 ) which form, when they are joined together, a split coupling sleeve having an axis (C 3 ) and provided with at least one seat ( 14 ) for a first shaft member (A 1 ) which is to be non-rotatably connected with a second shaft member (A 2 , A 2 ′) so that the first and second shaft members are centered on said axis of the coupling sleeve, said seat extending about said axis of the coupling sleeve, clamping elements ( 13 ) for holding the coupling sleeve halves ( 11 , 12 ) together and clamping them about the first shaft member (A 1 ), and a retaining device ( 16 /A 3 ) including interengaging retaining elements for positively locking the first shaft member against rotational movement relative to the coupling sleeve, characterised in that: the coupling sleeve halves ( 11 , 12 ) include in said seat ( 14 , 15 ) a plurality of elongate force transmitting elements ( 16 D) which form said retaining elements and extend along a line including an angle (+a, −a) with a plane (L) perpendicular to said axis (C 3 ) of the coupling sleeve and which are shaped so as to be interlockingly engageable with complemental force transmitting elements (A 3 D) on the first shaft member (A 1 ), said force transmitting elements in said seat comprising a first group ( 16 A) and a second group ( 16 B) of said force transmitting elements ( 16 D), said angle (+a, −a) in the first group being in a different direction from that in the second group, and wherein said first group and said second group of said force transmitting elements are spaced apart along said axis (C 3 ) to create an annular gap free of any said force transmitting elements.