Flexible shaft coupling element and flexible couplings incorporating the same

摘要

The present invention discloses a flexible shaft coupling device (40), which comprises a flexible element (42) formed by a sleeve-shaped body (44) and coupling two substantially inflexible end pieces (41, 43) to which a flexible shaft is connected, wherein the sleeve-shaped body (44) is formed by elastomeric compound and has two opposing sleeve ends mutually separated by a central annular portion (46) and defining coupling receiving portions (48, 50), therefore the end pieces (41, 43), whereas each receiving portion (48, 50) includes several axially extending teeth (56) arranged along at least a portion of an inner periphery (52), so that each tooth (56) of each receiving portion (48, 50) has a circumferential width (65) spanning parts of the inner periphery (52), whereas one textile reinforcement element and a helically coiled tensile cord is connected to at least a part of the inner periphery (52) of the sleeve-shaped body (44), so that a torsional shear capacity of the annular portion (46) is lower than a cumulative tooth shear capacity given by a sum of tooth (56) shear area, which is a product of their circumferential width (65) and effective axial length. The invention especially relates to the flexible element (42) for this flexible shaft-coupling device (40).