Coupling for connecting the adjacent ends of shafts

Claim 1

A coupling for drivably connecting the adjacent ends of aligned shafts comprising hubs containing holes adapted to be non-rotatably mounted on the ends of the shafts, a radial flange integral with one of said hubs, an axial flange integral at one end with the radial flange, said axial flange having at its distal end a plurality of circumferentially spaced threaded holes, an annular retainer plate corresponding in diameter to the distal end of the axial flange containing a center hole and peripherally located holes corresponding to those at the distal end of said axial flange, bolts securing said retainer plate to said axial flange, said radial flange, axial flange and retainer plate collectively forming a cylindrical chamber at said end of the hub, having an interior cylindrical wall concentric with the axis of the shafts constituting an inner bearing surface and axially spaced end walls perpendicular to the axes of the shafts; a cylindrical part at the end of the other of said hubs connected thereto by a radial shoulder, said cylindrical part being of smaller diameter than said inner bearing surface but of larger diameter than the center hole in the retainer plate, said cylindrical part being axially shorter than the said axially spaced end wall and having axially spaced parallel ends parallel to said end walls and spaced therefrom, the cylindrical surface intermediate said ends constituting an outer bearing surface in concentric relation with said inner bearing surface, said outer and inner bearing surfaces containing circumferentially spaced, semi-cylindrical, axially disposed grooves which collectively define axially disposed pockets of circular cross-section and of uniform diameter, rigid bearing elements disposed in said pockets which are of circular cross-section and taper from a maximum diameter midway between their ends corresponding to the diameters of the pockets to a lesser diameter at their ends, said bearing elements being axially shorter than the distance between said end walls of the chamber and the ends of said cylindrical part and permitting axial and angular displacement of the hubs relative to each other within predetermined limits and said hole in the retainer plate being of larger diameter than the shoulder at the junction of the hub and the cylindrical portion and flaring at the inner side of the retainer plate from a diameter corresponding substantially to that of the hub to a diameter corresponding substantially to the diameter of the root line of the grooves in said cylindrical part.