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Short Flex
and
Spacer Shaft
Tolerances
Is there really a need for both?
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Flexible Coupling

A flexible coupling has two flex planes

(points of power transmission.)

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The shafts can only change their relative

position at the two points of power
transmission.
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Coupling Examples

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How many flex points? (points

of power transmission)

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Misalignment
Magnified

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What happens to the coupling

when we have misalignment?

SHEAR?

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Misalignment
Magnified

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NO, Its a FLEXIBLE coupling, so it will

deform to accommodate the
misalignment.

This creates 2 ANGLES at each power of

transmission point.
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Misalignment
Magnified

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What about OFFSET? Where

does that come from?

For Short Flex Tolerances, the OFFSET is

defined at coupling center.
This creates 2 ANGLES at each power of
transmission point.

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Shaft Measurement

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Regardless of coupling type and

length, the tools are measuring
the relative positions of shaft
centerlines of rotation.

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Shaft Measurement

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We are simply selecting how the

tool expresses the misalignment
to see if we have too much
misalignment at the points of
power transmission.

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Defining Tolerances
Short Flex Tolerances
Short flex tolerances express the misalignment
as an Angle between the shaft centerlines and
as the Offset between the shaft centerlines
calculated at coupling center.

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4 or less

Calculated offset
at coupling center
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Defining Tolerances
Spacer Tolerances

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Spacer tolerances express the misalignment

at each flex plane.

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Defining Tolerances

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Notes:

Spacer and Short Flex Tolerances both

measure
the relative rotational centerline
misalignment but express it in different
terms.

Short flex tolerances were developed many

years ago to safely simplify the alignment
tolerances of close coupled (4 or less)
machines.

Short flex tolerances are a derivative of

spacer tolerances.
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2008 LUDECA, INC.

Example of both
Tolerances

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Tolerances
What tolerances do I use?
Short Flex?

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Spacer?

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2008 LUDECA, INC.

Short Flex

Short Flex tolerances have been overgeneralized to cover all types and
lengths of couplings.

As the distance between flex planes

increases, the possibility of aligning to
short flex tolerances severely decreases
when it should actually become easier.

That Express Alignment has now

become a lengthy, tedious process!
Lets examine this further

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Spacer Coupling Effect

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What is happening to
the angle?

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Spacer Coupling Effect

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Spacer Tolerances

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Expressed at EACH FLEX PLANE

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Short Flex Only

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Short Flex
tolerances need to
satisfy a given
Angularity AND
Offset at the
coupling
Shortcenter.
Flex tols
have us
correcting the
two alignments
in the best
condition!
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2008 LUDECA, INC.

Conclusion

Short Flex 4 coupling or

less

Spacer more than 4

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Conclusion

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Unless more Overtime is your

goal, make sure you know that
having both short flex and spacer
shaft tolerances will make the job
easier!

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2008 LUDECA, INC.

Thank you !!

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