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Application Story: Corrosion Resistant Safety Coupling

Industry:

Energy

Application Challenge:

The customer was designing a system that was going to be outdoors and would be exposed to harsh environmental conditions. They were looking for a direct drive safety coupling to limit the torque, and because of the environment, the safety coupling needed to be resistant to corrosion. Secondly, the shafts that the customer was trying to connect were 1” and 1.375”, which is generally not an issue, however the disengagement torque required was 10.3Nm which is extremely low when considering the shaft diameters. A typical safety coupling that could accept those shaft diameters would have a disengagement torque range of 25Nm to 60Nm. 

GAM Solution:

GAM first selected the SKB-15 safety coupling because it had a disengagement torque range of 8 to 15Nm which would fulfill the torque requirement and could connect to the 1" shaft. The SKB safety coupling is extremely versatile due to the modular flange design which enables several attachment options. It can be used for indirect drive applications when attached to a pulley or gear. It can also be used for direct drive applications when a bellows or elastomer flange is connected. 

The SKB-15 hub was then treated with an anti-corrosion coating, the safety element components were stainless steel or nickel coated, and the clamping bolt was zinc-plated. 

Next, GAM engineering designed a stainless steel flange with an extended hub that was connected to the SKB-15 safety element using stainless steel bolts. A KG-VA-80 stainless steel coupling was then connected to the extended hub on one end, and bored to 1.375” on the other end, resulting in a corrosion resistant safety coupling. GAM combined standard products to create a custom solution for the customer.