Flexible Coupling

A flexible coupling exists to transmit power (torque) from one shaft to another; to compensate for minor amounts of misalignment; and, in certain cases, to provide protective functions such as vibration dampening or acting as a “fuse” in the case of torque overloads. For these reasons, industrial power transmission often calls for flexible rather than rigid couplings.
When the time comes to specify replacements for flexible couplings, it’s human nature to take the easy path and simply find something similar, if not identical, to the coupling that failed, maybe applying a few oversized fudge factors to be conservative. Too often, however, this practice invites a repeat failure or costly system damage.