Flexible Elastomeric Couplings for Torsional Vibration Isolation

CURRENT DESIGNS of earthmoving equipment call for special techniques for controlling torsional vibration. Most new designs have remote mounted inertias in the form of heavy duty torque converters, transmissions, generators, hydraulic pumps, and the like. In the past when equipment was close coupled to the engine flywheel, the resonance at this junction was never a problem because it was far above operating speeds. With remote mounted equipment, the first mode critical speed is often within the operating speed range and must be dealt with by controlled coupling/shaft stiffness. Case histories of similar, yet different off-highway truck drivelines will be presented with the design approach and a brief summary of resulting performance.