Whatizit?

[black85vette]

Found this on a robot web site. Not sure what it is. Appears to transfer rotary motion by linkages and an intermediate disc. Interesting gizmo anyway.

 

[cobra428]

black85vette,
Definitely not a whatzit.......I think it's a whatjamacallit :big:

Tony

 

[BigBore]

Nah, it's definitely "one of those" :

Very curious. I'd love to see a video of it doing whatever it does.

 

[websterz]

It's neither. It's an Oldham coupling.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFk48l3ozH0&feature=related[/ame]

 

[hitandmissman]

Don't know what it is called but it looks like it is used to connect two shafts that are not in line.

 

[black85vette]

Found this link also. Appears to be a Schmidt Coupling. Looks like fun. May have to make one of these to go with the BS grinder.

Hmmm. :idea: Steam engine coupled to a BS grinder with a Schmidt coupling. Yeah. That's the ticket!


http://s219.photobucket.com/albums/cc300/sbmathias/?action=view&current=100_1093.flv

 

[websterz]

Ah...definitely not an Oldham then.

 

[bearcar1]

Now that is pretty cool. It reminds me of something out of "Cat in a Hat" ;D

Pair one of those up with a BS grinder and you'd have a mechanical representation of a modern day politician. :big:


BC1
Jim

 

[Jasonb]

They were used on several traction engines with sprung rear axles to allow the gear to stay in mesh though they had several grooves.

Heres one being built fora 6" (1/2 scale) traction engine

And one of the UK model engineering suppliers sells the Oldham Couplings

Jason

 

[SKIPRAT]

Hmmm looks like an oldham type coupling to me ! i like the way it has been built up rather than machined from solid many years ago at technical school i had to make an oldham coupling as a machining exercise. the name "oldham " comes from a self aligning coupling originally designed for the spinning machinery used in the oldham mills .In practice and from experience they did not like being much more than 3mm out of alignment another use for them was the disc between the two coupling halves was usually made of a plastic or fibre type of material so the coupling could also serve as a weak link in the drive chain. I have memory's in a past life working on the maintenance gang at a steelworks of replacing the insert discs of these couplings in the wee small hours of the morning on nightshifts so you could say i got quite familiar with this type of coupling well that's my 2p worth.

Cheers Paul ;D ;D ;D

 

[Blogwitch]

I can verify that it is a Schmidt coupling, I worked on many of them on German made envelope making machines. Even though they were turning at one hell of a rate, I never came across one that failed. The ones we used were the three plate design, as in the video. They allowed major backwards and forwards adjustment of say a cutting knife without having to stop the machine, just wind the handle until the cutting knife lined up again, the coupling took up the out of alignment problems.

One coupling that is not mentioned much is a Hobson coupling, even though all the elbow engine builders have made one (sometimes not too successfully). That isn't designed for making an engine out of, but to be able to rotate the 90 degree output around a 360 degree swing. It just so happens that when you put pressure on the ends of the right angle pins (pistons), under certain favourable circumstances, it will turn all by itself.


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