Fluid Coupling/ Hydraulic Coupling: Basic Principle of Operation

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 2

Fluid Coupling/ Hydraulic Coupling

A Fluid coupling is a hydrodynamic device used to transmit rotating mechanical power


It is a simple mechanical device that connects a prime mover (typically a squirrel cage
motor) to a driven machine. These can be conveyors, crushers, fans, pumps and blowers.
They are used in many industries including

Automobile transmissions as an alternative to a mechanical Clutch, 2, in marine and


industrial machine drives-where variable speed operation and/or controlled start-up without
shock loading of the power transmission system is essential, 3. Power Generation, 4. Steel
Production, 5. Mining and Quarrying, 6. Petrochemical and food production. Provide the
engineer with a reliable method of starting a operating heavy industrial equipment
A fluid coupling consists of three components, plus the hydraulic fluid
The housing, also known as the shell (which must have an oil tight seal around the drive
shafts),
contains the fluid and turbines. This is called the working circuit
Two turbines (fan like components): The 'working' part of the coupling consists of two
elements
One connected to the input shaft; known as the pump or impellor, primary wheel - input
turbine
The second connected to the output shaft, known as the turbine, output turbine, secondary
wheel or runner

Basic principle of operation


When the motor is rotated, the fluid is picked up in the vanes of the impeller and thrown
outwards,
across the gap, towards the vanes of the runner. As a result of the fluid kinetic energy, the
runner
begins to rotate and drive the driven machine.
There are no physical connections between the two halves of the coupling, and therefore the
driver
and driven machines are not directly connected
The driving turbine, known as the 'pump', (or driving torus) is rotated by the prime mover,
which is
typically an internal combustion engine or electric motor. The impellor's motion imparts
both
outwards linear and rotational motion to the fluid.
The hydraulic fluid is directed by the 'pump' whose shape forces the flow in the direction
of the 'output
turbine' (or driven torus). Here, any difference in the angular velocities of 'input stage' and
'output
stage' result in a net force on the 'output turbine' causing a torque; thus causing it to rotate in
the same
direction as the pump.
The motion of the fluid is effectively toroidal - travelling in one direction on paths that can be
visualized as being on the surface of a torus:
If there is a difference between input and output angular velocities the motion has a
component which
is circular (i.e. round the rings formed by sections of the torus)
If the input and output stages have identical angular velocities there is no net centripetal force
- and
the motion of the fluid is circular and co-axial with the axis of rotation (i.e. round the edges
of a torus),
there is no flow of fluid from one turbine to the other.
Stall speed
An important characteristic of a fluid coupling is its stall speed. The stall speed is defined
as the
highest speed at which the pump can turn when the output turbine is locked and maximum
input power
is applied. Under stall conditions all of the engine's power would be dissipated in the fluid
coupling
as heat, possibly leading to damage.
Step-circuit coupling A modification to the simple fluid coupling is the step-circuit
coupling which
was formerly manufactured as the "STC coupling" by the Fluidrive Engineering Company.
The STC coupling contains a reservoir to which some, but not all, of the oil gravitates when
the output
shaft is stalled. This reduces the "drag" on the input shaft, resulting in reduced fuel
consumption when
idling and a reduction in the vehicle's tendency to "creep".
When the output shaft begins to rotate, the oil is thrown out of the reservoir by centrifugal
force, and
Ret
Slip
A fluid coupling cannot develop output torque when the input and output angular
velocities are
identical. Hence a fluid coupling cannot achieve 100 percent power transmission efficiency.
Due to
slippage that will occur in any fluid coupling under load, some power will always be lost in
fluid
friction and turbulence, and dissipated as heat. Like other fluid dynamical devices, its
efficiency tends
to increase gradually with increasing scale, as measured by the Reynolds number.urns to the
main body of the coupling, so that normal power transmission is restored.

You might also like