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It is generally assumed – and typical applications confirm – that metal bellows couplings reliably work over the entire service life of an installation, if the coupling is correctly designed. In the future, this can no longer be taken for granted as applications are becoming more and more dynamic. Such applications require you to consider additional criteria when selecting and designing a coupling. Read here about the most important factors which have to be taken into account.

A coupling is an element of a drive line that primarily serves the purpose of transmitting power from one shaft to another, thereby providing for the connection of the driving and driven machine. At the same time, shaft misalignments, e.g. caused by assembly inaccuracies, should be compensated by the coupling while generating minimum reaction forces.

The distinction is made between angular, radial and axial shaft misalignments which may also occur simultaneously. Depending on the coupling type you choose, the dynamic behavior of the entire drive line, and consequently of the machine and its production process, can often be influenced by adjusting the torsional stiffness of the coupling.

What started almost a century ago as buffer between railway cars has now become a universally applicable damping element for almost all industry sectors – also as a protective element against potential damages to buildings and industrial facilities caused by earthquakes.