Benefits of a Torsional Coupling for your Pump Drive or Gearbox Application

The last few years of emissions restrictions on diesel engines have brought with them issues that effect other components within the drivetrain. A common occurrence we’ve seen is the latest tiers of industrial diesel engines, Tier 4 and Tier 4F, is that the tier upgrades that produce lower emissions and more power in a smaller package results in increased torsional vibration.

Torsional vibration is the angular vibrations of a rotating shaft along its axis of rotation connecting the different parts of a drivetrain. If not addressed, torsional vibration will cause premature failure to components within the drivetrain and the worst-case scenario, they can cause almost immediate failure to rigid drive plates.

Where Torsional Vibration Occurs?

Torsional vibration is present in all internal combustion engines, however, the most common time that increased torsional vibration will be present are in diesel engines 300 HP and higher. That is the power range that we recommend running a torsional vibration analysis to determine if your application should be using a torsional coupling.

Torsional Coupling Options:

Palmer Johnson is an authorized distributor for three of the most well known coupling manufacturers in the world: Centa, Reich, and Torsion Control Products (TCP). Each of these manufacturers makes a world-class product to dampen torsional vibration in flywheel mounted diesel engine applications.

Reich offers their ARCUSAFLEX coupling and Centa offers their CENTAFLEX series which are both highly flexible and torsionally soft couplings that are perfect for pump drive and gearbox applications in which torsional vibration from the engine are present.

TCP has been manufacturing spring couplings for more than 80 years and has designed them specifically for the modern diesel engines that are known to produce torsional characteristics.

Not using a direct drive engine mount for your pump drive or gearbox application? We've got you covered. We also offer shaft coupling options through Centa and Reich that will account for misalignment and torsional vibration issues within a driveline.

Benefits of Torsional Couplings:

• Longer longevity of the pump drive/gearbox
• Reduced affects of misalignment
• Reduced downtime and the expensive repairs that come with downtime

Next Steps:

Contact our pump drive and gearbox experts at Palmer Johnson. We’ll talk through your application to determine the best brand and product for your application needs and run a torsional vibration analysis to determine if your application can be benefited by a torsional coupling.