To address demanding applications for shaft-hub clamping sets, including those found in driven and deflecting drums of conveyor systems that are used to move coarse and abrasive bulk materials in mines, raw materials mining and mining industry, power transmission components specialists RINGSPANN has developed its RLK cone clamping elements series.

The RLK series is designed for applications in which the rotating components have to transmit high axial and radial loads as well as absorb high bending moments.

“Their constructive design, the selection of materials, the processing of the surfaces – everything here is precisely tailored to applications with high bending moments,” says RINGSPANN clamping elements and couplings product areas customer team leader André Artmann.

“Quality management for the production of our RLK cone clamping sets is extremely strict and includes concentricity optimisation, ensuring the implementation of the highest precision standards,” he adds.

The cone clamping elements significantly improve operational safety and availability of systems with drivetrains by reducing the risk of operational damage, time-consuming repairs and expensive downtime, says RINGSPANN.

“Familiar problems such as deformation of the drum bottom, undesirable axial displacements, difficult disassembly or shaft failure – indicated by fretting corrosion – can be almost completely ruled out if the design is correct,” says Artmann, adding that cone clamping sets support easy assembly and quick replacement.

In contrast to many standard applications of industrial drive technology, RINGSPANN says shaft-hub clamping sets have to absorb torques and high bending moments.

This is primarily because, in the heavy-duty conveyor systems, load situations constantly arise during operation in which the rotating drums bend considerably and to varying degrees, depending on the load.

As a result, the company explains that the clamping sets mounted between the shaft of the drum and its frontal bottoms must be able to cope with this interplay reliably and permanently, while also ensuring the loss-free flow of force in the drivetrain.

To provide drive technology designers with a high-quality solution that meets the requirements of this complex task, RINGSPANN has specially developed the cone clamping elements of the RLK series.

Clamping sets are multi-part ring-shaped connecting elements whose function is to transmit torque between shafts and hubs in drivetrains of machines and systems safely and without loss.

For this purpose, the rings of RINGSPANN’s clamping sets have conical sliding surfaces that are pushed over each other in an axial direction by screwing in and out of clamping screws.

In the process, the outer ring expands while the radius of the inner ring shrinks, creating a frictional connection between the shaft and the hub, which enables reliable transmission of torque through static friction. Consequently, RINGSPANN says mechanical processing of the shaft is not necessary.

RINGSPANN engineers followed the usual specifications of well-known drum manufacturers when designing the RLK clamping sets.

The clamping sets’ structural design is based on current results from joint study projects with leading universities and research institutes.

Variants
RINGSPANN currently offers its clamping elements for applications with bending moments in seven maintenance-free basic versions, each of which is available in up to 30 sizes as standard.

All versions are self-centering with high accuracy, are suitable for use in reversing drive systems and are delivered ready for installation.

Drive technology designers have the choice between cone clamping sets for transmittable torques of up to 1.73-million Newton metres and bending moments of up to 1.12-million Newton metres.

Designed for drum use, the clamping sets are suitable for different types of drums and different installation scenarios.

“Depending on the series and size, they allow exceptionally high bending moments of up to 60% of the transmittable torque,” explains Artmann.

In addition to its standard product range, RINGSPANN also develops customer-specific modifications and custom solutions tailored to individual requirements.