Cardan Drive Shafts is used in a variety of industries, including the aerospace industry, automotive, chemical, food and pharmaceutical industries. They are also popular in construction and engineering, with their open-span design and precision parts. There are two main types of Cardan Drive Shafts, namely the well-supported and the unsupported.
A well-supported shaft uses steel pinions to support the working component, such as the ball, needle or cam. The common design is a two-piece shaft supported by two separate steel pins, although a single pin could be used. When the shaft is fully supported, the ball is supported by the balls at the ends of the working component. There are two types of steel pins used for well-supported shafts, namely, either sliding pins or central pins.
The unsupported shaft uses steel pins to support the working component, such as the ball, needle or cam. The most common design is a three-piece shaft supported by two separate steel pins, although a single pin could be used. When the shaft is fully supported, the ball is supported by the balls at the ends of the working component.
The main difference between the two designs is the way the pin is supported. The slide pin supports the working component by the centre of the ball and the pin rides on top of the ball. The central pin can support the working component by the centre of the ball and the pin rides on top of the ball. However, the unsupported shaft requires a greater amount of pressure when the pin moves up and down, compared to the well-supported shaft which has a lower chance of being damaged.
A motor, such as the one used in motors is usually provided with a shaft that will be driven by the shaft. As with all other shafts, Cardan Drive Shafts can be turned either clockwise or counterclockwise. Usually, the screw on the bottom of the shaft works either clockwise or counterclockwise, but a range of different screw designs is available.
One of the most important factors in choosing a Cardan Drive Shaft is to ensure that the shaft is capable of providing the required torque to drive the working component. It should be pointed out that a shaft's ability to provide torque is not always as crucial as its lubrication level. Poorly lubricated components will tend to suffer from excessively high stresses, making them a poor choice.
The lubrication level is also dependent on the design of the shaft. Although a shaft can be designed with tight tolerances, such as those required for precise cutting and welding, a shaft that lacks lubrication may experience slippage, a situation where it will move erratically or break. This slippage can be avoided by purchasing well-known lubricating oils.
A well-known bearing grease is often used to coat a shaft when it is first purchased. The thickness of the coating depends on the type of shaft and its lubrication requirements. The thicker the coating, the better the shaft will perform, particularly if the coating is applied directly onto the shaft.
By far, the best lubrication is achieved by adding oil to the shaft after it has been finished. The shaft should be cleaned and thoroughly dried out prior to application of the oil. This will help ensure that any debris that is present within the shaft is removed before the oil is applied.
An advantage of using a spray lubricant is that there is no need to apply the oil directly onto the shaft. To achieve the best results, the lubricant should be sprayed onto the shaft, over the top of the ball bearings. Oil is applied only when the lubricant is needed. For instance, when a lubricant is needed in a well-supported shaft, the shaft is removed from the machine and the bearing is lubricated with oil.
There are several different types of lubricants that can be used for well-supported shafts, including water-based oils and gel-type compounds. There are various sizes of oil dispensers available on the market, although they tend to be slightly more expensive than the rotating brushes that are commonly used for extracting bearings from the shaft.
