A coupling includes a claw part and an intermediate piece. The intermediate piece includes a tube piece produced from aluminum or from an aluminum alloy, and a buffer part received in an end region of the tube piece and including elastic damping elements for receiving the claw part. The damping elements are surrounded by the end region radially at an outside in a circumferential direction. The buffer part includes a part which is different from the damping elements and is produced from a material of a brittleness which is greater than a brittleness of the tube piece.

A gear shaft allows a ceramic bearing to be used in environments where gear steel is desirable for driving a gear. The gear shaft includes a gear region and a bearing region. A bearing can be disposed about the bearing region of the gear shaft. A gear can be disposed about the gear region of the gear shaft. The bearing includes a ceramic material. The gear region of the gear shaft includes gear steel, whereas the bearing region of the gear shaft includes a bearing-region material that has a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) that is close to the CTE of the ceramic material.

A coupling includes a claw part and an intermediate piece. The intermediate piece includes a tube piece produced from aluminum or from an aluminum alloy, and a buffer part received in an end region of the tube piece and including elastic damping elements for receiving the claw part. The damping elements are surrounded by the end region radially at an outside in a circumferential direction. The buffer part includes a part which is different from the damping elements and is produced from a material of a brittleness which is greater than a brittleness of the tube piece.

A gear shaft allows a ceramic bearing to be used in environments where gear steel is desirable for driving a gear. The gear shaft includes a gear region and a bearing region. A bearing can be disposed about the bearing region of the gear shaft. A gear can be disposed about the gear region of the gear shaft. The bearing includes a ceramic material. The gear region of the gear shaft includes gear steel, whereas the bearing region of the gear shaft includes a bearing-region material that has a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) that is close to the CTE of the ceramic material.