COMPOSITE END CONNECTIONS

Abstract

A fibre-reinforced polymer composite shaft for transmitting loads along a central axis is provided. The composite shaft comprises a first interface surface extending along the central axis and comprising at least one helical groove and/or a plurality of circumferential grooves for engaging with at least one corresponding helical ridge and/or a plurality of corresponding circumferential ridges of a second interface surface of an end fitting. The at least one helical groove and/or the plurality of circumferential grooves comprises at least one flank with a flank angle of between 32? and 51?. In such an assembly, a preload structure is arranged to provide a radial biasing force to bias the first interference surface against the second interference surface.

Claims

1. A fibre-reinforced polymer composite shaft for transmitting loads along a central axis, the composite shaft comprising: a first interface surface extending along the central axis and comprising at least one helical groove and/or a plurality of circumferential grooves for engaging with at least one corresponding helical ridge and/or a plurality of corresponding circumferential ridges of a second interface surface of an end fitting; wherein the at least one helical groove and/or the plurality of circumferential grooves comprises at least one flank with a flank angle of between 32? and 44?, the flank angle being measured between the flank and a perpendicular to the central axis in a plane that contains the central axis.

2. The fibre-reinforced polymer composite shaft as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flank angle is between 32? and 41?.

3. The fibre-reinforced polymer composite shaft as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flank angle is between 32? and 36?.

4. The fibre-reinforced polymer composite shaft as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first interface surface comprises an average radius from the central axis of between 10 and 150 mm.

5. The fibre-reinforced polymer composite shaft as claimed in claim 4, wherein the average radius is between 20 and 30 mm.

6. The fibre-reinforced polymer composite shaft as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first interface surface is approximately 30 mm long.

7. The fibre-reinforced polymer composite shaft as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first interface surface is an inner surface of the composite shaft or an outer surface of the composite shaft.

8. The fibre-reinforced polymer composite shaft as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first interface surface is tapered relative to the central axis or the first interface surface extends parallel to the central axis.

9. An assembly for transmitting loads along a central axis, the assembly comprising: a fibre reinforced polymer composite shaft as claimed in claim 1; an end fitting comprising a second interface surface extending along the central axis and comprising at least one corresponding helical ridge and/or a plurality of corresponding circumferential ridges that is engaged with the at least one helical groove and/or the plurality of circumferential grooves so as to mount the end fitting to the fibre reinforced polymer composite shaft; and a preload structure arranged to provide a radial biasing force to bias the first interference surface against the second interference surface.

10. The assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein the end fitting is metallic.

11. The assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein the coefficient of friction between the first and second surfaces is between 0.01 and 0.3.

12. The assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein the coefficient of friction between the first and second surfaces is 0.15.

13. The assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein the second interface surface is located radially inward of the first interface surface.

14. The assembly as claimed in claim 13, wherein the preload structure comprises an annular member arranged to apply the radial biasing force to an outer surface of the composite shaft.

15. The assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein the second interface surface is located radially outward of the first interface surface.

16. The assembly as claimed in claim 15, wherein the preload structure comprises a plug arranged to apply the radial biasing force to an inner surface of the composite shaft.

17. The assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein the preload structure is arranged in an interference fit with the composite shaft.

18. The assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein the end fitting is arranged to interface with another component.

19. A method of forming an assembly for transmitting loads along a central axis, the method comprising: forming at least one helical groove and/or a plurality of circumferential grooves comprising at least one flank with a flank angle of between 32? and 44? in a first interface surface of a fibre-reinforced polymer composite shaft, the flank angle being measured between the flank and a perpendicular to the central axis in a plane that contains the central axis; forming at least one corresponding helical ridge and/or a plurality of corresponding circumferential ridges in a second interface surface of an end fitting; engaging the at least one helical groove and/or the plurality of circumferential grooves of the first interface surface with the at least one corresponding helical ridge and/or the plurality of corresponding circumferential ridges of the second interface surface so as to mount the end fitting to the composite shaft; and subsequently engaging the composite shaft with a preload structure so as to bias the first interface surface against the second interface surface with a radial biasing force.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein forming the at least one helical groove and/or a plurality of circumferential grooves comprises selecting a flank angle to minimise a performance measure that takes into account a total weight of the assembly and a sensitivity of the assembly to changes in friction between the first and second interface surfaces.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] One or more non-limiting examples will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying figures in which:

[0043] FIG. 1 is a partial cross sectional view of a composite shaft according to an example of the present disclosure;

[0044] FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of an assembly according to an example of the present disclosure;

[0045] FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of an end fitting for use in an assembly according to an example of the present disclosure;

[0046] FIG. 4 is a magnified view of the assembly shown in FIG. 2;

[0047] FIG. 5 is a graph showing a weight of an assembly as a function of flank angle;

[0048] FIG. 6 is a graph showing a measure of performance that takes into account weight and sensitivity to frictional changes of an assembly as a function of flank angle;

[0049] FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of an assembly according to another example of the present disclosure; and

[0050] FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of an assembly according to another example of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] A fibre reinforced polymer composite shaft 2 according to an example of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 1. The composite shaft 2 comprises a first interface surface 4 that extends along a central axis C. Although not shown in the cross sectional view of FIG. 1, the composite shaft 2 comprises a hollow cylinder that is substantially symmetrical about the central axis C, with the first interface surface 4 comprising the inner surface of the hollow cylinder. FIG. 4 shows the first interface surface 4 comprising a series of adjacent grooves 6, which may be the result of a single helical groove 6 (or several interleaved helical grooves) passing several times around the circumference of the first interface surface 4, or simply due to the first interface surface 4 comprising several (separate) circumferential grooves 6.

[0052] The grooves 6 comprise a triangular cross section with two flanks 8. The angle ? between the surface of each flank 8 and a perpendicular to the central axis C (i.e. the flank angle) is approximately 40?. In this example the grooves 6 are substantially symmetric about the perpendicular to the central axis C (i.e. both flanks 8 of the groove 6 have the same flank angle ?).

[0053] The first interface surface 4 is tapered relative the central axis C with a taper angle ?. In this example the taper angle ? is approximately 10?.

[0054] An assembly 100 according to an example of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 2. The assembly 100 comprises the composite shaft 2 described above, an end fitting 10 and a preload structure 12. The assembly 100 is arranged to transmit axial loads (i.e. parallel to the central axis C) from the end fitting 10 to the composite shaft 2.

[0055] The end fitting 10 is shown in more detail in FIG. 3. The end fitting 10 comprises a second interface surface 14 which comprises a series of adjacent ridges 16. The adjacent ridges 16 may be the result of a single helical ridge 16 (or several interleaved helical ridges) passing several times around the circumference of the second interface surface 14 or may simply comprise several circumferential ridges 16. The ridges 16 generally correspond (i.e. in pitch, size and shape) to the grooves 6 of the composite shaft 2, comprising a triangular cross section with two flanks 18. The flank angle ? of the ridge 16 is approximately 40? (i.e. substantially equal to the flank angle ? of the grooves 6). As shown in FIG. 2 and, in more detail in FIG. 4, the ridges 16 of the end fitting 10 and the grooves 6 of the composite shaft 2 are engaged such that the end fitting 10 is mounted to the composite shaft 2. The second interface surface 14 is located radially inward of the first interface surface 4.

[0056] The preload structure 12 comprises an annular member that is pressed onto an outer surface 18 of the composite shaft 2 with an interference fit. The interference fit causes the preload structure 12 to exert a radial biasing force on the composite shaft 2 to bias the first interface surface 4 against the second interface surface 14.

[0057] FIG. 5 illustrates the joint weight of an assembly of an end fitting mounted to a composite shaft with a preload structure as a function of the flank angle (the joint weight being the weight of the assembly in the joining region where the end fitting is mounted to the composite shaft and not including the weight of the rest of the end fitting or composite shaft). Whilst the specific assembly modelled is not shown, it is structurally similar to that described above with reference to FIGS. 1-4.

[0058] The assembly modelled to produce the results shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 comprises a first interface surface with an average radius from the central axis of 22.6 mm, and a length of approximately 30 mm. The composite shaft is made of carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP), and the end fitting is made of steel. However, the benefits realised with this particular assembly are expected to be realised for a wide variety of assemblies with the same flank angles (but perhaps with different materials and/or different dimensions).

[0059] From the curve 502 seen in the graph 500 of FIG. 5, it can be seen that a flank angle of between roughly 32? and 36? provides a weight saving over other flank angles, with the optimal flank angle (taking only weight into account) being approximately 32? to 33?.

[0060] FIG. 6 illustrates some more modelled properties of the assembly. A graph 600 shows a measure of the performance of the assembly as a function of flank angle. The measure of performance shown in FIG. 6 takes into account not only the joint weight of the assembly but also the sensitivity of the assembly to changes in friction between the first and second interface surfaces (as often occurs during use, e.g. due to changes in environmental conditions such as temperature and/or the presence/absence of lubricating materials between the first and second interface surfaces).

[0061] The dashed line 602 shows the properties of the assembly when the coefficient of friction ? between the first and second interface surfaces ranges from 0.05-0.3.

[0062] The dotted line 604 shows the properties of the assembly when the coefficient of friction ? between the first and second interface surfaces ranges from 0.01-0.25.

[0063] The dot-dashed line 606 shows the properties of the assembly when the coefficient of friction ? between the first and second interface surfaces ranges from 0.01-0.15.

[0064] It can be seen that a flank angle of between 32? and 51? provides a benefit over other flank angles when weight and friction sensitivity are taken into account, with the optimal flank angle being approximately 39? or 40?. This benefit is seen even when the coefficient of friction ? between the first and second interface surfaces varies by different amounts.

[0065] FIG. 7 shows another assembly 700 according to an example of the present disclosure. The assembly 700 comprises a composite shaft 702, an end fitting 710 and a preload structure 712. The assembly 700 is arranged to transmit axial loads (parallel to a central axis C), from the end fitting 710 to the composite shaft 702.

[0066] The composite shaft 702 comprises a hollow cylinder with a first interface surface 704 on an inner surface of the hollow cylinder, the first interface surface 704 extending along the central axis C. Although not shown in detail in FIG. 7, the first interface surface 704 comprises a helical groove and/or a plurality of circumferential grooves which have a flank angle of approximately 40? (e.g. as seen in FIG. 1).

[0067] The end fitting 710 comprises a second interface surface 714. Although not shown in detail in FIG. 7, the second interface surface 714 comprises a helical ridge and/or a plurality of circumferential ridges which correspond to the helical groove and/or a plurality of circumferential grooves of the composite shaft 702. The helical ridge and/or a plurality of circumferential ridges also have a flank angle of approximately 40?. The end fitting 710 is mounted to the composite shaft 712 through engagement of the first and second interface surfaces 704, 714. The second interface surface 714 is located radially inward of the first interface surface 704.

[0068] The preload structure 712 comprises an annular member that is pressed onto an outer surface 718 of the composite shaft 702 with an interference fit. The interference fit causes the preload structure 712 to exert a radial biasing force on the composite shaft 702 to bias the first interface surface 704 against the second interface surface 714.

[0069] In contrast to the assembly 2 described with reference to FIGS. 1-4, the first interface surface 704 (and the second interface surface 714) extends parallel to the central axis C (i.e. they are not tapered relative to the central axis C).

[0070] FIG. 8 shows yet another assembly 800 according to another example of the present disclosure. Similarly to the above-described assemblies 100, 700, the assembly 800 comprises a composite shaft 802, an end fitting 810 and a preload structure 812. The assembly 800 is arranged to transmit axial loads (parallel to a central axis C), from the end fitting 810 to the composite shaft 802. In contrast to the above-described assemblies 100, 700, however, the assembly 800 is in an inverted configuration in which the end fitting 810 is mounted to the outside of the composite shaft 802, as explained in more detail below.

[0071] The composite shaft 802 comprises a hollow cylinder with a first interface surface 804 on an outer surface of the hollow cylinder (in contrast to the alternative assemblies 100, 700 in which the first interface surfaces 14, 704 comprise an inner surface of the composite shafts 2, 702). The first interface surface 804 extends along the central axis C. Although not shown in detail in FIG. 8, the first interface surface 804 comprises a helical groove and/or a plurality of circumferential grooves which have a flank angle of approximately 40? (e.g. as seen in FIG. 1).

[0072] The end fitting 810 comprises a second interface surface 814. Although not shown in detail in FIG. 8, the second interface surface 814 comprises a helical ridge and/or a plurality of circumferential ridges which correspond to the helical groove and/or a plurality of circumferential grooves of the composite shaft 802. The helical ridge and/or a plurality of circumferential ridges also have a flank angle of approximately 40?. The end fitting 810 is mounted to the composite shaft 812 through engagement of the first and second interface surfaces 804, 814. As mentioned above, the assembly 800 is in an inverted configuration in which the second interface surface 814 is located radially outward of the first interface surface 804.

[0073] The preload structure 812 comprises a plug that is pressed onto an inner surface 818 of the composite shaft 802 with an interference fit (i.e. pressed into the hollow composite shaft 802). The interference fit causes the preload structure 812 to exert a radial biasing force on the composite shaft 802 to bias the first interface surface 804 against the second interface surface 814.

[0074] While the disclosure has been described in detail in connection with only a limited number of examples, it should be readily understood that the disclosure is not limited to such disclosed examples. Rather, the disclosure can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the scope of the disclosure. Additionally, while various examples of the disclosure have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the disclosure may include only some of the described examples. Accordingly, the disclosure is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.