TrelleborgVibracoustic has announced that it is developing two new decoupling solutions for rear-wheel, and all-wheel drive vehicles. The first of these is based around a cord-reinforced elastomer coupling, which is claimed to offer advantages in terms of durability and weight in comparison to solutions available in the market.
Its second solution is a tube-in-tube system, which would take the place of a traditional flexible coupling. TrelleborgVibracoustic state that thanks to its compact dimensions, it is ideally suited for hybrid vehicle applications, where installation space is tight due to the presence of the battery.
Decoupling elements in the powertrain, in the form of flexible discs often help isolate torsional vibration occurring at the prop shaft. They also harmonize the torque ramp-up and compensate the axial displacement and cardanic angle. TrelleborgVibracoustic’s elastomer coupling is based around the NRG-disc (New Rubber Generation Disc). With specific cord packages for drive and overrun direction, the use of different cord types, optimized winding processes and rubber compounds, any desired springrate can be set in combination with special bushings to ensure axial force compensation. At 3°, the maximum cardanic angle is particularly high and therefore allows its application even in demanding installation situations. The coupling can be flexibly designed in terms of isolation and stiffness according to the customer’s requirements without a change of geometrical dimensions. The disc can also withstand the highest torsional torques and is significantly more durable than current series-produced solutions thanks to its specially developed components.
With its tube-in-tube system, TrelleborgVibracoustic states it has succeeded in incorporating the functionality of a flexible coupling into a prop shaft with virtually no additional packaging requirements. Other benefits to this system include the ability to use the tube-in-tube unit as a crash element, thanks to its ability to absorb energy in a ‘well-defined manner’ in the event of an accident.
