Dodge FLEXIDYNE 70C, FLEXIDYNE 75C, FLEXIDYNE 70D, FLEXIDYNE 75D Instruction Manual

Instruction Manual for 70C, 70D 75C and 75D

FLEXIDYNE® Couplings and Drives

These instructions must be read thoroughly before installing or operating this product.

DESCRIPTION

FLEXIDYNE dry uid couplings and drives are unique concepts
to provide soft start and momentary overload protection for all
types of driven equipment. Standard EMAB motors with RPM
base speeds of 1750, 1160 or 860 are commonly used with a
FLEXIDYNE coupling or drive, yet other available power sources
may be used with the FLEXIDYNE mechanism.

The dry "uid" in the FLEXIDYNE housing is heat treated steel
shot. A measured amount, referred to as ow charge, is added
into a housing which has been keyed to the motor shaft. When
the motor is started, centrifugal force throws the ow charge to
the perimeter of the housing, packs it between the housing and
the rotor which in turn transmits power to the load.

After the starting period of slippage between housing and rotor
the two become locked together and achieve full load speed,
operating without slip and with 100% efciency.

Consequently, the motor accelerates instantly to base speed,
while the load starts gradually and smoothly.

Motor
Shaft

Housing

Flexible
Coupling

Flow Charge

Rotor

Output
Shaft

Coupling Drives

Figure 1 - Housing cross section

Housing

Flow Charge

Motor
Shaft

Output
Sheave

Rotor

INSTA LL ATION

COUPLINGS:

Install coupling ange on motor shaft and drive housing
mechanism on driven shaft in accordance with the instruction
manual for the Taper-Lock® bushings.

NOTE: The coupling flange must be mounted on motor
shaft (not driven shaft) to allow proper operation of the
FLEXIDYNE coupling.

Shaft ends must not protrude beyond bushing ends. Install
coupling disc over pins on drive housing mechanism. Position
the motor and the driven unit so that the spacer buttons on the
coupling disc slightly contact the coupling ange. Reference
Dimension A on Parts Replacement Drawing.

(A = 5/8” on size 70C; A = 3/4” on size 75C)

For longest FLEXIDYNE coupling life, it is always desirable to align
coupling as accurately as possible at initial installation. Check
alignment by laying a straight edge across the coupling ange
and drive housing at several points around the circumference.

NOTE: Driven shaft must not touch housing hub.

DRIVES:

Install the FLEXIDYNE special bolt-on sheave on the driven hub.
Use screws and lock washers provided with the FLEXIDYNE
drive. Torque screws to 160 inch-pounds.

Stake motor shaft key in place and slide FLEXIDYNE drive onto
the motor shaft, with collar as close to the motor as possible.
Tighten key set screw securely against motor shaft key. Tighten
shaft set screw securely against motor shaft.

NOTE: The sheave is the output of the FLEXIDYNE drive, do
not input power to the FLEXIDYNE drive through the sheave.
In other words, do not mount the FLEXIDYNE drive on the
driven shaft.

WARNING: Because of the possible danger to persons(s) or
property from accidents which may result from the improper
use of products, it is important that correct procedures be
followed. Products must be used in accordance catalog.
Proper installation, maintenance and operation procedures
must be observed. The instructions in the instruction
manuals must be followed. Inspections should be made
as necessary to assure safe operation under prevailing
conditions. Proper guards and other suitable provided, and
are neither provided by Baldor Electric Company nor are
the responsibility of Baldor Electric Company. This unit and
its associated equipment must be installed, adjusted and
maintained by construction and operation of all equipment
in the system and the potential hazards involved. When risk
to persons or property may be involved, a holding device
must be an integral part of the driven equipment beyond the
speed reducer output shaft.

1

START- UP

OPER ATI O N

1. Remove the ller plug and install the proper amount of ow
charge specied in Table 1. Replace and tighten ller plug,
making sure that no ow charge is trapped in threads. Torque
ller plug to 35 inch-pounds.

2. Attach AC ammeter (conventional clamp-on or equivalent) to
one line of the AC motor. Set range to cover 200% of motor
nameplate current.

3. Note the maximum allowable acceleration time as stated in
Tables 1 and 2.

Note: Table 2 lists starting time capacity for starting cycles
occurring more than once every 2 hours.

4. Push start button. Observe motor current during load
acceleration and number of seconds required to reach full
speed (Fig. 2).

Increase amount of ow charge if:

A. Acceleration time reaches maximum allowable before load

is up to speed. Turn off power immediately if this time is
reached.

B. Acceleration amperage is below motor nameplate.

Decrease amount of ow charge if:

A. Acceleration time is less than 1-1/2 seconds.
B. Acceleration amperage is above 200% of motor nameplate.

Once satisfactory operation has been obtained, record the

following for future reference:

1. The amount of ow charge

2. Starting current

3. Acceleration Time

The amount of ow charge in the housing determines the
acceleration time for a given load. Slower acceleration times will
occur when less ow charge is used and faster acceleration, from
stop to full speed, will be observed with greater amounts of ow
charge.

The FLEXIDYNE mechanism should start the load smoothly and
without delay, provided the proper amount of ow charge has
been used. Should the acceleration time exceed the maximum
allowable in Table 1, shut off power to the FLEXIDYNE mechanism
immediately. Allow the FLEXIDYNE mechanism to cool, then
add small amounts of ow charge until proper acceleration is
observed.

Vibration is an indication of accelerating too rapidly and not
allowing ow charge to become evenly distributed in the
FLEXIDYNE housing. This can be corrected by removing small
amounts of ow charge until vibration subsides. Other causes of
vibration are: undersize shafting, unit not installed far enough on
shaft or worn bore in the unit.

Slippage — The FLEXIDYNE mechanism can, without slipping,
transmit overloads up to 130% of its pre-set starting torque.
Should this breakaway torque be exceeded, the FLEXIDYNE
mechanism will slip and generate heat (see Overload Protection).
Although slippage usually indicates increased loads, it can also
be caused by worn ow charge or a worn rotor especially if the
FLEXIDYNE mechanism has been in operation for some time. The
necessity to replace either a rotor or ow charge will be made
evident by a loss in power transmitting capacity of the FLEXIDYNE
mechanism.

MAINTENANCE

WARNING: The rotor must slip during acceleration to
allow flow charge to become evenly distributed in the
FLEXIDYNE housing. Therefore, DO NOT ALLOW FLEXIDYNE
MECHANISM TO RUN "FREE" (that is, without a load on the
driven end), otherwise an out-of-balance condition may
result, damaging mechanism and attached equipment.

In-rush Amps

400

Nameplate

Motor

Current

300

%

200

Acceleration Amps

Lock-In

Running
Amps

100

2

6

4

8

10

Seconds from Start

Figure 2 - Typical Motor Current vs. Time

For average industrial applications involving 3 or 4 starts a day
and of not more than 6 seconds acceleration time each, the ow
charge should be changed every 10,000 hours of operation. For
more severe conditions, visually inspect ow charge at more
frequent intervals; it should be changed when it has deteriorated
to a half powder, half granular condition. See page 8 for ow
charge analysis. Visual inspections should continue until enough
ow charge changes have been made to adequately establish a
schedule for renewing FLEXIDYNE ow charge.

The FLEXIDYNE mechanism has been lubricated at the factory
and no further lubrication is required. Never apply grease, oil or
any other foreign material to the ow charge.

2

THERMAL CAPACITY

Since there is slippage within the ow charge during acceleration,
heat is generated from friction. The thermal capacity of the
FLEXIDYNE mechanism is based on balancing this heat
generated during acceleration against the cooling time between
accelerations. The amount of heat generated is determined
by the amount of horsepower dissipated by slipping and the
duration of each acceleration. If the ow charge weight is light,
the heat generated will not be as great as that which would
be generated with a heavier ow charge, when compared at
the same acceleration time. A longer time between starts will
dissipate more heat; therefore, higher starting horsepowers may
be transmitted, or longer acceleration times may be allowable.
(See Starting Cycle)

Stalled — If a jam-up stalls the drive, the motor continues to
run and the FLEXIDYNE mechanism slips. This causes heat to
be generated at twice the rate of normal acceleration. Therefore,
the allowable slipping time, when stalled, is half the allowable
acceleration time given in Table 1.

Starting Cycle is the time from the beginning of one acceleration
to the beginning of the next. Allowable acceleration times in Table
2 are based on the assumption that the FLEXIDYNE mechanism
will be running continuously except for a momentary stop before
the next start. If the stop is more than momentary, decrease the
actual starting cycle by one-half the stopped time before using
Table 2; for example, with a 50 minute actual starting cycle of
which 20 minutes is stopped time, decrease 50 by half of 20 to
give 40 minutes as the starting cycle time to use for Table 2.

Acceleration times shown in Table 1 are for starting frequencies
of one start per hour or less. If starting frequency is more than
once per hour, use acceleration time for actual starting cycle
shown in Table 2.

Acceleration times listed in Tables 1 and 2 are the MAXIMUM
permissible for the various starting frequencies listed. The
MINIMUM acceleration time required for proper FLEXIDYNE
mechanism operation is 1 to 1½ seconds. This is the time required
for the ow charge to be uniformly distributed around the housing
cavity before the unit "locks in". Any acceleration time between
the minimum and maximum listed is acceptable, although a
shorter acceleration time will generally provide longer wear life.
For applications requiring a specic acceleration time (within
these limits) ow charge may be added or removed to produce
the required results.

Grouped Starts — For several starts grouped together followed
by uninterrupted running, add the acceleration times of all starts
and consider it as the time for one start. The starting cycle would
be the time from the beginning of one group of starts to the
beginning of the next group.

3