Frequently Asked Questions

There are multiple influencing factors such as the angle of the taper, materials of construction, torque, hydraulic or keyed connection, and more. These factors must be understood to provide the best answer, and FlexElement is ready to help you with this.

This depends on the two machines being coupled and not so much on the coupling. FlexElement couplings are designed to accommodate misalignment and come with axial adjustment shims to help reach the appropriate amount of axial prestretch. Most industrial machinery has a thermal coefficient of around 6.6 x 10-6 inch/inch/°F (~11.8 x 10-6 m/m/°C) and this can be used to approximate the amount of thermal growth you might see from idle to operating conditions. Consult your machinery operating manual to find the correct amount of prestretch or call FlexElement to help you establish a reasonable estimate.

All FlexElement couplings are provided with an assembly drawing that defines the appropriate amount of torque for the coupling bolts. We use aircraft-quality bolting built to MS (military standard) or NAS (national aerospace standard) specifications to provide the best quality hardware we can find. If you need help with determining the best torque value for your coupling, call FlexElement and let us help you.

There are many different styles of couplings in the market today and at least one should be a good solution for your application. Selecting the right one can be a challenge and this depends on the application. FlexElement can provide you with a summary of the pros and cons of different coupling designs. This is intended to be a general guide and more input may be needed to get the best answer. Please feel free to contact FlexElement if we can assist you in any way.

All FlexElement couplings are provided with hardware that has been match weighed as a set to within 0.1 grams. This allows the end user or field service personnel to install the hardware without concern for creating an imbalance if the hardware is placed in a different location.

The coating is there to reduce friction and reduce the potential for fretting corrosion. This coating is not applied to every coupling on the market. FlexElement chooses to provide coated elements to help our couplings be at least as reliable as the machines they connect. This is another feature of the FlexElement coupling that makes our product as good as “the best in the world”.

FlexElement produces couplings to fit the application and this means our couplings come in a variety of sizes and designs. We work with you to understand the needs of your application and then produce a proposal to meet these needs. We do not produce a product until you are satisfied with the design and know what you will be receiving.

In many cases, the coupling can accommodate a machinery rerate, however this depends on the amount of increase that the machine will undergo. If you have a FlexElement coupling, we can evaluate it for a potential rerate using our Proselekt® software and let you know if you can continue to operate with this particular design or if you need to make a change.

No. We understand that time is valuable and that you need information to make decisions that you and other people are counting on. We work to provide you the information and products you need in a timely manner so you can make the decisions you need to make to keep production going and reliability high.

Although our couplings are essentially designed to last forever, we know that nothing does. Our couplings are built to be at least as reliable as the machines they connect, and we recommend a thorough inspection each time you overhaul your equipment. We know the importance of your machinery and want to help you meet your reliability goals. When you overhaul your machines, you should refurbish the coupling. If you have a planned turnaround coming up, we can provide you with a fully refurbished, like-new coupling within your turnaround window. Let us work with you to prepare for your next planned outage and give you a refurbished coupling that will work like new.