Technical Description Edition 2007
Mounting, maintenance and repair of propshafts
with flanged universal joints
1. Recommendations
Assembly, disassembly, maintenance and repair of propshafts should be performed only by
qualified personnel. In addition, for repair work we recommend the use of original spare parts.
Our propshafts are supplied ready for installation and operation. All are lubricated, base
painted and the matching surfaces of the flanges are protected by an anticorrosion-oil-film,
which must be removed before assembling the propshaft into the powertrain.
The propshafts have been dynamically balanced to ensure perfect smooth running. The balance
plates attached to the drive shaft tubes or the joint drivers must not be removed as they are
essential for the vibration-free running of the propshaft. For the same reason, the joints must
not be exchanged with one another. When a propshaft is being installed care must be taken to
ensure that the engraved indicating arrows coincide so that the two joints are located within
one plane, as required for perfect motion.
Fig. 1 yoke
Marking arrows
If the rotating propshaft might be dangerous for its environment, safety-means should
be provided. This applies especially to propshafts rotating at high speed.
The propshaft should be set-up according to the installation instructions issued by the
final manufacturer. For safety reasons, propshafts used in hazardous environments
should be suitably guarded. High-speed propshafts should be guarded by safety
bands to avoid damage in the event of shaft release or fracture. The relevant national
regulations concerning industrial safety and protective efficiency are to be observed.
Dust and dirt adhering to the propshaft may deteriorate the balancing quality. Additionally, oily
dirt may ignite on hot surfaces of the propshaft and this dirt should be removed on a regular
basis. Under normal conditions the surface-temperature of propshafts should not exceed 70
centigrade (158°F). However, under unfavourable conditions the temperature may raise above
70 centigrade (158°F). In such cases please contact our application-engineers for discussing
means to lower the temperature.
During transport and storage, the propshafts should be handled carefully and be protected
against impacts and shocks in order to guarantee the balance quality. Propshafts should
preferably be transported and stored horizontally. Any neglect of these instructions may lead to
impairment of operation or a reduction in functional reliability.
CAUTION – Propshafts with length compensation may become separated at the slip
section causing damage to propshaft components and possible injury. Also universal
joints may tilt in handling possibly causing injury.
Propshafts should be stored in a dry atmosphere preferably in horizontal position and secured
from falling over or rolling.
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Einbau und Wartung englisch – Edition 2007
2. Assembly
Before the propshaft is installed, the faces of the two flanges (shaft flange and connecting
flange) are to be cleaned, i.e. the faces and centring surface must be free of burrs, dirt, paint
and grease. The axial and radial run out tolerances admissible for the companion flange are to
be maintained, otherwise the correct running of the propshaft may be affected (Fig. 2 and
Table 1).
Fig. 2
Recommended radial run out K R Table 1
Radial axial
Speed tolerance
Run out Run out
rpm for d
KR KS
Up to
h8 0,15 0,18/100
500
500 to
h7 0,08 0,10/100
3000
More
than h6 0,05 0,07/100
3000
(KS is in relation to Ø100 mm)
Recommended axial run out K S
Both flanges are connected by means of hexagon bolts according or similar to ISO 4014 of
property class 10.9 and hexagon nuts according to ISO 7042-V of property class 10.
Not all types of our propshafts allow inserting the hexagon bolts from the joint end.
Particular attention should be given to tighten the flange connecting bolts in order to achieve
the necessary frictional torque transfer. Suitable wrenches are to be used. The specified
tightening torques are provided in our latest catalogue.
3. Maintenance
Propshafts without grease nipples are greased for life and therefore require no further
lubrication. If high pressure equipment is used for cleaning, it is important not to direct the jet
directly onto the seal.
For propshafts fitted with a tape red grease nipple (acc. to DIN 71412) or flat grease nipple
(acc. to DIN 3404) it is possible to lubricate the joints with a grease gun (see Fig. 3).
Fig. 3
Joint relubrication spline relubrication
The grease nipples must be cleaned before a grease gun is applied. The 4 bearings of each joint
are lubricated by one central grease nipple.
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Einbau und Wartung englisch – Edition 2007
Complete lubrication is achieved when grease can be observed coming from the bearing seals.
For shafts with regreaseable shaft length compensation, 10 - 40 g of grease should be sufficient
depending on shaft size.
Grease guns must be operated smoothly, at pressures not exceeding 2 MPa to prevent any
damage to the seals.
Regreasing is necessary after cleaning with high pressure equipment. It is important not to
direct the jet directly onto the seal.
Suitable lubricants recommended:
Lithium complex greases of specification KP 1-2 N-30 or KP 2 N-20 DIN 51502
with EP additives.
No greases containing MoS2 or other solid lubricant additives to be used for the joint
bearings as well as sliding part.
When the application temperature limits exceed the normal range of +80°C to -25°C (+176oF
to -13oF), special-purpose greases of the above- mentioned specification should be used.
For general applications, the following directions are recommended:
Propshafts employed in: Maintenance interval
Road motor vehicles 50,000 km (31,000 miles) or 1 year
Off-road motor vehicles 30,000 km (18,500 miles) or 1 year
Off-road motor vehicles in building sites 10,000 km (6,200 miles) or 250 hours
Rail vehicles 3,000 hours or ½ year
Stationary plant 500 hours
Marine drive lines 1,500 hours or ½ year.
Shorter maintenance intervals will be required where the propshafts are operated in extremely
adverse conditions. The maintenance intervals of the propshafts in special applications are to
be agreed with the final customer (OEM).
Propshafts taken out of pro-longed storage (6 months and more) should be lubricated before
being installed.
4. Repair
Only qualified and experienced technicians should repair or assemble propshafts as poor
workmanship and improper procedures may cause malfunction due to excessive wear, heat, or
vibration.
The propshafts can be reconditioned with the aid of simple auxiliary tools, as the joints can be
completely disassembled and the length-compensating attachment can be exchanged.
The principal points of wear are:
Joint bearing:
¾ Visual inspection: Perceptible play in the bearings, damaged sealings
¾ After disassembling: Wear marks and indications of pitting on the bearing surfaces;
damaged rollers; worn sealing,
Sliding part:
¾ Visual inspection: Perceptible play permitting twisting and/or tilting; damaged sealing;
damaged sealing area of the hub (if coated then coated with RILSAN®)
¾ After disassembling: Indications of pitting at profile flanks and at the head periphery;
damaged sealings, damaged coating of the hub/ splined shaft, corrosion.
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4.1. Replacing the journal crosses
Pay attention to clean surroundings to avoid any dirt or dust intruding in the bearings to be
assembled, and to a smooth surface of the bore for the bearing.
4.1.1. Closed bearing eye
Because the bearing bushes cannot be removed completely out of the bearing eye (because of
interference with the cross and claw), in a first step the two opposite bearing bushes of the fork
of the weld yoke will be removed half way. Thereafter by applying the ring as shown in fig. 4
or by inserting of discs the complete removal of the bearing bushes can be done. At this
disassembly some damage at the bushing or the plastic disc at the bottom of the bushing may
occur. In this case these parts have to be replaced anyway.
If you still cannot take off the bearing bush by hand after pressing it out half way, you may tap
the yoke ear lightly for loosening the bearing bushing.
The disassembly of the two bearing bushes of the flange yoke follows the same procedure as
described above. (Fig. 5)
Fig. 4 Fig. 5
Press Press
flange sleeve adaptor ring
flange sleeve
journal cross
protection
cover
Auxiliary tool Auxiliary tool
The bearing bush must not be canted while it is being pressed in, it should be seated firmly in
the bore of the flange yoke. The locking rings must fit snugly into the ring grooves provided.
To avoid any deformation, the flange yoke should be supported during the push-in operation, if
possible. Any adjustment necessary to take-up any play in the joints or lack of concentricity
should be carried out at the same time (permissible tolerance +/- 0.05 mm). Play and press fit,
are compensated for by using locking rings of different thickness. The joint must be smooth
moveable to avoid too much friction and heat during operation, by which the joint may fail
prematurely.
4.1.2. Split bearing eye ( bolted yoke)
On joints with split bearing eye bores the bearing caps should be slackened to allow removal of
the cap. After the 2 bearing caps have been removed, the spider, including the bearing sleeves,
can be separated from the yokes.
Note! Bearing caps and yokes are in pairs and therefore must not be interchanged or mounted
in a different position during reassembly (you may mark them differently before disassembly
for this purpose!).
The complete cross will be assembled by inserting it in the yokes and putting the caps on the
yokes. The caps have to be tightened to the yokes with new proper screws applying the
prescribed torque.
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To achieve the right backlash you may either use discs of different thickness at the bottom of
the bearing bush ring segments of different thickness, which keep the cross concentric to the 2
claws. The joint must be smooth moveable to avoid too much friction and heat during
operation, by which the joint may fail prematurely.
4.2. Slip assembly
Disassembling and remounting entails experience and craftsmanship besides appropriate
equipment, especially in welding and balancing.
In a first step the tube and the profiled part have to be separated by removing the weld seam on
a lathe (Fig. 6). The profiled hub and shaft always have to be replaced together, because these
parts are matched individually as a unit.
Before welding the tube and profiled part make sure a perfect alignment of both parts, e.g. by
providing an interference fit.
Fig. 6 tool
Splined part centering
tube
The radial tolerance of the alignment should be within 0.5 mm.
After the welding operation this components (tube and profiled part) are put together with the
other profiled part. At this step it has to be observed, that the inner yokes have to be in the
same plane at a radial tolerance of max. 3°.
Thereafter the complete propshaft has to be straightened at a max. radial run out of 0.5 mm.
4.3. Balancing
Balancing too entails craftsmanship, experience and suitable equipment.
If not available, you may use our workshop or ask us for an authorized workshop near your
site.
After a repair (replacement of crosses or slip assembly) generally propshaft running at more
than 500 rpm should be balanced. Unbalanced propshafts may cause vibrations, which
jeopardize operators and can damage or destroy the propshaft itself and adjacent components
of the whole powertrain.
The balancing quality has been regulated by DIN ISO 1940 standard:
Balancing quality G 40 for propshafts for general applications
Balancing quality G 16 for propshafts for special applications
Gelenkwellenwerk Stadtilm GmbH
Weimarische Str. 62
D-99326 Stadtilm
Germany / Deutschland
Telefon: +49 3629 640 0
Telefax: +49 3629 80 00 02
Internet: www.gewes.de
E-Mail:
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