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The Geislinger Hub is the latest addition to our family of coupling solutions. The combination of a conventional steel structure with a novel carbon fiber composite sleeve creates a lightweight flange coupling for applications that require the highest levels of performance with the least mass. This coupling combines several features into a simple component. Let us take you on a journey through the development of this outstanding innovation.
Birth of an idea
Weight is getting an ever-increasing importance in modern powertrain design. Whether in e-mobility or in highly dynamic applications, the mass and mass moment of inertia play a critical role in powertrain design. Every kilogram that can be saved on the mechanical side becomes available for battery capacity or increases the dynamics and the energy efficiency of the powertrain. For this reason, Geislinger already offers a broad portfolio of lightweight coupling solutions made of carbon fiber reinforced materials. However, weight reduction is limited by the use of complicated adapters or flange couplings, usually made of solid steel. Thus, the vision was born to combine our extensive knowledge of carbon fiber materials and precise machining of steel parts to create a new connection that will meet all the requirements in a modern powertrain. The aim was to create a lightweight alternative to the heavy flange couplings that are currently available on the market.
Figure 1: Our FEM engineer, Moritz Schwarz, working on the structural optimization of the Geislinger Hub.
The vision taking shape
There were certain requirements that a new coupling had to fulfil. The primary goal was to reduce the weight of the coupling to a significantly lower level compared to other products currently available on the market. In addition, the mounting mechanism had to be reusable in case the coupling had to be dismounted. Moritz Schwarz, Geislinger’s FEM specialist, took over the calculation and Johann Hagn, mechanical design engineer, took care of the design of the Geislinger Hub to ensure that the new product could meet all the necessary aspects.
Moritz notes, “The innovative combination of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) and steel of the Geislinger Hub creates a truly unique and outstanding product. During the development, a challenging aspect was to create a fast and reliable calculation method to combine the behavior of CFRP and steel in the required interference fit.”
At the proving ground
Once a suitable design was found, the Geislinger Hub was taken from the computer screen to reality. At Geislinger Bad Sankt Leonhard the first prototype was created after the manufacturing process was adapted accordingly. At Geislinger Salzburg the finished prototype was then placed onto the test bed and the correct function was validated in various endurance tests. The hydraulic mounting mechanism proved to be a reliable choice, allowing the coupling to be easily mounted and dismounted.
Figure 2: The main parts of the Geislinger Hub: Steel skeleton, sleeve, carbon-fiber composite clamping ring, and the hydraulic locking mechanism.
Figure 3: The finished product at this year’s SMM in Hamburg.
Since then, our new Geislinger Hub has been officially launched as a product, and the first customers have already taken advantage of it. As the lightest flange coupling, it is not only suitable for applications where mass reduction is crucial, but also where other properties, such as easy handling and mounting are required. Additionally, the Geislinger Hub is suitable to handle axial forces, and it possesses a friction enhancing surface treatment that requires no additional cover layer. Moritz Schwarz notes, “It is nice to see something well-engineered come to life with the innovative power of the entire company. I think we can proudly say that the development of the Geislinger Hub was truly a team effort.”
For a more detailed description please see our catalogue.