The universal joint shaft rotates at high speed in the equipment transmission system, and the dynamic balance performance directly determines the vibration amplitude during its rotation. For a universal joint shaft with good dynamic balance, the centrifugal forces of each part offset each other during rotation, which can control the vibration at an extremely low level; on the contrary, if there is uneven mass distribution, the centrifugal force generated by eccentricity will cause violent vibration. For example, in the transmission shaft of an automobile, dynamic balance failure will cause the vehicle to shake when driving, and the steering wheel will produce obvious tremors, which will seriously affect the control accuracy. This vibration not only interferes with the normal operation of the equipment, but also causes deviations in the operation accuracy data, reducing the accuracy of equipment processing or operation.
The impact force caused by vibration will accelerate the wear of the universal joint shaft and connected parts, and good dynamic balance performance can effectively alleviate this problem. When the universal joint shaft is unbalanced and vibrates, the bearing needs to bear additional radial and axial forces, resulting in increased friction between the ball and the raceway, and accelerated failure of the grease. Taking industrial fans as an example, a universal joint shaft with poor dynamic balance will shorten the bearing life by more than 30%. Frequent replacement of bearings will not only increase maintenance costs, but also cause installation errors due to component replacement, further affecting the operation accuracy of the equipment. Keeping the universal joint shaft dynamically balanced can maintain the stable coordination between the various components and ensure the long-term stable operation of the equipment.
The universal joint shaft bears the heavy responsibility of accurately transmitting power, and its dynamic balance performance directly affects the accuracy of the transmission ratio. In machine tool processing, if the universal joint shaft is dynamically unbalanced, the vibration during rotation will cause the torque transmission to fluctuate, resulting in unstable tool feed, ripples on the workpiece surface, and dimensional deviations. The high-precision dynamically balanced universal joint shaft can smoothly and accurately transmit power to the actuator to ensure that the equipment operates according to the preset parameters. For example, the feed system of a CNC machine tool can control the positioning accuracy error to the micron level through a well-balanced universal joint shaft to ensure the processing accuracy of complex parts.
An unbalanced universal joint shaft will consume extra energy to overcome vibration during rotation, reducing the overall operating efficiency of the equipment. A universal joint shaft with excellent dynamic balance performance can efficiently convert energy into effective power output. For example, in a ship propulsion system, a well-balanced universal joint shaft can reduce energy loss by 10% - 15%, allowing more engine output power to be used to propel the ship. At the same time, reduced energy loss means less heat generation in the equipment, avoiding changes in component size and loss of precision due to thermal expansion, and further ensuring the stability of the equipment's operating precision.
Good dynamic balancing performance can delay the aging process of the equipment and indirectly maintain operating precision. When the universal joint shaft is in an unbalanced state, the various components of the equipment are subjected to abnormal stress for a long time, which will accelerate metal fatigue and material aging. For example, in the transmission universal joint shaft of a textile machinery, unbalanced vibration will increase the wear of the gear meshing surface, resulting in a decrease in transmission precision year by year. Maintaining the dynamic balance of the universal joint shaft can keep the equipment in a "low-load" operating state, slow down the aging of components, extend the overall service life of the equipment, and ensure that the equipment maintains a high operating precision over a long period of time.
In high-speed running equipment, failure of the dynamic balance of the universal joint shaft may cause safety accidents, which in turn leads to a complete loss of control of the operating precision. For example, in a turbine generator set, an unbalanced universal joint shaft may cause the shaft system to break due to excessive vibration, causing equipment damage or even casualties. Stable dynamic balancing performance not only ensures the safe operation of the equipment, but also avoids the loss of precision data or disorder of equipment parameters due to sudden failures, ensuring that the equipment can quickly recover to the original operating accuracy level after restarting.
Modern equipment often needs to operate under different working conditions. Good dynamic balancing performance enables the universal joint shaft to better adapt to changes in working conditions. For example, when construction machinery is operating on rugged terrain, a universal joint shaft with good dynamic balance can reduce the additional vibration caused by road bumps and maintain the operating accuracy of the equipment; when agricultural machinery works under different soil conditions, the dynamic balancing performance ensures the stability of the transmission system, so that the accuracy of operations such as sowing and harvesting is not affected. This adaptability to working conditions ensures the operating accuracy of the equipment in complex environments and expands the application range of the equipment.
