LOVEJOY L Type Spiders, Open Center

What is the difference between open centre & solid centre Lovejoy spider designs?

The open centre design of Lovejoy spiders is suitable in close BE situations where units must be positioned as closely together as possible. However, this design has no full-diameter support as the spider's legs are joined only by a thin segment of material. It has speed limitations up to 1750 rpm for NBR and 3600 rpm for Urethane / Hytrel.
The solid centre design of Lovejoy spiders is suitable for general power transmission applications where the BE dimension will remain fairly constant and be capable of affording a suitable gap.

How do you install a spider coupling?

• Before installing hubs on a shaft, slide a retaining collar onto the shaft.
• Insert a key into the keyway. Make sure that the key fits snugly in the keyway, with minimal side to side movement.
• Slide a hub on the shaft (over the key) and align the face of the hub with the end of the shaft.
• Use a calibrated torque wrench to tighten the set screws.
• Check alignment using either straight edge method or a dial indicator, taking measurements at four locations, 90 degrees apart.
• Wrap the spider around the hubs and insert a leg of the spider into each space between the coupling jaws.
• Align the pins on the side of the collar with the grooves in the spider.
• Recheck set screws for tightness and recheck the axial & angular alignment for accuracy.
• Remove any material and tooling away from the coupling and shaft. Install the appropriate coupling guard as per OSHA requirements.