Lecture: Shaft Design I

MEC3416 Machine Design

Dr Jing Fu (Clayton)
Dr Jen Nee Lim (Malaysia)
Shafts
• Usually refers to long member that rotates and transmits power.
• Can be non-round or short (spindle), axles for driving wheels.
• Subject to various loads (axial, bending, and torsional), static or
fluctuating.
• Bearing support required

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 Shafts failures
• Fatigue fracture
• Excessive deflection
• Excessive slope (at bearing)
• Vibrations (whirling, etc.)

Usually through combined stress

Göksenli, A., & Eryürek, I. B. (2009). Failure analysis of an elevator

drive shaft. Engineering failure analysis, 16(4), 1011-1019. 3
Assumptions for shaft analysis
• The bearing widths are small relative to the length of the shafts (point
supports).
• (1) Bearing friction and (2) self weight of shaft, gears, clips etc. are negligible.
• Shaft deflection is small so that locations and directions of loads are constant
with respect to the shaft.
• All connections are rigid.

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Shaft loading
• Ideal case F21R F21
o Constant torque driving the shaft – Shaft twist (mean
torsional stress) F21T
o Reversed bending load each revolution - Shaft Ta1
deflection (alternating bending stress) Fax1 a

Fa1 FaY1 d1

Shaft
Twist

Shaft Deflection

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Loading on shaft: Axial
• =P/A
• Axial Force Diagram: Tensile as +ve and compression as –ve.
(Consistent with Goodman Diagram).
Force applied in locations marked in red

Pb Pc
Pa

Starts and ends

at zero, forces
Pa are balances
Pb x

Pc
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Loading on shaft: Torsion

Shear stress at any point due to torsion, xy

c is distance from center.

Tc d
 xy = J J = I xx + I yy T

xy
For a circular cylinder, Cross
Section
d 4 View
J=
32 xy

Maximum stress occurs at the outer surface

xy Top view
When c=d/2, so
16T
 xy,max
= 3
d 7
Torque diagram
b Torque applied in locations marked in red

a
c
T

Starts and ends

at zero, torque
a is balanced

b x

c

You can chose your own sign convention

8 but be consistent.
Combined torsion and bending moment

T T
M M
: Shear stress induced by torque

σ: Normal stress induced by bending

 
2

From maximum stress theory:  max =   + 2

2

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Combined torsion and bending moment
T T Element on shaft:
M M


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Combined torsion and bending moment

T T 
A
σ
Element on shaft: σ 
M M 
B

 max
A (σ, )

  
2

Radius the Mohr’s circle:  max =   + 2

2
B (0, -)

 
2


16
16T
= 3 =
32 M  max =   + = 3 M 2 + T 2
2
For shaft:
d d 3 2 d
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Shaft design
• Iterative process of the following:
o Determine shaft speed
o Determine torque to be transmitted
o Determine shaft loadings
o Position bearings

• Use ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) code

1/3
 2 2
 32ns M 3  T  

d =   +
  e  4   y  
 
 

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ASME code for shaft design
• Similar to the theoretical maximum stress but with practical considerations

Safety factor (often use 2)

1/3
 2 2 
 32ns M 3  T  

d =   +
  e  4   y  
 
  Max torque on shaft

Max bending
moment on shaft Yield strength of
shaft material

Endurance limit
stress
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Example – shaft design
Material:
817M40 hot rolled alloy steel
σUTS=1000 MPa
σy=770 MPa.
Brinell hardness is approximately 220 BHN.
Safety factor ns=2

Features:
Radii on fillets is 3 mm.
Reliability required is 90%

Output:
8 kW at 900 RPM with a maximum Torque of 84.9 Nm

Determine the minimum shaft diameter

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Example – shaft design
• First resolve loads in vertical and horizontal planes

Loads in Vertical Plane Loads in Horizontal Plane

• Determine the maximum bending moment (covered in Load Analysis)

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Example – shaft design
 allowed = 770  0.58 / ns = 223 MPa
Simple theoretic
calculation  16 
1/ 3 1/ 3
 16 2
d = M2 +T2 = 158. 8 2
+ 84 . 9  = 0.016 m
  allowed    223  10
6


• Calculate the endurance stress limit  e  98.6 MPa

ASME code
• Calculate minimum diameter from the ASME equation:
1/ 3
 2
 32  2  158.8  
1/ 3
3  T  
2
32ns  M 
2 2
3  84.9 
d =   +  =  6 
+  6 

    e  4   y      98 . 6  10  4  770  10  
 
= 0.032 m

Choose standard diameter of 3516 mm

General considerations for shaft design
1. To minimize both deflections and stresses, the shaft length should be kept as
short as possible and overhangs minimized.
2. A cantilever beam will have a larger deflection compared to a simply supported
(straddle mounted) one of the same length.
3. A hollow shaft has a better stiffness/mass ratio (specific stiffness) and higher
natural frequencies than a comparably solid shaft, but will be more expensive and
larger in diameter.
4. To locate stress-raisers away from regions of large bending moment if possible
and minimize their effects with generous radii and relief.
5. Deflections at gears carried on the shaft should not exceed about 0.005
inches and the relative slope between the gears axes should be less than about
0.03 degrees.

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Shaft to gear connections

Pinned Woodruff Spline

Key
Square
Keys Shaft
Set Screw integral
with gear

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Shaft types

Shoulder to prevent axial movement

Non-rotating shafts ->Spindles

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Shaft types
Two bearings preferred to limit
alignment problems

Gear Pulley Bearing

Circlip

Shoulder to
prevent axial
movement
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Shaft elements
Chains
Belts Sprockets
Pulleys

Purpose: Transmit power through a machine

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Transferring torque to shaft
• Common means of transferring torque to shaft
– Keys
– Splines
– Setscrews
– Pins
– Press or shrink fits
– Tapered fits
• Keys are one of the most effective
– Slip fit of component onto shaft for easy assembly
– Positive angular orientation of component
– Can design key to be weakest link to fail in case of
overload
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Summary
• Stresses in shaft
• Design the diameter of shaft - simple theoretic calculation or ASME code
• Shaft types and associated elements

• References:
o Juvinall RC, Marshek KM. Fundamentals of machine component design. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley
& Sons; 2019
o Budynas RG, Nisbett JK, Shigley JE. Shigley's mechanical engineering design. Boston: McGraw-
Hill; 2008.

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