MEE 342 – Principles of Mechanical Design
Shaft and Shaft
Components
Introduction
Objectives
• Choose appropriate shaft materials and geometric
layouts
• Determine the factor of safety for given loads and
dimensions
• Design shafts for given factor of safety using iterative
process
Introduction
• Shaft is a rotating member used to transmit power
• Used to carry gears, pulleys, flywheels, cranks, sprockets, etc.
• Axle is a non-rotating member that carries no torque and is used to
connect two rotating members
• Shaft design includes choosing appropriate
– Materials
– Geometric layout
– Static and fatigue factors of safety
– Maximum slope and deflection
– Critical speed of rotation
Shaft Materials
• Shafts are usually made of low carbon steels that are either cold
drawn or hot rolled
• Typical selection is made between AISI 1020 to 1050 steels
• Shafts usually do not require heat treatment, however, residual
stresses from heavy machining can sometimes be relieved through
heat treatment
• Cast iron shafts are sometime used when shafts and gears are cast
as a single unit
Shaft Layout
• General layout of a shaft to accommodate shaft elements, e.g.,
gears, bearings, and pulleys, must be specified early in the design
process in order to perform a free body force analysis and to obtain
shear-moment diagrams
• Geometry of a shaft is generally that of a stepped cylinder
Shaft Layout Example
Assembly and Disassembly
Shaft Design for Stress
32𝑀𝑎 32𝑀𝑚
𝜎𝑎 = 𝐾𝑓 𝜎𝑚 = 𝐾𝑓
𝜋𝑑 3 𝜋𝑑 3
16𝑇𝑎 16𝑇𝑚
𝜏𝑎 = 𝐾𝑓𝑠 𝜏𝑚 = 𝐾𝑓𝑠
𝜋𝑑 3 𝜋𝑑 3
2 2 1Τ2
2 1Τ2
32𝑀𝑎 16𝑇𝑎
𝜎𝑎′ 2
= 𝜎𝑎 + 3𝜏𝑎 = 𝐾𝑓 + 3 𝐾𝑓𝑠
𝜋𝑑 3 𝜋𝑑 3
2 2 1Τ2
′ 2 2 1Τ2
32𝑀𝑚 16𝑇𝑚
𝜎𝑚 = 𝜎𝑚 + 3𝜏𝑚 = 𝐾𝑓 + 3 𝐾𝑓𝑠
𝜋𝑑 3 𝜋𝑑 3
Von Mises Static Yield Check
′
𝜎𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝜎𝑎 + 𝜎𝑚 2 + 3 𝜏𝑎 + 𝜏 𝑚 2 1Τ2
2 2 1Τ2
32𝐾𝑓 𝑀𝑎 + 𝑀𝑚 16𝐾𝑓𝑠 𝑇𝑎 + 𝑇𝑚
= +3
𝜋𝑑 3 𝜋𝑑 3
𝑠𝑦
𝑛𝑦 = ′
𝜎𝑚𝑎𝑥
Example Problem
The shaft shown below is proposed for the
application shown. The material is AISI 1018 CD
steel. The gears seat against the shoulders, and
have hubs with setscrews to lock them in place.
The effective centers of the gears for force
transmission are shown. The keyseats are cut
with standard endmills. The bearings are press-fit
against the shoulders. Determine the minimum
fatigue factor of safety. All fillets are 2.5mm in
radius.
First Iteration Estimates for Stress
Concentrations
Deflection Considerations
Example Problem
The rotating solid steel shaft is simply supported by bearings at points B and C and is
driven by a gear (not shown) which meshes with the spur gear at D, which has a 150-mm
pitch diameter. The force F from the drive gear acts at a pressure angle of 20°. The shaft
transmits a torque to point A of 𝑇𝐴 = 340 N. m . The shaft is machined from steel with 𝑆𝑦 =
420 MPa and 𝑆𝑢𝑡 = 560 MPa . Using a factor of safety of 2.5, determine the minimum
allowable diameter of the 250-mm section of the shaft based on (a) a static yield analysis
using the distortion energy theory and (b) a fatigue-failure analysis. Assume sharp fillet
radii at the bearing shoulders for estimating stress-concentration factors.
MEE 342 – Principles of Mechanical Design
Homework 04
1. The spur gear train given in problem 3 has to be designed (4 gears in total) to transmit 5hp between all
four gears. The factors of safety to be maintained are 2 for bending and 2.5 for surface stresses. Material
to be used is Grade 2 through-hardened steel. Assume quality standard of 5, uncrowned tooth, enclosed
and accurately mounted. All gears in the system must be designed to survive 108 cycles with a
reliability of 0.99. Find the required surface hardness for individual gears. Make any additional
assumptions as your see fit.
Note: Show all the work and calculations handwritten for Gear 2. Then, show all factors and results for
gears 2, 3, 4, and 5 in tabular format.
2. The helical gear train given in problem 4 has to be designed (4 gears in total) to transmit 5hp between all
four gears. The factors of safety to be maintained are 2 for bending and 2.5 for surface stresses. Material
to be used is Grade 2 through-hardened steel. Assume quality standard of 5, uncrowned tooth, enclosed
and accurately mounted. All gears in the system must be designed to survive 108 cycles with a
reliability of 0.99. Find the required surface hardness for individual gears. Make any additional
assumptions as your see fit.
Note: Show all the work and calculations handwritten for Gear 2. Then, show all factors and results for
gears 2, 3, 4, and 5 in tabular format.