FEM Formulation of

Shaft element
Y.A Khulief, PhD, PE
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
KFUPM

10/30/2006

Finite Shaft Element

YK-1

Assumptions:
This is a Lagrangean formulation with the following
ASSUMPTIONS:
Material is elastic, homogeneous, isotropic
Plane x-secions initially perpendicular to neutral axis
remain plane, but no longer perpendicular to neutral
axis after bending deformation
Deflections of the rotor are produced by displacements of
points on the centerline
Disks are treated as rigid
Material damping and fluidelastic forces are neglected

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Finite Shaft Element

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Shaft Coordinates:
Consider the following shaft element
p

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Finite Shaft Element

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Shaft Coordinates:
The following Coordinates are assigned:
X Y Z Fixed inertial frame
X iY i Z i Element coordinate (undeformed state)
x i y i z i Element Coordinate (deformed state)

Consider an arbitrary point pi on the undeformed element,

which is then transformed into point p in the deformed state of
the element

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Finite Shaft Element

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Shaft Coordinates:
The global position of point p is defined by vector

rp = R + r

(1)

Or, simply as

rp = R + r0 + u

(2)

where u is the deformation vector

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Finite Shaft Element

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Shaft Coordinates:
The element undergoes axial deformation u in the X direction and
two bending deformations v and w in the Y and Z direction,
respectively.
Now, let us describe the element x-section orientation after
deformation; i.e. to establish the coordinate transformation
from

X iY i Z i to x i y i z i
See next figure for rotational angles

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Dropping the index i

1- rotate by an angle ( + )
about the X axis
2- Then by an angle y
about the new y-axis y1
3- Then by an angle z
about the new z-axis

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Reference Shaft rotation

Finite Shaft Element

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Rotational Vector:
Now, let us express the instantaneous angular velocity vector

 +  ) I + ( ) j + ( ) k
= (
y
1
z
2

(3)

The unit vectors directions are shown on previous figure.

Note that  is the rotor angular velocity.
Transforming the velocity vector of Eq.3 into the global
coordinate system X Y Z , one obtains

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Finite Shaft Element

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Rotational Vector:
Now, let us express the instantaneous angular velocity vector

 +  )I +  cos( + )J + sin ( + )K
= (
y

+ z sin ( y )I sin ( + ) cos( y )J + cos( y )cos( + )K

(4)

In the linear theory of elasticity, small deformations are

assumed, and hence small angles approximations are invoked
in rewriting Eq.4 as

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Rotational Vector:
Now, let us express the instantaneous angular velocity vector
 + ) I +  [cos ( + ) J + sin ( + ) K ]
= (
y
+ z [ y I sin ( + ) J + cos ( + ) K ]

(5)

 +   ) I + [ cos( + )  sin( + )]J

= (
z y
y
z
+ [y sin( + ) + z cos( + )]K

Or, in matrix for as

 +  

x
z y



= y = y cos ( + ) z sin ( + )
 sin ( + ) +  cos ( + )
z
z y

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Finite Shaft Element

(6)

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Velocity Vector:
Now, let us differentiate Eq.1 with respects to time

drp
dt

= rp + rp = rp + [ ]{rp }

where

0
[ ] = z
y

z
0

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(7)

(8)

Finite Shaft Element

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Velocity Vector:
Using the FEM notations, one can express the deformation vector
in the form:

u = {u} = [N v ]{e}

(9)

where [ N v ] is the shape function matrix. Now Eq.7 can be

expressed as

e
= [ N v ]{e} + [ ]{rp } = [ N v  ]
dt
rp

drp

(10)

and {e} is the vector of nodal coordinates

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Finite Shaft Element

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Kinetic Energy:
The kinetic energy of the element is obtained by integrating the
kinetic energy of the infinitesimal volume at point p over the
volume V
T

drp drp
1
KE =
2 V dt dt
N vT
e
1
T
T
= e rp T [ N v  ] dV
2V

rp

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Finite Shaft Element

(11)

YK-13

Kinetic Energy:
Which can be written in the form

KE

1
T
T
{e} [ N v ] [ N v ]{e}

2V
+ {e} [ N v ] [ ]{rp }
T

(12)

+ {rp } [ ] [ N v ]{e}
T

+ {rp } [ ] [ ]{rp } dV
T

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Kinetic Energy:
The first term in Equation (12) gives the kinetic energy due to
translation; the second and third terms are identically zero if
moments of inertia are calculated with respect to center of mass
of the element. The last term gives kinetic energy due to rotation
that includes gyroscopic moments.

Now, let us evaluate the last term of Eq.12

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Kinetic Energy:
To this end, one may utilize the following expression:
z2 + y2
[~ ]T [~ ] = x y
x z

x y

+
y z
2
z

2
x

z x

y z
y2 + x2

(13)

The last term =

l
T
1
1
T
= {rp } [ ] [ ]{rp } dV = ( I xx2 + I y y2 + I zz2 ) dx
2V
20
(14)

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Kinetic Energy:
Substituting from Eq.6 into eq.14, on gets

{rp } [ ] [ ]{rp } dV = I x (  +  z y )
T

(
)
( sin ( + ) +  cos ( + ) ) } dx

+ I y y cos ( + ) z sin ( + )

+ Iz

(15)

which can be further simplified as

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Finite Shaft Element

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Kinetic Energy:
l

( )

T
1
1
T
 2 + 2 dx + I
{rp } [ ] [ ]{rp } dV = I p

0 p   dx
2V
20
l

 +   dx + I  2 +  2 dx (16)
Ip
z y
D y z
0

Or, simply as
l

Ip
0

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1
 2 dx + I T  dx + I
I p
0 p
0 p   dx
2 0

T
l
y y
(17)
T



+ z y dx + I D dx


0
z z

Finite Shaft Element

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Kinetic Energy:
I y = I y = ID

Note that

Ix = I p

and

Using FEM notations, Eq.17 becomes

l

T
1
1
T
 2 dx + {e}T N T I N {e}dx + I
{rp } [ ] [ ]{rp } dV = I p

0 p
0 p  dx
2V
20
l

T
 N {e} dx {e}T N I N {e} N {e} dx
{e} N z I p
z p y
y
T

[ N y ]
T
[ N y ]
+ {e}
ID
{e} dx
[ N z ]
0
[ N z ]
l

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Finite Shaft Element

(18)

YK-19

Kinetic Energy:
l

The term I p  dx gives the inertial coupling between rigid body
 this term has
coordinates0 and elastic coordinates. For constant
no contribution to the equation of motion of the drillstring, and
can be neglected.
Now, let us introduce some matrix expressions to simplify the
final form of the KE expression :

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10

Kinetic Energy:
l

1
I pdx = C1
2 0
l

I p N dx = M

0
l

(19)

Nz I p Ny dx = [G1]
T

0
l

I
0

Nz Ny {e} N dx = [ Me ]

T

[Ny ] [Ny ]
0 [N ] ID [N ]dx = [ Mr ]
z z
l

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Kinetic Energy:
Now, Eq.18 reduces to

[ ]

1
1 2 1 T
 {e}T [G ]{e}
+ {e} M {e}
{r p }T [~ ]T [~ ]{r p }dV = C1
1

2V
2
2
{e} [M e ]{e} +
T

1 T
{e} [M r ]{e}
2

(20)

Note that [M e ] is the inertia coupling between torsional and

transverse vibrations which is time dependent

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11

Kinetic Energy:
The KE is finally expressed as

[ ]

1 T
{e} [M t ]{e} + 1 C1 2 + 1 {e}T M {e} {e} T [G1 ]{e}
2
2
2
1 T
T
{e} [M e ]{e} + {e} [M r ]{e}
2
1 T
1 2  T
= {e} [M ]{e} + C1
{e} [G1 ]{e}
2
2

KE =

(21)

Where [ M ] = [ M t ] + [ M r ] + M 2 [ M e ]

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Kinetic Energy:
The KE is finally expressed as
l

[ M t ] = [ N v ]T A[ N v ] dx

translational

[ M r ] = [ N ]T I D [ N ] dx

rotational

[ M ] = [ N ]T I p [ N ] dx

torsional

[ Me ] = I p ( N [ N z ]{e} N y N
l

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Finite Shaft Element

N y {e} [ N z ]

dx

YK-24

12

Kinetic Energy:
The gyroscopic matrix [G] and can be represented by the
following expression [G ] = [G1 ] [G1 ]T , where for constant
angular speed
l

[G1 ] = I p N
0

N y dx
z

(22)

Next, is to carry out the integrations to arrive at explicit

expressions of the non-zero entries of the aforementioned
element coefficient matrices; see Appendix
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Strain Energy:
The deformation of a typical cross-section of the drillstring may
be expressed by three translations and three rotations. Two of
the translations (v, w) are due to bending in the Y and Z
directions and the third one (u) is due to axial translation. The
three rotations are ( y , z ) due to bending and ( ) due to torsion .
The two translations (v, w) consist of contributions ( vb , wb ) due to
bending, and ( vs , ws ) due to shear; that is

v( x, t ) = vb ( x, t ) + vs ( x, t )
w( x, t ) = wb ( x, t ) + ws ( x, t )
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Finite Shaft Element

(23)
YK-26

13