Design of Shafts

What is a Shaft?

 A shaft is a rotating machine element which is used to transmit power

from one place to another.
 The power is delivered to the shaft by some tangential force and the
resultant torque (or twisting moment) set up within the shaft permits
the power to be transferred to various machines linked up to the
shaft.
 The members (pulleys, gears etc.)along with the forces exerted upon
them causes the shaft to bending.
 Thus, a shaft is used for the transmission of torque and bending
moment
Notes regarding Shaft

1. The shafts are usually cylindrical, but may be square or cross-shaped in

section. They are solid in cross-section but sometimes hollow shafts are
also used.
2. An axle, though similar in shape to the shaft, is a stationary machine
element and is used for the transmission of bending moment only..
An axle is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear.
3. A spindle is a short shaft that imparts motion either to a cutting tool
(e.g. drill press spindles) or to a work piece (e.g. lathe spindles).
Material Used for Shafts
 The material used for shafts should have the following properties :
 1. It should have high strength.
 2. It should have good machinability.
 3. It should have low notch sensitivity factor.
 4. It should have good heat treatment properties.
 5. It should have high wear resistant properties.
 The material used for ordinary shafts is carbon steel of grades 40 C
8, 45 C 8, 50 C 4 and 50 C 12.
 The mechanical properties of these grades of carbon steel are
given in the table 4.1. See Khurmi Book Chapter 14.
Notch Sensitivity Factor

 Most of mechanical components has  irregularities

in structure and abrupt  change in cross
section,which increase stress concentration at
such changes .
Some materials are more sensitive than others to
stress raising notches under fluctuating loads , to
account for this effect a parameter called notch
sensitivity factor is found for each material.
 Notch sensitivity of a material is measure of how
sensitive material is for notches or geometric
irregularities.
 Manufacturing of Shafts

 Shafts are generally manufactured by hot rolling and

finished to size by cold drawing or turning and grinding.
 The cold rolled shafts are stronger than hot rolled shafts
but with higher residual stresses.
 The residual stresses may cause distortion of the shaft
when it is machined, especially when slots or
 keyways are cut. Shafts of larger diameter are usually
forged and turned to size in a lathe.
( Keyways help in Power and Torque tramissions )
Types of Shafts

1. Transmission shafts. These shafts transmit power

between the source and the machines absorbing power.
The counter shafts, line shafts, over head shafts and all
factory shafts are transmission shafts.
2. Machine shafts. These shafts form an integral part of
the machine itself. The crank shaft is an example of
machine shaft.

Solid Hollow
Shaft Shaft
Stresses in Shafts

1. Shear stresses due to the transmission of torque (i.e.

due to torsional load).
2. Bending stresses (tensile or compressive) due to the
forces acting upon machine elements like gears, pulleys
etc. as well as due to the weight of the shaft itself.
3. Stresses due to combined torsional and bending loads.
Design of Shafts

 The shafts may be designed on the basis of:

1. Strength, and 2. Rigidity and stiffness.
The following cases may be considered :
(a) Shafts subjected to twisting moment or torque only,
(b) Shafts subjected to bending moment only,
(c) Shafts subjected to combined twisting and bending
moments,
(d) Shafts subjected to axial loads in addition to combined
torsional and bending loads.
Shafts Subjected to Twisting
Moment Only (Topic # 14.9)
 Self Study (as the same topic has already been covered in Chapter
5)
 Also do Examples 14.1 to 14.3
Shafts Subjected to Bending
Moment Only
 When the shaft is subjected to a bending moment only,
then the maximum stress is given by:
M/I = σb/y
M = Bending moment,
I = Moment of inertia of cross-sectional area of the shaft
about the axis of rotation,
σb = Bending stress, and
y = Distance from neutral axis to the outer-most fiber
 For a round solid shaft, moment of inertia:
I = (π/64)d4 and y = d/2
Shafts Subjected to Bending
Moment Only
 We get:

M = (π/32) × σb × d3
 For a hollow shaft, moment of inertia:

and y = do/2
 Substituting these values, we get:
Example 14.4.
 A pair of wheels of a railway wagon carries a load of 50kN on each axle
box, acting at a distance of 100mm outside the wheel base. The gauge
of the rails is 1.4m. Find the diameter of the axle between the wheels,
if the stress is not to exceed 100MPa.
Given:
W = 50kN = 50 × 103N; L = 100mm; x = 1.4m; σb = 100MPa = 100N/mm2
Example 14.4.

 The maximum bending moment acts on the wheels at C and D.

Therefore,
M = W.L = 50 × 103 × 100 = 5 × 106N-mm
Let d = Diameter of axle.
The maximum bending moment (M),
M = (π/32) × σb × d3
500,000 = (π/32) × 100 × d3
=> d = 79.8mm or 80mm
Design of Shafts on the basis
of Rigidity (Topic # 14.14)
 Self Study (as the same topic has already been covered
in Chapter 5)
 Also do Examples 14.21 and14.22
Homework
 NumericalProblems No. 1 to 4 and 22 to
24 (Chapter # 14; Khurmi Book)
Problem No. 3
A hollow shaft for a rotary compressor is to be designed to transmit a
maximum torque of 4750N-m. The shear stress in the shaft is
limited to 50MPa. Determine the inside and outside diameters of
the shaft, if the ratio of the inside to the outside diameter is 0.4
Given:
T = 4750Nm = 4750000Nmm; τ = 50MPa = 50N/mm2; di = ?; do = ?; k =
0.4
Solution:
T = (π/16)τdo3(1 – k4)
4750000 = (π/16).50. do3(1 – 0.44)
do = (16.4750000/0.9744.π.50)1/3
do = 80.1mm or 90mm (Standard size)
Problem No. 3

d i = do × k
di = 90 × 0.4
di = 36mm or 35mm (standard ID of shaft)