ME6760

Keys and Couplings

Ratna Kumar Annabattula
Department of Mechanical
Engineering
IIT Madras
Key Design
! Key is used to connect a transmission shaft to a rotating machine
element such as a gear, hub, pulley, etc..
! Primary function is to transmit torque from shaft to the hub of
mating element
! Secondary function is to prevent relative rotation between the
joining machine elements
! Types of Keys
! Saddle key
! Fits in the keyway of hub only; no keyway on the shaft
! Torque is transmitted only through friction between
key, shaft and hub only
! Used for light duty application
! Sunk key
! Fits half in the keyway of hub and remaining half in
the keyway of shaft
! Torque transmission is through shear resistance of the
key
! Suitable for heavy duty application
! Positive drive
! Flat and Rectangular keys (more stable)
Source: V. B. Bhandari, Design of Machine Elements
Example Problem
!
It is required to design a square key for xing a gear on
a shaft of 25 mm diameter. 15 kW power at 720 r.p.m. is
transmitted from the shaft to the gear. The key is made
of steel 50C4 (Syt = 460 MPa) and the factor of safety is 3.
The yield strength in compression can be assumed to be
equal to the yield strength in tension. Determine the
dimensions of the key.
Example Problem
!
The standard cross section for a at key, which is tted
on a 50 mm diameter shaft, is 16 x 10 mm. The key is
transmitting 475 N-m torque from the shaft to the hub
and is made of commercial steel (Syt=Syc=230 MPa).
Determine the length of the key, if the factor of safety is
3.
Rigid Couplings
!
Box or Muff or Sleeve Coupling
!
Clamped Coupling
!
Rigid Flange Coupling
Box or Muff Coupling
! Coupling are checked for
shear of the pins and
crushing of sleeves and
shaft by pin
! For shaft: M
t
/J =
s
/r
!
s
=M
t
r/J = 16 Mt/d
3
!
sleeve
= Tr/J; J = (D
4
-d
4
)/32;
r = D/2
! The key/pin must have equal depth in shaft and muff to avoid bending
! muff - made of cast iron and key - plain carbon steel
! Outer diameter of the muff d
0
= 2d+13 mm
! Length of the muff l = 3.5 d
! Width of key b=d/4
! Thickness of key h = d/4
! Mean diameter of the pin d
p
= 0.2 - 0.3 d
! Taper of the pin = 1:20 to 1:30
! Edge distance e = 0.75 d
Design Procedure for Muff Coupling
!
Calculate the diameter of each shaft by following equations
M
t
=
60 10
6
(kW)
2n
and =
16M
t
d
3
!
Calculate the dimensions of the sleeve by following empirical equations
D = (2d + 13) mm and L = 3.5d
Also check the torsional shear stress induced in the sleeve by the following equation
=
M
t
r
J
, J =
(D
4
d
4
)
32
, r =
D
2
!
Determine the standard cross section of the at sunk key. The length
of the key in each shaft is half of the sleeve length. Therefore l=L/2
=
2M
t
dbl
,
c
=
4M
t
dhl
Exercise
!
Design a muff coupling for the following data
!
The yield strength of plain carbon steel is 400 MPa
!
Ultimate tensile strength of cast iron is 200 MPa
!
Power to be transmitted is 25 kW
!
Shafts rotates at 360 rpm
!
Factor of safety for key and shaft material is 4
!
Factor of safety for muff is 6
Clamp Coupling
! For sleeve halves:
! D = 2.5d
! L = 3.5 d
! For clamping bolts:
! d
1
= 0.20d+10 mm for d < 55mm
! d
1
= 0.15d+15 mm for d > 55 mm
Clamp or Split Muff Coupling
!
In Clamp Coupling, torque is
transmitted by means of
friction between sleeve halves
and shaft surface and partly
by shear resistance of keys
!
Not suitable for shock loads
Exercise
!
Design a clamp coupling for the following data
!
The yield strength of plain carbon steel in tension is 400 MPa and
in compression it is 150% of tensile strength
!
Ultimate tensile strength of cast iron is 200 MPa
!
Power to be transmitted is 50 kW
!
Shafts rotates at 120 rpm
!
Factor of safety for key, bolts and shaft material is 5
!
Number of bolts is 8
!
Coefcient of friction between sleeve and shaft is 0.3
Flange Coupling
Unprotected Flange Coupling
Protected Flange Coupling
Proportions
d
h
= Outer diameter of hub = 2d
l
h
= Length of hub (key) = 1.5 d
D = PCD of bolts = 3d
t = Thickness of ange = 0.5d
t
1
= Thickness of protecting rim = 0.25d
d
r
= Dia of spigot and recess = 1.5d
D
0
= OD of ange = (4d+2t
1
)
N = (3,4,6) for (d<40, 40<d<100,100<d<180)
Flange Coupling
!
Consists of two anges - one keyed to the driving shaft and other to
the driven shaft
!
Two anges are connected together by means of four or six bolts
!
Power is transmitted
!
from the driving shaft to the left ange through key
!
left ange to right ange through bolts
!
right ange to right shaft through key
!
Provision for spigot (on left ange) and recess (on right ange) for
easy alignment
!
Two type - protected and unprotected
Design Procedure for Flange Coupling
!
Calculate shaft diameter by usual method adopted in muff and clamp
coupling (We have M
t
and d now)
!
Dimensions of ange (from standard proportions). Torsional shear stress in the
hub can be calculated by assuming it to be a hollow shaft subjected to
torsional moment M
t,
! = M
t
r/J, where J = "(d
h
4
-d
4
)/32 and r = d
h
/2
!
Flange at the junction of hub is under shear while transmitting moment Mt
!
area under shear = ("d
h
)t; Shear force = ("d
h
t) !
!
Resisting torque Mt = ("d
h
t !)(d
h
/2)
!
Diameter of bolts
!
Number of bolts N = 3 for d < 40 mm; N = 4 for 40 < d < 100 mm; and N = 6
for 100 < d <=180 mm
Design Procedure for Flange Coupling
!
Bolts are subjected to direct shear and not to torsional
shear.
!
M
t
= P * N * D/2
!
Direct shear stress in a bolt is given by ! = P/(("/4)d
1
2
)
!
! = 8M
t
/"DNd
1
2
!
Compressive stress in each bolt is given by crushing area (d
1
t) times the crush stress
!
Mt = Nd
1
t"
c
D/2
!
Dimensions of Keys
!
l = l
h
!
! = 2M
t
/(dbl)
!
"
c
= 4M
t
/(dhl)
Example
Design a rigid ange coupling tow shafts for the following
conditions
!
Input shaft transmits 37.5 kW at 180 rpm to output shaft
through coupling
!
Service factor for the application is 1.5 (i.e., design torque is 1.5
times the rate torque)
!
S
yt
for shafts = 380 MPa and a F.S. of 2.5
!
For Keys and bolts S
yt
= 400 MPa, S
yc
= 150% of S
yt
and F.S. = 2.5
!
For ange (Grey C.I.) S
ut
= 200 MPa and F.S. = 6 and ultimate
shear strength is one-half of ultimate tensile strength