Shaft Design

Dr Hengan Ou
Coates B104
h.ou@nottingham.ac.uk

Adapted from Dr Mike Johnson

Overview of Lecture
Introduction to shaft function, types and
applications;
Methods to evaluate shaft loading and to determine
shaft diameter using ASME code;

Considerations for proper shaft connections &

design features to prevent fatigue;
Calculation of shaft deflection & critical speed.
Effective learning should be achieved in
conjunction with Bearings & Mechanics of Solids
lectures

Learning Objectives
To understand shaft function, types, connections and
applications;
To select appropriate methods for shaft connections;

To analyse shaft loading;

To be able to determine shaft diameter using ASME
method;
To design features for preventing fatigue;
To calculate shaft deflection & critical speed
To be able to use the general principles in real shaft
design problems

 Function:

Function & Types

a slender component of circular cross-section that

rotates and transmits power from a driving device;
a means to carry gears, pulleys & usually
connected by couplings;
a means to provide necessary shaft-hub
connections.

Types:

Plain shaft

Stepped shaft
Crankshaft
Spline shaft
Camshaft
Camshaft

Spline shaft

Applications
YamahaR6 engine crankshaft
(60Nm & 91KW)

Main
shaft

High speed
shaft
Rolls-Royce Trent XWB Engine

http://www.rolls-royce.com/civil/
products/largeaircraft/trent_xwb/

Modular drive train

http://www.nrel.gov/wind
Arm driven
by turbine
shaft

Crankshaft of the world most

powerful diesel engine for large
container ships (7x106Nm&80MW)

http://www.amusingplanet.com/2013/03
Vestas V90-3MW wind turbine
/the-largest-and-most-powerfuldiesel.html
http://www.vestas.com/

Ring gear, Sun gear,

3
4

Planet
gear, 1

Planet
gear, 2

Gear, 6
to
generato
r

Gear,
5

A 3MW compound planetary

helical gearbox,

What are the important questions to be

answered in designing a shaft?

Using Yamaha R6 engine camshaft & crankshaft as two

examples

Yamaha R6 Camshaft

Yamaha R6 Engine (60Nm & 91KW)

http://youtu.be/OGj8OneMjek

Yamaha R6 crankshaft

Shaft design considerations, contd

Rolls-Royce Trent 900 three shaft
jet engine

Shaft design considerations

Function & loading conditions

Size & connection of components
Material selection & treatments
Deflection & rigidity
Fan

A pair of angular
contact ball
bearings

Square
key

Stress & strength

Critical speed
Manufacturing constraints
Other design considerations
Cylindrical
roller
bearing

End
plate

shaft

Pulley of a Belt
Drive

A fan supported by two bearings, SKF

Shaft-hub connections

Pinned

Woodruff
Key

Square
Keys

Spline
Shaft
integral
with gear

Shaft-hub connections
Set Screw

Dowel pin

Key

Woodruff key

Circlip

Lock nut

Location of Bearing on Shaft

Other means of locating outer/inner rings of bearings

Lock nut &

lock washer

Cover plate, circlip & lock nut

End plates

Location of Bearing on Shaft

Rotating ring:

interference fit

Stationary ring:

interference fit or push fit

Axial location:
- Axial location of both rings against abutment faces
Shoulder fillet radius corner radius of bearing
Shoulder height 2~2.5 corner radius of bearing

Partial view of a SKF bevel

gearbox

Axial location of roller bearings

Shaft Design
Design procedure
1. Determine shaft speed

2. Determine torque to be transmitted

3. Determine shaft loadings
4. Selection & position of bearings

Iterative Process!

5. Determine shaft diameter ASME Design Code

6. Design necessary design features
7. Understand Macaulays method and Castiglianos
theorem for shaft deflections

8. Understand Rayleigh-Ritz Equation for critical

speed

Shaft Loading
Axial stresses:

due to self-weight in
vertical shafts;
due to axial restraint at
bearings and associated
axial loads

Bending stresses:
Due to self-weight, tensile
forces in belt drives, gear
forces, mounted
component weights (e.g.
gear, flywheel)

dynamic forces which can

lead to fatigue and
resonance

Shear stresses:

due to torsional load

Example One: Shaft Loading

Resultant
force, R1

P1
Pulleys

Belts

P2

Total belt
force, P

Torque, T

Axial force, F

Fans with two bearing housings, SKF

T,

Axial
resultant
force, FR

L1

R1
FR

T,

R2

Torque, T

R1

Resultant
force, R2
P
M=PL1

R2

T=P/

Exercise one
Determining input shaft loading (bending moment &
torque diagrams)
FR

Output
Torque, Tout

R1
L
Meshing
force, F

R1

FT

Input
Torque, Tin

R2

SKF spur gearbox

R2

Exercise one with solution

Determining input shaft loading (bending moment &
torque diagrams)
FR

Output
Torque, Tout

R1
L
M=FL

Meshing
force, F

Input
Torque, Tin

T=dFT
R1

FT

R2

SKF spur gearbox

R2

F=(FR2+FT2)1/2

Shaft diameter
Use the ASME design code for transmission shafting
Reserve factor (often use 2)

32ns

M
3 T

4 y
e

1/3

Max bending
moment on shaft
Endurance limit
stress

Max torque on
shaft
Yield strength of
shaft material

Shaft diameter
Endurance limit stress is related to the ultimate
tensile strength
UTS decrease for
each cycle of loading

After more than 106

cycles, reduction in
UTS stops.

UTS

100

Material will last for

infinite cycles so long
as the endurance limit
stress, e, isnt
exceeded

101

102

103

104

105

106

107

Number of cycles

Most steels have this behaviour

-> Often used for shafts

108

Shaft diameter
Endurance limit stress, e, is affected by factors
such as loading, reliability and stress concentrations,
etc

e kakbkc kd kekf kg

'
e

'
Where,
e - Endurance limit of test
specimen
ka = surface factor
kb = size factor (=1)
Check handouts for specific
kc = reliability factor
values of all the factors
kd = temperature factor (=1)
ke = duty cycle factor (=1)
kf = fatigue stress concentration factor
kg = miscellaneous effects factor (=1)

Shaft diameter

e kakbkc kd kekf kg

'
e

e' 0.504 UTS for UTS 1400 MPa

e' 700 MPa for UTS 1400 MPa

Select factors from

graphs, tables,
empirical formulas as
given in handouts

Where
ka = surface factor
kb =1
kc = reliability factor
1
kd = 1
kf
1 qK t 1
ke = 1
kf = stress concentration factor
kg = 1

Shaft fatigue
Features on shaft cause stress concentrations ->
fatigue failure
Observe best practice to minimise stress:
Poor Fatigue Strength

Shoulders
Sharp Corner

Improved
Large fillet radius

Undercut fillet
with collar
Undercut radiused
fillets

Shaft fatigue
Features on shaft cause stress concentrations ->
fatigue failure
Observe best practice to minimise stress:
Poor Fatigue Strength

Holes

Improved
Enlarged section a hole

Stress relieving grooves

Shaft fatigue
Features on shaft cause stress concentrations ->
fatigue failure
Observe best practice to minimise stress:
Poor Fatigue Strength

Splines

Improved

Increase shaft diameter

Radius fillets

Shaft fatigue
Features on shaft cause stress concentrations ->
fatigue failure
Observe best practice to minimise stress:
Poor Fatigue Strength

Fitted Assemblies

Improved
Radius

Increase dia

Add grooves

Shaft fatigue
Features on shaft cause stress concentrations ->
fatigue failure
Observe best practice to minimise stress:
Poor Fatigue Strength

Keyways

Improved
Increase diameter

Add Radi

Exercise two: air motor shaft

Determining air motor shaft diameter
Shaft material: mild steel
uts = 600 MPa
y = 350 MPa.

Assuming a case of
cantilever beam

F=pA=80N

R2

Reserve factor, ns=2

Assume:

ka kb kc kd ke k f k g 0.3

R1

Calculate the camshaft

diameter:

32ns
d

M
3 T

4 y
e

=6 mm
2

1/3

l=10 mm

output

Exercise two: air motor shaft

Determining air motor shaft diameter

Shaft material: mild steel

Assuming a case of
cantilever beam

F=pA=80 N

uts = 600 Mpa,

y = 350 MPa.
Reserve factor, ns=2

R2

ka kb kc kd ke k f k g 0.3
e' 0.504 UTS 302.4MPa
e k a kb kc k d ke k f k g e'
0.3 302.4 90.7 MPa

32ns
d

M 3 T


e 4 y
2

R1

=6 mm

32 2

79.2 109
3.1416

13

l=10 mm
M=Fl=80x0.01=0.8 Nm

1/ 3

32 2 0.8 2 3 0.48 2

6
6
3.1416 90.7 10 4 350 10

output

5.6 103 m 5.6mm

T=F=80x6=0.48Nm

Shaft Critical Speed

Centre of mass

Centre of rotation

Centre of Mass should equal Centre of Rotation

(but in practice it doesnt)
Imbalance causes a deflection
(centrifugal force, mr2 normally balanced by flexural rigidity, EI)

At the critical speed (natural frequency) shaft is unstable

(deflection increases significantly to break shaft, damage
bearing and cause destructive vibration, shaft whirl)

Shaft Critical Speed

First Critical Speed

C
Shaft with a single mass

st

rad s

where,
g acceleration of gravity (m/s2),
st- static deflection of shaft (m).

Rayleigh-Ritz equation
Shaft with multiple masses

Rule of Thumb
Operational speed of shaft
should be the critical speed

g
w

i i
2
i i

rad s

where,
wi weight of node i (N),
i - static deflection of node
i (m).

Shaft deflection
Shaft deflections required to determine critical speed

Macaulays method for beam bending (MM2MS2):

d2y M

2
dx
EI

M
0 EI dx dx C1 x C2
x

Useful for plain shaft

Castiglianos theorem:
The deflection of an elastically deformed body is
equal to the partial derivative of strain energy
wrt the force applied at that point.

U
i
Fi

Fi

Shaft deflection
F

Castiglianos theorem:

Axial loading of a bar:

F 2L
U
2 EA

F 2 L FL

A
F 2 EA EA

FA

Bending of a plain shaft:

2 3
L F 2 x2
M2
F
L
2
dx 2
dx
0
2 EI
8EI
96 EI

F 2 L3 FL3

F 96 EI 48EI

1
F
2

FA

F
R1

R2

Shaft deflection
Types of beams

Max deflection

PL3
max
3EI

PL3
max
48EI

Pb 2 L
max
3EI

Deflection at any point x

Px 3
3L x

6 EI

Px

12 EI

3L2
2

x
4

For 0 x a :
Pbx 2

x a2
6aEI

For 0 z b :
Pbx 3

z b2 L b z 2b 2 L
6 EI

Summary
To be familiar with shaft function, types,
connections and applications;
To select appropriate methods for shaft
connections;
To analyse shaft loading;

To be able to determine shaft diameter using

ASME method;
To design features for preventing fatigue;
To determine shaft deflection & critical speed.

A worked example
Determining Shaft diameter of a transmission
shaft with belt & spur gear drives
Example, Childs pp98-101

Calculate the minimum

shaft diameter
Material:

817M40 hot rolled alloy steel

UTS = 1000 MPa
y = 770 MPa.
Brinell hardness is approximately 220 BHN.
Reserve 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 ??

PW T Nm1 / s
2
1 / s
nrpm
60
T Nm

60 103 PkW
2 nrpm

 Determining Shaft loading

Resolve loads in vertical
and horizontal planes
Loads in Vertical Plane

R1V

Ft

Fr

13.3 Nm

Loads in Horizontal Plane

9.81 Nm

R2V

T=84.9 Nm

R1H

Ft

R1H

158.5 Nm

C
B

R2H

B
52.6 Nm

R2H

 Calculate Bending Moments

The vertical bending moments are calculated as:
MBV R1V L1 111.1 0.12 13.3 Nm
MCV R1V (L1 L2 ) ((Ff mg g)L2 ) 111.1 (0.12 0.08) (321.9 8 9.81)0.08
9.81 Nm

The horizontal bending moments are calculated as:

MBH R1H L1 438.5 0.12 52.62 Nm
MCH R1H (L1 L2 ) (Ft L2 ) 438.5 0.2 884.4 0.08 158.5 Nm

The resultant bending moments are calculated as: Maximum Bending

MB (13.3)2 (52.62)2 54.27 Nm

MC (9.81)2 (158.5)2 158.8 Nm

Moment on Shaft

 Determining shaft diameter

Calculate the endurance stress limit

Check handouts for

the specific values of
factors

e ka kb kc kd ke k f k g e' 0.405 0.856 0.897 11 0.629 1 504 98.6 MPa

Calculate minimum diameter from the ASME equation:

32ns
d

M
3 T

4 y
e

1/3

32 2
3 84.9
158.8

6
6
98
.
6

10
4
770

10

0.032 m
2

1/3

Choose standard diameter of 35 mm