Analytical Computation of Multiple

Interference Fits under Elasto-Plastic

Deformations
Gerd Wachsmuth, Michael Ltzer and Erhard Leidich

August 8, 2013

Abstract
Multiple interference fits represent high friction-stressed shaft-hub connections.
High surface pressures together with thin-walled intermediate parts lead to high
stresses and showing strong tendencies to plastic deformations. Cylindrical inter-
ference fits and their elasto-plastic behaviour have been analysed in the literature.
However, in the case of multiple interference fits, these methods are not applicable.
In this paper, we derive a new calculation method for elasto-plastically deformed
multiple interference fits with hardening material. The analytical method is vali-
dated by the comparison of the determined stresses and displacements of several
test cases with the solutions of corresponding axisymmetric finite element models.

1 Introduction
A widespread type of shaft-hub connections are interference fits. Due to their versatile
capabilities they are often used to transfer large torsional moments. In many applications
it is sufficient to consider interference fits consisting of two parts. However, in some cases
multiple interference fits consisting of three or more rings have to be used, e.g., for
the connection of machine shafts with a hollow-shaft gearbox. In this case a multiple
interference fit with four parts is applied in order to connect both shafts due to a frictional
connection. In practice, shrink discs are used for such attachments, see RINGSPANN
[2009].
In order to transfer high torsional moments, one has to consider not only elastic de-
formations but also plastic deformations of the material. Unfortunately, the calculation
of an elasto-plastic stressed multiple interference fit is currently not possible without the
numerical solution of nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs). The aim of this
contribution is to derive a simple analytical method to compute the displacements and
stresses of an elasto-plastic multiple interference fit. Our method requires the solution of
a nonlinear system of equations, see Eq. (12), which is possible using Newtons method.
Note that this computation does involve the computation of definite integrals, see Eq. (9),

1
but avoids the solution of ordinary or partial differential equations. Note that some parts
of this work were published (in German) in an abbreviated form, see Leidich et al. [2010].

2 State of the scientific and technical knowledge

Multiple interference fits The computation of (multiple and ordinary) interference
fits is based on the equations of the theory of thick-walled pipe theory. The study of
thick-walled pipes was initially motivated by military applications and by the design of
containers for extrusion. Friedewald was one of the first who deals with equations to
compute the principal stresses and pressures as a function of the joint assembly sequence
for the elastic multiple interference fit, see Friedewald [1957]. Kienzle and Grning
determined the elastic stresses in extrusion containers experimentally and analytically.
Using photoelasticity, they studied the influences of geometric discontinuities and of
thermal stresses, see Kienzle and Grning [1961]. In Der SKF Druckl-Preverband
one finds a short explanation to compute a three-part multiple interference fit with a
thin-walled intermediate part by using the equations of a two-part interference fit, see
SKF [1990]. A method for short interference fits and three-part multiple interference
fits, which are exposed to a non-constant axial surface load and a temperature field, is
developed in Blok [2006].
None of these references deals with plastic deformations of multiple interference fits.
Up to our knowledge, there is no method allowing the analytical solution of multiple
interference fits if plastic deformations occur.

Interference fits The displacements and stresses of an elasto-plastic interference fit

with two rings can be computed without the numerical solution of partial differential
equations. All of the following methods rely on the computation of elasto-plastic thick-
walled pipes, which are loaded by either an outer or an inner pressure. Hence, these
methods are not applicable if plastic deformations occur in the intermediate parts of an
multiple interference fit, since they are loaded by an inner and an outer pressure.
Lundberg provided a basis for elastic and elasto-plastic interference fits by using the
von Mises yield criterion in order to determine the equivalent stresses and strains, see
Lundberg [1944]. Gammer and Lance published a method to compute an elasto-plastic
shrink fit by using the Tresca yield criterion combined with a linear elastic, perfectly plas-
tic or a linear elastic, linear hardening material behaviour, see Gammer and Lance [1982].
nz considered elasto-plastic interferences fit and developed an analytical method for
linear elastic, non-linear hardening material by using the Tresca yield criterion, see nz
[1983]. In 1983, Kollmann and nz developed a theory to compute elasto-plastic inter-
ference fits with a modified Trescas yield criterion assuming a linear elastic, perfectly
plastic material behaviour, see Kollmann and nz [1983]. Baldanzini developed a semi-
analytical approach using the von Mises criterion in order to determine the equivalent
stresses and strains in interference fits with an user defined material, see Baldanzini
[2004].

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3 Derivation of the analytical solution
Given the geometry of the interference fit (i.e., the radii and interferences) as well as the
outer and inner pressures, we want to compute the displacements of the rings and the
pressures in the joints. In the case where all rings are in the elastic regime, the solution
is well known and standard. Moreover, analytical solutions for the plastic behavior of
a single interference fit exists, see Section 2. We want to derive an analytical solution
for the plastic behavior of a multiple interference fit. To this end, we give an analytical
relation between the displacements of a single ring and the pressures acting on its inner
and outer surfaces, see Section 3.1. This relation is used in Section 3.2 to derive a
calculation method for a multiple interference fit.

Notation Let us introduce the notation. A multiple interference fit consists of n 2

rings. We denote the rings by (1), . . . , (n), see Figure 1. The radii of the rings are denoted
by r0 , . . . , rn , where r0 is the innermost and rn the outermost radius. Hence, the radii
of the joints are denoted by r1 , . . . , rn1 . All quantities that are associated with the ring

(3)
(2)
(1)

pi r0 r2 po
r1 r3

Figure 1: Multiple interference fit with n = 3 rings showing the radii rj , j = 0, . . . , 3,

the inner and outer pressures pi and po , and the numbers of the rings (j),
j = 1, 2, 3.

(j) are labeled by a superscript (j), i.e., the inner and outer radii of the ring (j) are
(j)
ri = rj1 and ro(j) = rj ,

respectively, see Figure 1. Similarly, the inner and outer pressures acting on the ring (j)
(j) (j) (j) (j)
are denoted by pi and po , and the displacements of (j) are denoted by ui and uo .
The rings are coupled by the displacements and the contact pressures in the joints. The
interference j in the joint j is given by
(j+1)
j = ui u(j)
o for all j = 1, . . . , n 1. (1)

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The case of a clearance fit in the joint j can be modelled by j < 0. The contact pressure
in the joint j is denoted by pj , j = 1, . . . , n 1. Moreover, the multiple interference fit
is subject to an inner pressure pi and an outer pressure po . It is convenient to use the
notations p0 = pi and pn = po .

3.1 The elasto-plastic ring

In this section we derive an analytical solution for the deformations and stresses of an
elasto-plastic ring. For simplicity, we omit the superscript (j). We use the following
assumptions in order to derive an analytical relationship between the displacements ui ,
uo and the pressures pi , po :

(i) the setting is axisymmetric,

(ii) no axial stress at the outer radius r = ro , i.e., z (ro ) = 0,

(iii) elastic behaviour at the outer radius r = ro with Youngs modulus E and Poissons
ratio ,

(iv) the volume change is independent of r, i.e., r + + z = const,

(v) there is no warping of the cross-section, i.e., z = const,

(vi) we use the von Mises criterion to determine the equivalent stresses and strains,

(vii) there are no shear stresses and strains, i.e.,

r = rz = z = 0,
r = rz = z = 0,

(viii) we use the model of Hencky (static) plasticity, i.e., there is a function f : R+ R+
such that eq = f (eq ), see Figure 2,

(ix) there are no volume forces.

In the sequel, we derive a relationship between the displacements (ui , uo ) and the pres-
sures (pi , po ) = (r (ri ), r (ro )). To this end, we assume that the displacements (ui , uo )
are known and we derive a formula of the pressures (pi , po ) in terms of the displacements.
Using assumptions (iv) and (v), we have

ur (r) ur (r) 1
const = r (r) + (r) = + = (r ur (r)).
r r r r
Integrating yields
C2
ur (r) = C1 r + . (2)
r
Using
ur (ri ) = ui and ur (ro ) = uo ,

4
 eq

f (eq )

0 eq

Figure 2: Stress-strain curve eq = f (eq ).

the constants C1 and C2 are given as the solutions of the linear system
C2 C2
ui = ur (ri ) = C1 ri + , uo = ur (ro ) = C1 ro + .
ri ro
Consequently, we obtain the radial and tangential strains
C2 C2
r (r) = C1 and (r) = C1 + , (3)
r2 r2
respectively. Using z (ro ) = 0 by assumption (ii) and the equations of the elastic regime
at the outer radius r = ro , we obtain
E  
0 = z (ro ) = r (ro ) + (ro ) + (1 ) z (ro ) .
(1 + ) (1 2 )

Since the strains r and are known by (3), we have

2
z (r) = C1 . (4)
1
Now, the equivalent strain eq is given by

2
2
2
2 1/2
eq (r) = r (r) (r) + r (r) z (r) + (r) z (r) . (5)
3
Using assumption (viii) we obtain the equivalent stress

eq (r) = f (eq (r)). (6)

In the model of Hencky plasticity the variable shear modulus is given by, see [Szab,
2000, 16.5c)],
eq (r)
(r) = . (7)
3 eq (r)

5
Consequently, the stress-strain relations imply

r (r) (r) = (r) (r (r) (r)). (8)

By the equilibrium of stresses we infer

r 1 1
(r) = ( (r) r (r)) = (r) ( (r) r (r)).
r r r
Integration over [r, ro ] yields
ro
1
Z
r (r) = r (ro ) (s) ( (s) r (s)) ds. (9)
r r
The unknown stress r (ro ) can be determined by using assumptions (ii) and (iii). The
equations of the elastic regime at the outer radius r = ro and z (ro ) = 0 imply
E
r (ro ) = r (ro ) z (ro ) = (r (ro ) z (ro )). (10)
1+
Now, the pressures pi and po in dependence of the displacements ui and uo are given by

pi = pi (ui , uo ) = r (ri ) and po = po (ui , uo ) = r (ro ), (11)

where r (ri ) and r (ro ) are determined by (9) and (10), respectively. Note that the
evaluation of pi and po does not require the solution of any differential equation, only
the integral in (9) has to be computed (numerically).

3.2 Multiple Interference Fit

In this section we explain, how the results of the previous section for a single ring can
be used to calculate the pressures and displacements in the entire multiple interference
fit. Let us assume that the inner and outer pressures of the multiple interference fit
pi and po as well as the interferences j for each joint j, j = 1, . . . , n 1 are given.
Similar considerations can be done if for some joints the desired pressures pj instead
of the interferences j are given. In the previous section we derived a formula for the
(j) (j) (j) (j)
pressures pi and po in dependence of the displacements ui and uo , for all rings (j),
j = 1, . . . , n. Together with the coupling condition (1), we obtain the nonlinear system
of equations
(j) (j)

pi (ui , u(j)
o ) = pj1 for j = 1, . . . , n,


(j) (j) (j) (12)
po (ui , uo ) = pj for j = 1, . . . , n,

(j+1)

ui u(j)
o = j for j = 1, . . . , n 1,

(j) (j)
for the unknowns ui , uo , j = 1, . . . , n and pj , j = 1, . . . , n 1. Note that the inner
pressure p0 = pi and the outer pressure pn = po are given. Hence, we arrived at a
nonlinear system with 3 n 1 equations and 3 n 1 unknowns. This system of nonlinear
equations can be solved by Newtons method. The solution of the system (12) yields the

6
 (j) (j)
displacements ui , uo , j = 1, . . . , n. By using (8) and (9) the stresses r and can
be evaluated. Using arguments similar to those leading to (9), a formula for the axial
stresses z can be derived. Let us briefly highlight the changes which are necessary in
case of a solid shaft, i.e. r0 = 0. In this case the inner pressure p0 = pi is unknown, but
(i)
the inner displacement of the solid shaft ui is zero due to continuity considerations, i.e.,
(1) (1)
ui = 0. Hence, the known inner displacement ui has to be replaced by the unknown
inner pressure pi = p0 . The number of unknowns remain 3 n 1.

4 The finite element model

To validate our analytical method we use the finite element software Abaqus/CAE 6.8-2.
The validation process was divided into four steps. These steps differ in the number of
joints, in the size of the radii and interferences and in the material model of the rings:
(i) finite element model of a standard interference fit with elastic behaviour,

(ii) finite element model of a standard interference fit with elasto-plastic behaviour,

(iii) finite element model of a multiple interference fit with elastic behaviour,

(iv) finite element model of a multiple interference fit with elasto-plastic behaviour.
Each step include several test cases. These test cases differ in the size of the radii, inter-
ferences and in the materials of the rings. Due to the rotational symmetry of a multiple
interference fit, it is sufficient to consider a axisymmetric two-dimensional model. The in-
terferences (resp. clearance fit) in the joints are modelled using the function interference
fit of Abaqus.
In practice, the clearance fit (modelled as a negative interference) is necessary for the
assembly of two shafts (e.g. one solid and one hollow or two hollow). To realize the
positive interference, one uses a shrink disc which includes a taper interference fit. In the
practical assembly as well as in the finite element model, the interference between the
two outer shafts is gradually increased by the shrink disc. This will cause the clearance
fit (between the inner rings) to be closed once the interference (between the outer rings)
is large enough. In contrast, the assembly in the analytical model is considered to happen
simultaneously, since we are using the material law of Hencky (static) plasticity.
Figure 3 shows the finite element model of the multiple interference fit with boundary
conditions.

5 Comparison with a numerical model

The test cases. Table 1 shows six particular test cases of multiple interference fits
consisting of three rings with elasto-plastic behaviour. Note that the clearance which is
present in the inner joint (1 < 0) is closed during assembly by the interference (2 > 0)
in the outer joint. In all examples, we used a clearance fit in the inner joint since such
interference fits are common in practice. For the test cases two materials with different

7
 Figure 3: Finite element model of the multiple interference fit.

stress-strain curves are used. In the test Cases 1 and 3 we consider a tempering steel
material 1, whereas the construction steel material 2 is used in Case 2. The test cases
k.1, k = 1, 2, 3, are similar to the test cases k. They do not show a qualitatively different
behaviour.
The material parameters are
( (
949 MPa, 1.95 105 MPa for material 1,
= 0.3, yield stress = and E =
432 MPa, 2.06 105 MPa for material 2.

The function f , which describes the stress-strain curve, see assumption (viii) and
Figure 2, is obtained by a static tensile test. These stress-strain curves are shown in
Figure 4.

Results. The distributions of the stresses r , and eq are shown in Figure 5 and
Figure 6 for Case 2 and Case 3, respectively. In test Case 2 plastic deformations occur
in the thin-walled intermediate part. In Case 3, plastic deformations occur in the inner
and outer rings of the multiple interference fit, whereas the middle ring is elastically
deformed. The analytically and numerically obtained stresses are almost identical. In
particular the radial stresses at the joints (i.e. the joint pressure) match very well. The
relative errors in the radius of the zone of plasticity stay below 2% and the relative errors
in the stresses stay below 3%. However, large relative errors occur in the axial stresses
in the zone of plasticity. This is shown in Figure 7. In this figure we have detailed the
zone of plasticity in the outer ring. The radial displacements for Case 3 are shown in

8
 Figure 4: Stress-strain curves of the used materials.

Figure 5: Analytically (, + and 3) and numerically (solid lines) determined distributions

of the stresses for Case 2 of Table 1.

9
Figure 6: Analytically (, + and 3) and numerically (solid lines) determined distributions
of the stresses for Case 3 of Table 1.

Figure 7: Analytically ( and 4) and numerically (solid line) determined distributions of

the axial and radial stresses for Case 3 of Table 1.

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 Radii of the rings Interferences
r0 r1 r2 r3 1 2
Name [mm] [mm] [mm] [mm] [m] [m]
Case 1 0 18 20 40 -25 420
Case 1.1 0 18 22.5 45 -25 473
Case 2 0 36 40 80 -122 300
Case 2.1 0 36 45 112.5 -130 320
Case 3 18.0 36 40 80 -60 740
Case 3.1 25.25 36 40 80 -50 620

Table 1: Parameters for six elasto-plastic stress three-part multiple interference fits, cf.
Figure 1.

Figure 8. Similar to the stresses, only small differences between the numerical and the
analytical solution occur. The relative errors for the displacements stay below 1%.

6 Conclusions
Using the analytical solution for multiple interference fits given in Section 3, it is possible
to compute an elasto-plastic deformed multiple interference fit without solving (nonlin-
ear) PDEs. The analytical method requires the solution of a nonlinear system of equa-
tions, which can be done using Newtons method. The analytical method is validated by
a comparison of the determined stresses and displacements of several test cases with the
solutions of corresponding axisymmetric FE model. Up to the axial stresses, the relative
errors in the stresses and displacements stay below 3%.
The analytical solution presented in this paper is one ingredient to calculate complex
shaft-hub connections or shrink discs, see RINGSPANN [2009], if plastic deformations
are present. Up to now, one has to solve the associated PDEs numerically in order to
compute a multiple interference fit under plastic deformations. Using our method, one
could avoid the computationally expensive solution of PDEs, see, e.g., the comparison in
Leidich and Ltzer [2011].

Acknowledgement
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support by AiF (German Federation of
Industrial Research Associations) and by FVA (Research Association for Drive Technol-
ogy).

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11
Figure 8: Analytically () and numerically (solid line) determined radial displacement
for Case 3 of Table 1 in dependence of the radius r.

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