COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

TERM PAPER ON:

SHAFT DESIGN
BY
ABIOYE GBOLAHAN 20181693
ADEBAMBO MAYOWA SAMUEL 20181694
ADEBOYE MATTHEW TOSIN 20181696
ADEFILA RIVHARD ABIMBOLA 20181698
ADEMOROTI ADEDAYO JOHN 20181699
ADEWUNMI VICTOR ADESHINA 20181701
ADEYEMO SHERIFF ADETUNJI 20181702
AGBENI PRECIOUS OLUWANIFEMI 20181703

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 ABSTRACT
Shaft is a critical and standard component which is used normally in all kind of
industries for power and motion transmission. In real industrial field, different kind of
shafts are used as per functional requirements. This term paper covers the design,
types materials used in design, the factors to consider when carrying out a design,
manufacturing of shaft properties of materials, standard shaft sizes.

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SHAFT DESIGN
A shaft is the component of a mechanical device that transmits rotational motion and
power. It provides the axis of rotation, or oscillation, of elements such as gears, pulleys,
flywheels, cranks, sprockets, and the like and controls the geometry of their motion.
A shaft is of a circular cross-section, it can be a hollow or solid. The shaft is supported
on bearings and it rotates a set of gears or pulleys for the purpose of power
transmission. The shaft is generally acted upon by bending moment, torsion and axial
force. Design of shaft primarily involves in determining stresses at critical point in the
shaft that is arising due to aforementioned loading. Other two similar forms of a shaft
are axle and spindle.
It is integral to any mechanical system in which power is transmitted from a prime
mover, such as an electric motor or an engine, to other rotating parts of the system.
Various members are mounted on the shaft by means of keys or spline
AXLE AND SPLINDLE
An axle, though similar in shape to the shaft, is a stationary machine element and is
used for the transmission of bending moment only. It simply acts as a support for
rotating wheels and pulleys; some rotating body such as hoisting drum, a car wheel or a
rope sheave.
Note: An automotive axle is not a true axle.
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.

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Mechanical properties of steels used for shafts
Indian standard Ultimate tensile strength, Yield strength, Mpa
designation Mpa
40 C 8 560 – 670 320
45 C 8 610 – 700 350
50 C 4 640 – 760 370
50 C 12 700 Min 390

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.
TYPES OF SHAFT
The following two types of shafts are important from the subject point of view:
1. Transmission Shaft 2. Machine Shaft
1. Transmission shafts. These shafts transmit power between the source and the
machines absorbing power. The counter shafts, line shafts, overhead shafts and all
factory shafts are transmission shafts. Since these shafts carry machine parts such as
pulleys, gears etc., therefore they are subjected to bending in addition to twisting.
2. Machine shafts. These shafts form an integral part of the machine itself. The crank
shaft is an example of machine shaft.
In The Design of a Shaft the Following Should Be Taken Into Consideration
1. Size and Spacing Component
2. Material Selection, Material Treatment
3. Deflection and rigidity
- Bending Deflection
- Torsional Deflection
- Slope Of Bearings
- Shear Deflection
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4. Stress and Strength
- Static Strength
- Fatigue
- Reliability
5. Frequency Response
6. Manufacturing Constraint

GENERAL PRINCIPLE FOR SHAFT DESIGN

1. Keep shaft as short as possible with the bearing close to the applied load as this will
reduce the shaft deflection and bending moment and will at the same time increase
critical speed.
2. If possible locate stress raisers away from highly stressed region of the shaft.
3. If weight is critical use hollow shaft.
STRESSES IN SHAFT
The following stresses are induced in the shaft
1. Shear stress 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
element
3. Stresses due to combined torsional load and bending load.

DESIGN OF SHAFTS
The shafts may be designed on the basis of
1. Strength, and 2. Rigidity and stiffness.
In designing shafts on the basis of strength, the following cases may be considered:
(a) Shafts subjected to twisting moment or torque only,
(b) Shafts subjected to bending moment only,

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(c) Shafts subjected to combined twisting and bending moments, and
(d) Shafts subjected to axial loads in addition to combined torsional and bending loads

SHAFTS SUBJECTED TO TWISTING MOMENT ONLY

When the shaft is subjected to a twisting moment (or torque) only, then the diameter of
the shaft may be obtained by using the torsion equation. We know that

T τ
=
J r

Where,
T = Twisting moment (or torque) acting upon the shaft,
J = Polar moment of inertia of the shaft about the axis of rotation,
τ = Torsional shear stress, and
r = Distance from neutral axis to the outer most fibre
= d / 2; where d is the diameter of the shaft.
We know that for round solid shaft, polar moment of inertia,

The equation may now be written as

Therefore,

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 3 16T
d=
τπ
From this equation, we may determine the diameter of round solid shaft (d).
We also know that for hollow shaft, polar moment of inertia,

Where,
do and di = Outside and inside diameter of the shaft, and r = do / 2.
Substituting these values in equation, we have

Let
k = Ratio of inside diameter and outside diameter of the shaft
= di / do
Now the equation (iii) may be written as

From the equations, the outside and inside diameter of a hollow shaft may be
determined.

Shafts Subjected to Bending Moment Only

When the shaft is subjected to a bending moment only, then the maximum stress
(tensile or compressive) is given by the bending equation. We know that,

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Where,
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 fibre.

We know that for a round solid shaft, moment of inertia,

Substituting these values in equation (i), we have

From this equation, diameter of the solid shaft (d) may be obtained.
We also know that for a hollow shaft, moment of inertia,

Again substituting these values in equation (i), we have

From this equation, the outside diameter of the shaft (do) may be obtained.

Shafts Subjected to Combined Twisting Moment and Bending Moment

When the shaft is subjected to combined twisting moment and bending moment, then

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the shaft must be designed on the basis of the two moments simultaneously. Various
theories have been suggested to account for the elastic failure of the materials when
they are subjected to various types of combined stresses. The following two theories
are important from the subject point of view:
1. Maximum shear stress theory or Guest's theory. It is used for ductile materials such
as mild steel.
2. Maximum normal stress theory or Rankine’s theory. It is used for brittle materials
such as cast iron.
Let
τ = Shear stress induced due to twisting moment, and

σb = Bending stress (tensile or compressive) induced due to bending moment.

According to maximum shear stress theory, the maximum shear stress in the shaft,

Substituting the values of τ and σb

The expression is known as equivalent twisting moment and is denoted by

Te. The equivalent twisting moment may be defined as that twisting moment, which
when acting alone,produces the same shear stress (τ) as the actual twisting moment.
By limiting the maximum shear stress (τmax) equal to the allowable shear stress (τ) for
the material, the equation (i) may be written as

From this expression, diameter of the shaft (d) may be evaluated.

Now according to maximum normal stress theory, the maximum normal stress in the

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shaft,

Shafts Subjected to Fluctuating Loads

In order to design shafts undergoing fluctuating load like line shafts and counter shafts,
the combined shock and fatigue factors must be taken into account for the computed
twisting moment (T ) and bending moment (M ).
Thus for a shaft subjected to combined bending and torsion, the equivalent twisting
moment,

and equivalent bending moment,

where
Km = Combined shock and fatigue factor for bending, and
Kt = Combined shock and fatigue factor for torsion.
The following table shows the recommended values for Km and Kt
Nature of load km kt
1. stationary shafts
(a) gradually applied load 1.0 1.0

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 (b) suddenly applied load 1.5 to 2.0 1.5 to 2.0
2. rotational shafts
(a) gradually or steady 1.5 1.0
load 1.5 to 2.0 1.5 to 2.0
(b) suddenly applied
load with minor shocks 2.0 to 3.0 1.5 to 3.0
only
(c) suddenly applied load
with heavy shocks

Shaft Layout
The general layout of a shaft to accommodate shaft elements, e.g., gears, bearings, and
pulleys, must be specified early in the design process in order to perform a free body
force analysis and to obtain shear-moment diagrams. The geometry of a shaft is
generally that of a stepped cylinder. The use of shaft shoulders is an excellent means of
axially locating the shaft elements and to carry any thrust loads.

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A vertical worm-gear speed reducer. (Courtesy of the Cleveland Gear Company.)
(a) Choose a shaft configuration to support and locate the two gears and two bearings.

(b) Solution uses an integral pinion, three shaft shoulders, key and keyway, and sleeve.
The housing locates the bearings on their outer rings and receives the thrust loads.

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(c) Choose fan-shaft configuration.

(d) Solution uses sleeve bearings, a straight through shaft, locating collars, and
setscrews for collars, fan pulley, and fan itself. The fan housing supports the sleeve
bearings.

The geometric configuration of a shaft to be designed is often simply a revision of

existing models in which a limited number of changes must be made. If there is no
existing design to use as a starter, then the determination of the shaft layout may have
many solutions.

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Providing for Torque Transmission
Most shafts serve to transmit torque from an input gear or pulley, through the shaft, to
an output gear or pulley. Of course, the shaft itself must be sized to support the
torsional stress and torsional deflection. It is also necessary to provide a means of
transmitting the torque between the shaft and the gears. Common torque-transfer
elements are:
 Keys
 Splines
 Pins
 Press or shrink fits
 Tapered fits
 Setscrews
In addition to transmitting the torque, many of these devices are designed to fail if the
torque exceeds acceptable operating limits, protecting more expensive components.

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 CONCLUSION
Shaft Design Plays A Vital In Various Mechanical Systems. Shafts Are Used to Transmit
Power and Rotational Motion between Different Components, Such as pulleys, gears,
and sprockets. The design of a shaft involves considerations such as material selection,
diameter, length, and the presence of keyways and splines. It is important to ensure that
the shaft is strong enough to withstand the applied loads and torsional forces. In
addition, factors like alignment, lubrication and balancing are also important for optimal
shaft performance. Overall, a well-designed shaft is essential for the smooth and
efficient operation of a mechanical systems.

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 REFERENCE
1. Shigley’s mechanical engineering design, ninth edition, Richard G. Bodynas and j.
Keith Nisbett Copyright © 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
ISBN 978–0–07–352928–8 MHID 0–07–352928–1
2. MACHINE DESIGN, R.S. KHURMI J.K. GUPTA, 2005, EURASIA PUBLISHING HOUSE
(PVT.) LTD. RAM NAGAR, NEW DELHI-110 055
3. Sharma, C.S. and Purohit Kamalesh, Design of Machine Elements, Prentice Hall of
India, New Delhi, 2003.

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