Design Of Drive Shaft Research Articles

An Excel‐based approach for designing stepped driveshafts for mobility devices and a study of its use in a design of machine elements course

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to describe a new MS Excel‐based approach for designing driveshafts for stiffness and fatigue strength. We analyze the efficacy of the approach in engaging students in an iterative design process and higher‐level qualitative decision‐making activities in an undergraduate class at Texas A&M University. Compared to conventional fixed cross‐section frames and trusses, there are few tools (barring Finite Element Packages) that facilitate rapid design evaluations of stepped shafts. The approach is based on a novel use of singularity functions to obtain explicit solutions for stepped shafts under concentrated loads. This approach allows for relatively easy implementation into Excel without the need for any numerical integration or other forms of approximation. Currently, the tedious calculations involved in the design of stepped shafts prevent instructors from exploring iterative changes in driveshaft design. The Excel tool that we have developed allows instructors and students to focus on iterative decision‐making. With this tool, open‐ended design questions are assigned even in exams since the entire iterative process takes less than 15–20 min. Student surveys and analysis of exam answers reveal that students have gained a considerable capability to make design decisions. They also indicate areas where improvement in design thinking is needed.

Nonuniformity of Isometric Properties of Automotive Driveshafts

This paper presents an analysis of the CVJ (constant velocity joint) of automotive driveshafts from a point of view concerning the nonuniformity of isometric properties. In the automotive industry, driveshafts are considered to have constant velocity through its joints: free tripode joints and fixed ball joints, which has been proved by Mtzner’s indirect method and Orain’s direct method for tripod joint. Based on vectorial mechanics, the paper proved the quasi-isometry of velocity for polypod joints such as fixed ball joints. In the meantime, it was computed that the global nonuniformity of constant velocity joints for modern driveshafts based on the Dudita-Diaconescu homokinetic approach for the driveshafts. The nonuniformity of the velocity isometry of driveshafts was computed as a function of the input angular velocity of the driveshaft, angular inclination between the tripod–tulip axis and the midshaft axis and the angular inclination between the bowl axis and midshaft axis. The main aim of this article is how to improve the geometric and kinematic approach to add an important correction when designing the driveshaft dynamics prediction such as: forced torsional vibrations, forced bending–shearing vibrations, and coupled torsional–bending vibrations for the automotive driveshaft in the regions of specific resonances such as principal parametric resonance, internal resonance, combined resonance, and simultaneous resonances. By the way it is added, there are important corrections for the design of driveshafts, for the torsional dynamic behavior prediction, and for bending–shearing dynamic behavior of the driveshafts in the early stages of design. The results presented in the article represent a starting point for future research on dynamic phenomena in the area mentioned previously.

A Multi-Scale Method for Designing Hybrid Fiber-Reinforced Composite Drive Shafts with Carbon Nanotube Inclusions

In this paper, the modal and linear buckling analysis of a laminated composite drive shaft reinforced by 11 multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was carried out using an analytical approach, as well as the finite element method (FEM). The theoretical model is based on classical laminated theory (CLT). The fundamental frequency and the critical buckling torque were determined for different fiber orientation angles. The Halpin–Tsai model was employed to calculate the elastic modulus of composites having randomly oriented nanotubes. The effect of various carbon nanotube (CNT) volume fractions in the epoxy resin matrix on the material properties of unidirectional composite laminas was also analyzed. The fundamental frequency and the critical buckling torque obtained by the finite element analysis and the analytical method for different fiber orientation angles were in good agreement with each other. The results were verified with data available in the open literature, where possible. For the first time in the literature, the influence of CNT fillers on various composite drive shaft design parameters such as the fundamental frequency, critical speed, and critical buckling torque of a hybrid fiber-reinforced composite drive shaft is finally predicted.

Structural Analysis of Yoke Part in Design of Driveshaft

Driveshaft used for transmitting torque and rotation, is one of the most important components in motor vehicles. It is required to connect the other components of the drivetrain such as transmission and differential to each other. Basically, comprises of one or more universal joints, yoke parts, splined parts and sometime center support bearing. Each compo-nent on it performs different functions such as angular and axial move-ment. Every component on driveshaft are subjected to torsion and shear stress. Thus, in the design and analysis processes each component should be sufficiently strong against to these all. In this study, numerical and an-alytical methods to design the weld yoke, were investigated and com-pared with each other. In the numerical studies finite element analysis (FEA) implemented by using two different loading conditions, force cou-ple and moment. And the strength formulas were used in the scope of an-alytical method. As a result of the study, the stress on critical section ob-tained from FEA, supports the results from analytical method. Thus, ana-lytical method can be used for the weld yoke design and the FEA can be implemented by using any of force couple or moment as loading type.

Analysis and optimization for generated axial force of a drive-shaft system with interval uncertainty

In the design of a drive-shaft system, the magnitude of the generated axial force (GAF) by the tripod joint constitutes an important design goal. Owing to the uncertainties associated with the drive-shaft system operating environment, and dimensional and material parameters, the GAF exhibits considerable uncertainty. In this study, a comprehensive model of a drive-shaft system is formulated together with interval uncertainties using Chebyshev polynomials for an accurate and efficient analysis of the GAF. The input torque, the articulation angle, the angular position of the drive-shaft, the pitch circle radius (PCR) of the tripod joint, and the friction coefficient between the rollers and the tracks that affect the GAF are taken as interval variables. The upper and lower bounds (ULB) of the proposed GAF model are subsequently established considering the interval uncertainty parameters using the vertex method, so as to assess the influence of GAF on the drive-shaft system response. The results suggest that the vertex method is far more computationally efficient and accurate for establishing the ULB of the GAF compared with the Monte Carlo method. The proposed model together with the vertex method is used to identify favorable drive-shaft design parameters through minimization of the upper bound (UB) response considering the uncertainty of the design and operating parameters. The effectiveness of the proposed method for the analysis and optimization of the interval uncertainty of the GAF is demonstrated through numerical examples and experiments. It is concluded that the interval uncertainty analyses and design optimization are essential in order to ensure that the UB of the GAF remains within the specification under interval uncertainties.

Failure and root cause analysis of vehicle drive shaft

This paper investigates the failure mode and root cause of drive shaft failure in a vehicle through examination of the macroscopic and microscopic morphologies of the fracture surface, the chemical composition, metallographic analysis, and mechanical properties of the material, and theoretical finite element calculations of the drive shaft. The results show that fatigue was the dominant mechanism of drive shaft failure due to obvious benchmarks on the fracture surfaces. Fatigue cracks initiated from the root fillet region of the spline gear. The absence of material defects in this region indicates that the main cause of fatigue cracks is attributable to a high stress concentration owing to the small geometrical dimensions of the root fillet. Meanwhile, the poor quality of the root fillet due to relatively high manufacturing tolerances also produces a higher stress concentration, and thus accelerates crack initiation and propagation. Furthermore, all the fatigue fractures occur on the right splines owing to higher stress amplitudes at this location. Improper stiffness matching between the left and right smooth shafts, which results in a larger torque transmitted to the right spline, is the root cause of the drive shaft failure. These results indicate that re-evaluating drive shaft design to ensure an equal stiffness between the two smooth shaft sections is recommended for a longer service life.

Composite driveshaft prototype design and survivability testing

Rotorcraft drivelines typically utilize a multi-segmented metallic system to transmit power between the engine and tail rotor. The typical arrangement of metal driveshaft segments, hanger bearings, and flexible couplers contribute to a significant logistical footprint, maintenance downtime, and life-cycle costs. Thus, an innovative flexible matrix composite driveshaft design alternative is presented in this paper, intended to simultaneously reduce the number of couplers and bearings, as well as, provide high fatigue strain capacity. Through reduction in number of parts, the maintenance cost and time as well as weight of the system are reduced. Composite driveshafts, representing those used in utility helicopters, were designed using an optimization process that considers: (1) damping-induced self-heating, (2) whirling stability, (3) torsional buckling stability, and (4) lamina strength. The paper provides a ballistic comparison study between a baseline carbon/epoxy composite and flexible carbon/polyurethane composite driveshaft segments. One driveshaft of each material was torsionally loaded to failure without ballistic impact. Additionally, two driveshafts were impacted obliquely at zero torque with 7.62 and 12.7 mm armor piercing/incendiary (API) rounds. After impact, the driveshafts were loaded in torsion to failure. Residual torsional strengths were 17–21% and 13% of un-impacted strengths for the 7.62 mm and 12.7 mm rounds, respectively. For the small sample size, flexible driveshafts had a marginally higher residual strength compared to the carbon/epoxy counterpart. Residual torsional stiffness values were 83–86% and 52–59% for the 7.62 mm and 12.7 mm rounds, respectively.

Viscoelastic characterization and self-heating behavior of laminated fiber composite driveshafts

The high cyclic strain capacity of fiber reinforced polymeric composites presents an opportunity to design driveshafts that can transmit high power under imperfect alignment conditions without the use of flexible couplers. In weight sensitive applications such as rotorcraft, the design of highly optimized driveshafts requires a general modeling capability that can predict a number of shaft performance characteristics—one of which is self-heating due to dynamic loading conditions. The current investigation developed three new flexible matrix composite materials of intermediate matrix modulus that, together with previously developed composites, cover the full range of material properties that are of potential interest in driveshaft design. An analytical model for the self-heating of spinning, misaligned, laminated composite shafts was refined to suit the full range of materials. Inputs to the model include ply-level dynamic material properties of the composite, cyclic strain amplitude and frequency, and various heat transfer constants related to conduction, radiation, and convection. Predictions of the surface temperature of spinning shafts correspond well with experimental measurements for bending strains of up to 2000 με, which encompasses the range of strains expected in rotorcraft driveshaft applications.

Multistep Optimization of Composite Drive Shaft Subject to Strength, Buckling, Vibration and Manufacturing Constraints

Composite drive shafts are extensively used in automotive and aeronautical applications due to lightweight combined with exceptional strength and stiffness. Complexity of the drive shaft design problem associated with the need to determine rational values for multiple parameters characterizing composite material (fiber orientation angles, stacking sequence and ply thicknesses), as well as with the fact that multiple conflicting design constraints should be considered simultaneously. In this paper we approach this problem considering carbon/epoxy drive shaft design as a multistep optimization process. It includes the following steps: 1) determination of fiber orientation angles and laminate stacking sequence based on analysis of loading conditions and analytical expressions predicting buckling load and minimal natural frequency of idealized drive shaft; 2) finding rational ply thicknesses using formal optimization procedure utilizing response surface approximations and gradient-based optimization algorithm; and 3) verification analysis of the optimized configuration with the use of nonlinear buckling analysis to ensure satisfaction of stability constraint.

Developing a hybrid, carbon/glass fiber-reinforced, epoxy composite automotive drive shaft

In this study, a finite element analysis was used to design composite drive shafts incorporating carbon and glass fibers within an epoxy matrix. A configuration of one layer of carbon–epoxy and three layers of glass–epoxy with 0°, 45° and 90° was used. The developed layers of structure consists of four layers stacked as [ + 45 glass ° / - 45 glass ° / 0 carbon ° / 90 glass ° ] . The results show that, in changing carbon fibers winding angle from 0° to 90°, the loss in the natural frequency of the shaft is 44.5%, while, shifting from the best to the worst stacking sequence, the drive shaft causes a loss of 46.07% in its buckling strength, which represents the major concern over shear strength in drive shaft design.

Experimental and finite element analyses of a sliding-tube-type driveshaft-induced vehicle vibration

Driveline noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) has become an integral attribute in defining how the vehicle NVH performance is perceived by the customers of the automotive industry. The driveshaft component design requirements need to make sure that the designed driveline system is robust and reliable in order to achieve the vehicle NVH targets. They also need to ensure that the system maintains its durability performance as well. A slip mechanism in the driveline system is needed to accommodate the movements caused by the rear axle and rear suspensions when the vehicle travels on a rough road or accelerates/ decelerates abruptly. One design option to accommodate the slip mechanism is to use a press-fitted sliding-tube design. This slip mechanism causes the fluctuation of the contact forces in the tubes, particularly in the vehicle coast down course, and becomes a non-linear contact force phenomenon. This paper uses experimental and finite element method linear tools to explain the non-linear behaviour of the sliding-tube driveshaft, and to provide design options to prevent vehicle vibration issues created by the current sliding-tube driveshaft design.

The evolution of the gear art : D. W. Dudley, American Gear Manufacturers Association, Washington, D.C., 1969; 93 pp., 26 cm.

This paper investigates the failure mode and root cause of drive shaft failure in a vehicle through examination of the macroscopic and microscopic morphologies of the fracture surface, the chemical composition, metallographic analysis, and mechanical properties of the material, and theoretical finite element calculations of the drive shaft. The results show that fatigue was the dominant mechanism of drive shaft failure due to obvious benchmarks on the fracture surfaces. Fatigue cracks initiated from the root fillet region of the spline gear. The absence of material defects in this region indicates that the main cause of fatigue cracks is attributable to a high stress concentration owing to the small geometrical dimensions of the root fillet. Meanwhile, the poor quality of the root fillet due to relatively high manufacturing tolerances also produces a higher stress concentration, and thus accelerates crack initiation and propagation. Furthermore, all the fatigue fractures occur on the right splines owing to higher stress amplitudes at this location. Improper stiffness matching between the left and right smooth shafts, which results in a larger torque transmitted to the right spline, is the root cause of the drive shaft failure. These results indicate that re-evaluating drive shaft design to ensure an equal stiffness between the two smooth shaft sections is recommended for a longer service life.