What is Shaft: Definition and 389 Discussions

A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power and torque and rotation, usually used to connect other components of a drivetrain that cannot be connected directly because of distance or the need to allow for relative movement between them.
As torque carriers, drive shafts are subject to torsion and shear stress, equivalent to the difference between the input torque and the load. They must therefore be strong enough to bear the stress, while avoiding too much additional weight as that would in turn increase their inertia.
To allow for variations in the alignment and distance between the driving and driven components, drive shafts frequently incorporate one or more universal joints, jaw couplings, or rag joints, and sometimes a splined joint or prismatic joint.

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  1. Z

    Reaction forces due to imbalance of a shaft

    Homework Statement The shaft carries two particles of mass m, and rotates about the z-axis with the constant angular velocity ##\omega##. Determine the x- and y-component of the bearing due to imbalance. The Attempt at a Solution Rotation only around the ##z-##axis so ##\omega _{x}=\omega...
  2. D

    Torque required to drive shaft

    Hi, I'm trying to choose the right motor for a test rig I've built. I have a shaft attached to a cylinder that weighs 6kg, and I need to know how much torque would the motor I'm getting need to be able to produce in order to rotate the cylinder at 100RPM. My attempt: Torque = Force x r...
  3. M

    Ball rotates around a shaft by two cords

    1. Homework Statement A 1.0kg ball is attached to a vertical rod by two strings. Each string is 1.0m long, and they are attached to the rod a distance of 1.0m apart. The rod-ball-strings setup is rotating about the axis of the rod. As it rotates the strings are taut and form an equilateral...
  4. G

    Torque on the Drive Shaft of a Screw Conveyor

    My work has a drive shaft that has been breaking on a U-trough screw conveyor. I am looking for some helpful equations to find the torque on the shaft so I can accurately model and optimize the shaft in SolidWorks.
  5. A

    Simple supported round shaft deflection

    Hello. I'm looking for the deflections of a 1.938" dia. steel shaft at different lengths. Supported in bearings at both ends. 150lbs. per foot of length, with all of the weight in the center of the rod. I.E. how much does the rod deflect of there is 450lbs. pushing down between 36"... I'm...
  6. I

    Synchronization of a camera with a rotating shaft

    I wish to synchronize a thermal camera FLIR A300/600 with a test section on a rotating shaft such that whenever the section becomes orthogonal to the line of sight of the camera, an image is clicked by it automatically. The camera uses a TTL pulse input. Being a mechanical engineer, I have...
  7. A

    Can a Misaligned Shaft Affect Bearing Performance?

    Hello, I want to ask if the shaft is mounted on bearings, it is possible that the shaft can misalignment? Since the bearings have "free angle of misalignment". As such it then misalignment determine or calculate? For every answer thank you in advance.
  8. N

    Viscous Drag on a spinning shaft

    I am designing a test rig for my company to test seals. What i have is a shaft spinning in a fluid column that is pressurized to 30 bar. The shaft is spun by a motor and i am currently trying to figure out what motor i should select. The fluid is a C4 SAE 30 Oil, quite viscous actually. My...
  9. J

    How to Optimize a Multi-Diameter Shaft with Varied Components in MATLAB?

    How would you go about designing a shaft with 2 bearings, 2 gears, and the shaft has various diameters (d1, d2, d3)? You know how much power needs to be transferred from one gear to another, the distance between both of the gears, the minimum allowed distance between gear and bearing centers...
  10. A

    Simple max shaft torque calculation

    Hello. I'm trying to add a mechanical (pneumatic or electrical) brake to a shaft. I have a 2" diameter shaft rotating at 8 rpm's max. The shaft has and 60" diameter, 6500lb. cylinder attached to it axially. How do I calculate the maximum torque of the shaft? Thanks in advance, Frank
  11. Lksllks

    Landis crank shaft grinding machine

    :cry: is there anybody know about the landis crankshaft machine! I got a knotty problem! Please help!
  12. M

    Intrinsic critical speed of a steel circular shaft

    Homework Statement Determine the intrinsic first critical speed of a circular steel shaft supported by two bearings E=207GPa How can i determine it I'm very confused about this question , you can see the question at the attachment. Thanks for the help
  13. M

    Yet more Trig. (Mine shaft angle of inclination.)

    Homework Statement A mine shaft is 320 m in length and descends 74 meters. Find the angle of inclination. Homework Equations sin=opp/adj The Attempt at a Solution inverse sine=42/320 inverse sine*.231=13.37 degrees. The answer seems conceivable.
  14. I

    Hollow shaft power transmission

    Hello all this is my first post so i hope i can give you the relevant data in the correct format, also thank you for any assistance :) I am to find the OD of a hollow shaft when the shafts ID is 0.75 of the OD dimension, the shaft transmits 3MW at 200Rpm. The Shear stress max is 55 MN/m2 and...
  15. 1

    Find Max Torque Using Smaller Rad of Shaft

    Homework Statement The question wants me to find the maximum torque. I do not understand why the solution uses the radius of the smaller part of the shaft rather than the radius of the thicker part of the shaft. Please see the attached image. Homework Equations shear stress = (max...
  16. C

    Assemble shrink fit with a big shaft ∅203 mm?

    Assemble "shrink fit" with a big shaft ∅203 mm? Dear all, Just a short question that is it possible to contract the shaft in liquid nitrogen and heat up the hub around 300°C so that we can assemble them together quickly? We are delivering a prototype to our customer with a tight requirement...
  17. D

    Mechanical Nuclear coolant pumps built on turbine to generator shaft?

    Hello, I'm new to this board. I have a engineering question about the coolant pumps used to maintain reactors. I have been studying the basics of a PWR. I notice the pumps are fed mostly by electricity. While I see the logic and efficiency of that..I am left wondering why the space on...
  18. J

    What Is the Maximum Speed of a Hollow Shaft Given Specific Shear Stress Limits?

    Homework Statement A hollow shaft has an internal diameter of 72 mm and wall thickness of 24mm is to be used to transmit a power of 90 kW. what would be the maximum speed of shaft rotation if the shear stress must not exceed 150 MPa ?? Homework Equations...
  19. M

    Rod attached to rotating vertical shaft

    1. Homework Statement This is my first time posting on Physics Forums. I would appreciate your help with a question I'm doing in preparation for the CAP university prize exam in February. The following question is from the 1996 CAP exam. Rod attached by frictionless pin to vertical...
  20. K

    Rotating and stationary shaft need to be engaged without slip

    Hi guys, So here's one thing which I want to design and this thing involves a flywheel rotating at about 1000 rpm. I need to transfer this energy to another shaft which is stationary with a mechanism. The mechanism has to be actuated for only a second, and then disengaged. During engagement...
  21. L

    How Do You Calculate the Required Mass and Position to Balance a Rotating Shaft?

    Homework Statement A shaft rotates at 1500rpm between 2 bearings, Ra and Rb. Ra force is 5 Kn and Rb is 3 Kn. A single mass is to be used to balance the shaft, to give reactions of zero. Mass to be placed at 90 degrees to shaft and at 200 mm radius. What is the required mass and position...
  22. A

    Torsional stress on a shaft

    Hi there, I'm trying to find a solution to a problem that I thought was straight forward, but am now struggling with. I've got a shaft with a fixed end set up, where there is a small diameter fixed and then it steps up to a larger diameter which is having a torque applied to it. I'm...
  23. M

    Shaft Shear Stress with strange shape

    Hello, I am having difficulty solving for the Area and wondering if this is correct.
  24. M

    Shear Stress in a hollow shaft

    Hello, I am wondering, is the area A in the equation meant to be the area of the empty space in the shaft, going all the way to the half way point of the structure (meaning, the area of the space included in the dotted lines in the diagram on my attempt?
  25. J

    Calculating Maximum Force for C1018 Steel Shaft

    Hello, It's been a while since I did this in college and I cannot remember a few steps. I am trying to calculate the maximum force my designed shaft can handle before bending/shearing. My shaft material is C1018 steel rod, with a yield strength of 53.7 KSI and an ultimate strength of 63.8 KSI...
  26. R

    Need help getting diameter of shaft

    Here is the link to the question...
  27. D

    Mechanics of materials question, angle of twist in shaft

    Hello, I'm studying machanics of materials.. I'm at the chapter that handles the angle of twist in shafts. There's one exercise that I get the most part of, but there's just a tiny part of it that I don't get! here's the exercise...
  28. J

    Calculating Maximum Force Applied to Shaft with Radial Undercut

    Hello, If I have a shaft that has a section area of .0562 in. sq. and a material yield strength of 60KSI. And I will have the force applied at the top of the shaft pushing down. The shaft will be in a cantilever configuration where the force will be applied .125" from the base of the shaft...
  29. A

    Design of Shaft Diameter for a rotating Drum

    Hi All, I am designing a hollow rotating drum equipment which will be filled with specialized media for wastewater purification. I need help to design the shaft diameter for the entire assembly. The Drum will be hollow with a diameter of 1.77 meter and length of 2.5 filled with some kind of...
  30. N

    Measurement of power associated witha vertical shaft

    How can I measure the power associated with a vertical rotating shaft (similar to the shaft of a vertical axis wind turbine). power=Torque*angular velocity Angular velocity can be found by using tacho meter or spectroscope.. but i am confused how to measure the torque...
  31. andyrk

    Why does liquid incline in an accelerating beaker?

    Suppose a lift is moving in a shaft upwards with a velocity a. Then why does the net acceleration of the lift become (a+g)? Life suppose a liquid of denisty ρ is kept at rest in a beaker. In this case as pressure changes only in horizontal direction so we can write: dP/dx=0 and dP/dy=-ρg...
  32. L

    Motor Box that rotates a threaded shaft

    Hi PF, I'm working on a problem for some guys and I need to add on to an existing machine. Attached is a back view of the machine (it's a drawing, sorry), there is a threaded rod that sticks out the back(white), attached to a motor at the bottom(black). There is a winged nut at the top of the...
  33. M

    Finding diameter of torsion shaft

    Homework Statement The solid shaft is made from brass that has an allowable shear stress = 100 MPa and a shear modulus of elasticity G = 39 GPa. The length of the shaft is L = 2 m, and over the length of the shaft the allowable angle of twist is θ = 0.10 rad.the shaft is subjected to a...
  34. P

    Torque on shaft of pulley question

    Hi Here is my question: A solid disc pulley with a 5kg mass, radius of 0.5m has one layer of thin rope coiled around it. On the other end of the rope is a metal block with a mass of 10kg. Calculate the following (without take rope friction into account. also the rope does not slip): 1. The...
  35. Femme_physics

    Forces gears cause to the shaft (spur gears) - force diagram

    Homework Statement Describe the forces acting on the shaft AB Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution I've ignored the bearings for now... but I know each of them has 2 forces, 1 in the radial direction and the other in the tangential direction ... Anyway, this is my diagram (sans...
  36. A

    Help with interference fits of sleeve on a solid shaft

    I am trying to find the minimum thickness that a sleeve (without relief) needs to be in order to not fail when assembled by interference fit. I know the interference value and the outer diameter of the shaft, but that's all... How do I solve for pressure, stresses, and ultimately the minimum...
  37. S

    Creating a One Shaft Model for a Geared System w/ Inertia

    Homework Statement Develop a one shaft model of a geared system if the moments of inertia of the gear elements are included. The geared system consists of two discs with inertia J1 and J2 and rotation θ1 (anticlockwise) and θ4 (clockwise). The discs are connected by two shafts with...
  38. J

    Torque on shaft of wind turbine

    Today this guy at work told me that a 2MW wind turbine required 20K ft lbs on the main shaft at 20 rpm. I thought that I had recently read that a 750KW wind turbine might need 20K ft lb torque. I am not looking for exact numbers but which seems correct?
  39. C

    Shaft Critical Speed Considerations

    Hi all I'm a bit confused on shaft critical speed theories and I need some clarification. I'll just say what I know and point out if I am wrong in reasoning or something. I really appreciate the help. As I understand it, we are considered with the critical speed of the shaft because it is the...
  40. L

    Mechanical Engineers: Help Designing a Solid Shaft

    to my fellow mechanical engineers, please help me with some basic machine design problems. a certain drive shaft rotating at 500 rpm transmits 200 hp to an 8 inch diameter gear. Design a suitable solid shaft for this application. the shaft is ductile. Design stresses are to be limited to...
  41. S

    Statically Indeterminate Shaft

    Homework Statement Determine the load (vertical only) on the three bearings at A, B and C. The shaft is loaded at one end with force F (see attached diagram).Homework Equations Cantilever Beam Deflection Deflection at End = PL^3/(3EI) Deflection at Point X = Px^2/(6EI)*(3l-x)The Attempt at a...
  42. P

    Deflection curve of a Compound Spur Gear Shaft

    Hi All! I would really appreciate your help on something that has been bothering me for the past week. I am uncertain on how to derive the deflection curve equation for a certain shaft. Loads are acting on both ends of the shaft, with the reaction forces being provided by two separate bearings...
  43. M

    Archived Power transfer through shaft

    A shaft runs at 300 rev/min and transmits power from a pulley A at one end to two pulleys, B and C, which each drive a machine in a workshop. The distance between pulleys A and B is 3 m and that between B and C is 2.4 m (i.e. the total length of the shaft is 5.4 m). The shaft has a diameter...
  44. M

    Rattling shaft in electromagnet

    Hi to all, I'm new to the forum and forgive me if I'm not in the right place. I have a drag knife sign making cutter which uses an electromagnet to drop and raise the knife. The shaft that runs through the coil rattles/vibrates and although the machine cuts ok it drives me mad. Obviously the...
  45. G

    Optimizing a Brayton Cycle to Produce Shaft Power

    I have a question about the minimum amount of heat required to operate a theoretical brayton cycle engine that is optimized for producing shaft power, not thrust (if that matters). What is the relationship between inlet compression ratio and other variables, turbine variables, and minimum...
  46. K

    Find the force exerted by the oil on the shaft

    Hi guys, I'm pretty new here, and long story short, I'm struggling a bit on a fluid mechanics question I've been doing for some revision. A shaft 70 mm in diameter is being pushed at a speed of 400 mm/s through a bearing sleeve 70.2 mm in diameter and 250 mm long. The clearance, assumed...
  47. R

    Calculation of Thrust/Axial loads on Cantilever Turbine Shaft

    Hi, I am having a little trouble with how to go about calculating the axial loads being developed in a Wells Turbine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wells_turbine I am looking at OWC's (Oscillating Water Columns) in particular The Wells Turbine is designed to rotate in the same direction...
  48. S

    EML3005 Mechanical Design Project Shaft Analysis

    I need some help Desperately for this class. this project is 10% of my grade and I'm doing really bad in this class >_<. I have read the book but is all talking about is bunch of formulas that i have no idea how to relate them to this. I uploaded the diagram as well that was part of the...
  49. S

    A spool of thin wire pivots on a shaft

    Homework Statement Pulley with Friction A spool of thin wire pivots on a shaft, and there is friction. The wire is pulled by a hanging mass M of 1.30 kg. After falling a distance D= 1.7 m starting from rest, the mass has a speed of 0.065 m/s. Calculate the energy lost to friction during that...
  50. T

    How Do I Calculate the Shaft Diameter Based on Gear Forces and Moments?

    Homework Statement Already calculated: Tangential Forces : Pinion A=2850 N Gear B=2850 N Pinion C= 8550 N Gear D= 8550 N Radial Forces: Pinion A= 1000 N Gear B= 1000 N Pinion C= 9100 N Gear D= 9100 N Diameters: Pinion A= 60mm Gear B= 180mm Pinion C= 60mm Gear D= 200mm The distances...
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