Addis Ababa Science & Technology University

College of Electrical and Mechanical

Engineering
Department of Electromechanical Engineering
Design of Machine Elements-II
By: Birhanemeskel A.
 Chapter-One
Shafts
 Machine design is defined as the use of scientific principles, technical
information and imagination in the description of a machine or a mechanical
system to perform specific functions with maximum economy and efficiency.

 Machine design is the creation of new and better machines and improving the
existing ones.

 The new and better machine is one which is more economical in the overall cost
of production and operation.
Machine elements includes: nut, screw, bolt, joints like welding, rivet.

It may also include shafts, gears, ropes, chains, belts, springs, brakes, clutches,

bearings, couplings.
A shaft is a rotating member, usually of circular cross section, used to transmit
power or motion.
It provides the axis of rotation, or oscillation, of elements such as gears,
pulleys, flywheels, cranks, sprockets, and controls the geometry of their motion.
The shaft is always stepped with maximum diameter in the middle portion and
minimum diameter at the two ends, where bearings are mounted.
Some types a transmission shaft

 Axle The term ‘axle’ is used for a shaft that supports rotating elements like wheels,

hoisting drums and which is fitted to the housing by means of bearings. In general, an

axle is subjected to bending moment due to transverse loads like bearing reactions and

does not transmit any useful torque.

 Spindle A spindle is a short rotating shaft. The term ‘spindle’ originates from the round

tapering stick on a spinning wheel, on which the thread is twisted. Spindles are used in all

machine tools such as the small drive shaft of a lathe or the spindle of a drilling machine.
 Countershaft: It is a secondary shaft, which is driven by the main

shaft and from which the power is supplied to a machine component.

Often, the countershaft is driven from the main shaft by means of a

pair of spur or helical gears and thus rotates ‘counter’ to the direction

of the main shaft. Countershafts are used in multi stage gearboxes.

 Jackshaft: It is an auxiliary or intermediate shaft between two shafts

that are used in transmission of power. Its function is same as that of

the countershaft.
 Line shaft: A line shaft consists of a number of shafts, which are

connected in axial direction by means of couplings. Line shafts were

popular in workshops using group drive. In group drive construction, a

single electric motor drives the line shaft. A number of pulleys are

mounted on the line shaft and power is transmitted to individual

machines by different belts. Therefore, it is possible to drive a number

of machines simultaneously by using a single electric motor.

1. Design of shaft based on strength
Transmission shafts are subjected to axial tensile force, bending moment or torsional

moment or their combinations.


Most of the transmission shafts are subjected to combined bending and torsional

moments.


The design of transmission shaft consists of determining the correct shaft diameter from

strength and rigidity considerations. When the shaft is subjected to axial tensile force, the

tensile stress is given by,

When the shaft is subjected to pure bending moment, the bending stresses are given by, ,

Where , I is moment of inertia.

 When the shaft is subjected to pure torsional moment, the torsional shear stress
is given by, , where, J is polar moment of inertia.

 When the shaft is subjected to combination of loads, the principal stress and principal
shear stress are obtained by constructing Mohr’s circle.

 The normal stress is denoted by while the shear stress, by . We will consider two cases
for calculating the value of .

 Case I: when the shaft is subjected to axial force, and bending and torsional moments.

 Case II: when the shaft is subjected to only bending and torsional moments.
 Steps to construct Mohr’s circle i. The principal shear stress, is

i. Choose the origin O.

ii. Plot the following points; , .

iii. Join B and D. The point of intersection of

and is E.

iv. Construct Mohr’s circle with center E

and radius .

v. The principal stress, is

 Maximum Principal Stress Theory:

 The permissible value of maximum principal stress is given by,

 Experimental investigations suggest that maximum principal stress theory

gives good predictions for brittle materials. Shafts are made of ductile

material like steel and therefore, this theory is not applicable to shaft

design.
 Maximum Shear Stress Theory

 The permissible value of maximum shear stress is given by, .

 The maximum shear stress theory is applicable to ductile materials.

 Since the shafts are made of ductile materials, it is more logical to apply this theory to

shaft design.
 Equivalent Torsional Moment The expression is called ‘equivalent’ torsional moment.

The equivalent torsional moment is defined as the torsional moment, which when

acting alone, will produce the same torsional shear stress in the shaft as under the

combined action of bending moment (Mb) and torsional moment (Mt).

 Equivalent Bending Moment The expression is called ‘equivalent’ bending moment.

The equivalent bending moment is defined as the bending moment, which when acting

alone, will produce the same bending stresses (tensile and compressive) in the shaft as

under the combined action of bending moment (Mb) and torsional moment (Mt).
 2. SHAFT DESIGN ON TORSIONAL RIGIDITY BASIS

 In some applications, the shafts are designed on the basis of either torsional rigidity or

lateral rigidity.

 A transmission shaft is said to be rigid on the basis of torsional rigidity, if it does not twist

too much under the action of an external torque.

 Similarly, the transmission shaft is said to be rigid on the basis of lateral rigidity, if it does

not deflect too much under the action of external forces and bending moment.

 In certain applications, like machine tool spindles, it is necessary to design the shaft on the

basis of torsional rigidity, i.e., on the basis of permissible angle of twist per meter length of

shaft. The angle of twist (in radians) is given by,

 In degree,

 For solid circular shaft,

 , where is angle of twist, L is the length of shaft, is modulus of rigidity ().

 The permissible angle of twist for machine tool applications is 0.25° per meter

length. For line shafts, 3° per meter length is the limiting value. Modulus of

rigidity for steel is 79 300 N/mm2 or approximately 80 kN/mm2.

 3. ASME CODE FOR SHAFT DESIGN
 One important approach of designing a transmission shaft is to use the ASME code.

According to this code, the permissible shear stress for the shaft without keyways is

taken as 30% of yield strength in tension or 18% of the ultimate tensile strength of the

material, whichever is minimum.

 Therefore, or, (whichever is minimum).

 If keyways are present, the above values are to be reduced by 25 per cent. According

to the ASME code, the bending and torsional moments are to be multiplied by factors

kb and kt respectively, to account for shock and fatigue in operating condition.

 The ASME code is based on maximum
shear stress theory of failure. under the combined action of bending

moment (Mb) and torsional moment

 Where = combined shock and fatigue under fluctuating loads.
factor applied to bending moment; =
combined shock and fatigue factor Values of shock and fatigue factors kb
applied to torsional moment.
and kt
 Equivalent torsional moment, is defined

as the torsional moment, which when

acting alone, will produce the same

torsional shear stress in the shaft as

 Example A shaft carrying two pulleys 1 and 2, and supported on two bearings A and B
transmits 7.5 kW power at 360 rpm from the pulley 1 to the pulley 2. The diameters of pulleys
1 and 2 are 250 mm and 500 mm respectively. The masses of pulleys 1 and 2 are 10 kg and 30
kg respectively. The belt tensions act vertically downward and the ratio of belt tensions on the
tight side to slack side for each pulley is 2.5:1. The shaft is made of plain carbon steel 40C8
(Syt = 380 N/mm2) and the factor of safety is 3. Estimate suitable diameter of shaft based on
strength. If the permissible angle of twist is 0.5° per meter length, calculate the shaft diameter
on the basis of torsional rigidity. Assume G = 79300 N/mm2.
 Chapter-Two
Couplings and
Clutches
1. Couplings
 A coupling is a mechanical device that joins two rotating shafts permanently.

 The primary function of coupling is to join two shafts which are separately built or purchased to
form a new machine.

 A coupling is used to join the output shaft of an electric motor to the input shaft of a gearbox in
machine tools and the output shaft of an electric motor to the input shaft compressor.

 Coupling is used to connect collinear (Rigid or flexible coupling), parallel (Oldham’s

coupling) and intersecting (Hook’s Coupling) shafts.
Principles of coupling
 The coupling should be capable of transmitting torque from the driving shaft to the
driven shaft.

 The coupling should keep the two shafts in proper alignment.

 The coupling should be easy to assemble and disassemble for the purpose of repairs
and alterations.

 The failure of revolving bolt heads, nuts, key heads and other projecting parts may
cause accidents. They should be covered by giving suitable shape to the flanges or by
providing guards.
 Types of coupling
Couplings are broadly divided into rigid coupling and flexible coupling.
Flexible coupling is capable of tolerating a small amount of misalignment
between the shafts, while there is no such provision in rigid coupling.

Rigid coupling Flexible coupling

 It cannot tolerate misalignment Can tolerate 0.5° of angular
between the axes of the shafts. misalignment and 5 mm of axial
 It can be used only where the motion displacement between the shafts.
is free from shocks and vibrations. Absorb shocks and vibrations.
 Rigid coupling is simple and
Flexible coupling is comparatively
inexpensive.
costlier due to additional parts.
Rigid coupling
 A rigid coupling cannot tolerate misalignment between the axes of the shafts. It can be
used only when there is precise alignment between two shafts.

 Muff coupling and clamp coupling are rigid couplings.

Muff Coupling
 Muff coupling is also called sleeve coupling or box coupling. It consists of a sleeve or a hollow
cylinder, which is fitted over the ends of input and output shafts by means of a sunk key.

 The torque is transmitted from the input shaft to the sleeve through the key. It is then
transmitted from the sleeve to the output shaft through the key.
 Disadvantages of Muff coupling
Advantages of Muff coupling
i. Muff coupling is difficult to
i. It is the simplest form of coupling with assemble or dismantle.
only two parts, i.e., sleeve and key. It is ii. It is a rigid type of coupling and
requires accurate alignment of
simple to design and manufacture.
shafts. The misalignment of shafts,
ii. It has no projecting parts except the key caused by inaccurate assembly,
head. The external surface of the sleeve is induces forces, which tend to bend
smooth. This is an advantage from the the shafts.
standpoint of safety to the operator. iii. Since there is no flexible element in
iii.It has compact construction with small the coupling, it cannot absorb
radial dimensions. shocks and vibrations
iv. It is cheaper than other types of couplings. iv. It requires more axial space
compared with flange couplings.
Design of muff coupling
1. Calculate the diameter of each shaft.
2. Calculate the dimensions of the sleeve.

3. Check the shear stress in the sleeve.

4. Find the standard cross-section of the sunk key, .

5. Check the shear and compressive stress in the sunk key

Key dimension
Example 2: Design a muff coupling to connect two steel shafts
transmitting 25 kW power at 360 rpm. The shafts and key are made
of plain carbon steel 30C8 (Syt = Syc = 400 N/mm2). The sleeve is
made of grey cast iron FG 200 (Sut = 200 N/mm2). The factor of
safety for the shafts and key is 4. For the sleeve, the factor of safety
is 6 based on ultimate strength.
Clamp Coupling (Split muff coupling)
 The clamp coupling is also called compression coupling or split muff coupling. In this coupling, the
sleeve is made of two halves, which are split along a plane passing through the axes of shafts.

 The two halves of the sleeve are clamped together by means of bolts. The number of bolts can be four
or eight. They are always in multiples of four. The bolts are placed in recesses formed in the sleeve
halves.

 The advantage of this coupling is that the position of the shafts need not be changed for assembling
or disassembling of the coupling.

 The main application of clamp coupling is for line shaft in power transmission.

 Power is transmitted from the input shaft to the sleeve and from the sleeve to the output shaft by
means of the key and friction between the sleeve halves and the shaft.
Design procedure for clamp coupling
1. Calculate the diameter of the shaft

2. Find the diameter of the sleeve D=2.5d, and L=3.5d

3. Determine the standard dimension of the key,  l=L/2

4. Check shear and compressive stresses on the key  , and

5. Determine the diameter of the clamping bolt, assuming that power is transmitted by
friction , where f is coefficient of friction, n is the total number of bolts, is the
tensile force on each bolt, is the permissible tensile stress.

6. Using standard empirical relations,

Example 3: It is required to design a split muff coupling to transmit 50 kW power at 120
rpm. The shafts, key and clamping bolts are made of plain carbon steel 30C8 (Syt = 400
N/mm2). The yield strength in compression is 150% of the tensile yield strength. The factor of
safety for shafts, key and bolts is 5. The number of clamping bolts is 8. The coefficient of friction
between sleeve halves and the shaft is 0.3.

i. Calculate the diameter of the input and output shafts.

ii. Specify the length and outer diameter of the sleeve halves.

iii. Find out the diameter of clamping bolts assuming that the power is transmitted by friction.

iv. Specify bolt diameter using standard empirical relations.

v. Specify the size of key and check the dimensions for shear and compression criteria.