Abstract:
Drive shafts find their extensive use in automotives, locomotives, air
crafts and ships. In recent years, composite drive shafts are getting
popular because of their reduced weight and extraordinary strength and
stiffness. Torque carrying drive shafts experience torsion, shear stress,
buckling and vibration loads, depending upon the input force and the
load applied. While designing the drive shaft, it is considered that shaft
must be strong enough to bear all types of loads, while its weight
should be as low as possible so it has negligible inertial effects. A
number of parameters dictate the mechanical properties of a composite
drive shaft such as fiber orientation, stacking sequence and ply
thickness. Non-linear buckling analysis, modal analysis and structural
analysis were carried out simultaneously to find optimum thicknesses
of plies. A Hybrid structure which is a combination of Aluminum
lining and Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) is then analyzed
on optimized ply thicknesses. drive shaft. Hybrid drive shaft provides
benefit of better connection with other metallic engine parts. Hybrid
structure also enhances the buckling behavior of drive shaft. Therefore
overall safety of drive shaft is achieved.
