Stuart Tang

A0125640

Lab Group 2F2

ME2113-2 Torsion of Circular Shafts

Objective:
The objective for this experiment is to study how a hollow shaft would behave compared with a solid shaft, in terms of
strength and rigidity.

Sample Calculations:

= = = used to calculate theoretical values of K in Table 1; G = 40GPa for brass

For experimental values of K, we plot the graphs of Torque (Nm) against Angular Displacement (rad) for all the shafts,
and calculate the gradient of each graph.

In Table 2, to find experimental values of , only experimental values are used. These can be taken from Graphs 1 and
2, by choosing the appropriate gradient. Similarly, for theoretical values of only theoretical values are used. These
values can be found from Table 1.

2
Volume of Solid Shaft =
4
2
2
Volume of Hollow Shaft = ; L = 0.1m for all shafts.
4

Results:
Angular
Torque (Nm) for Solid Shafts Torque (Nm) for Hollow Shafts
Displacements
Degrees Radians 7.93mm 8.94mm 9.74mm 10.39mm 12.0mm 12/9mm 12/8mm 12/7mm 12/6mm
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0.20 0.003491 0.46 0.56 0.61 0.64 0.86 0.65 0.62 0.55 0.82
0.40 0.006981 0.93 1.10 1.32 1.40 1.87 1.36 1.33 1.23 1.78
0.60 0.010472 1.43 1.70 2.05 2.15 3.04 2.14 2.14 2.01 2.79
0.80 0.013963 1.92 2.34 2.92 2.99 4.43 3.00 2.98 2.92 3.88
1.00 0.017453 2.43 3.02 3.79 3.84 5.74 3.90 3.93 3.84 5.01
1.20 0.020944 2.95 3.73 4.71 4.80 7.27 4.86 4.88 4.95 6.21
1.40 0.024435 3.47 4.43 5.69 5.85 8.84 5.85 5.88 6.03 7.47
1.60 0.027925 3.99 5.20 6.64 6.91 10.50 6.88 6.94 7.20 8.74
1.8 0.031416 4.55 5.95 7.67 8.03 12.25 7.95 8.02 8.37 10.03
2.0 0.03907 5.08 6.75 8.70 9.12 13.91 9.05 9.15 9.56 11.40
Ip (mm4) 388.23 627.12 883.56 1144.09 2035.75 1391.63 1633.63 1800.03 1908.52
K (Nm/rad) 155.292 250.848 353.424 457.636 814.300 556.652 653.452 720.012 763.408
Table 1: Experimental Data for Solid and Hollow Shafts
 Graph 1: Torque (Nm) against Angular Displacement (rad) for Solid Shafts
16

14 y = 382.64x - 0.5768
12

10 y = 248.35x - 0.2712
Torque (Nm)

8 y = 237.99x - 0.2347
y = 183.06x - 0.1026
6
y = 137.54x + 0.0211
4

0
0 0.005 0.01 0.015 0.02 0.025 0.03 0.035 0.04 0.045
-2
Angular Displacement (rad)

7.93mm 8.94mm 9.74mm 10.39mm 12.0mm

Graph 2: Torque
Graph (Nm)
2: Torque against
(Nm) Angular
against Displacement
Angular (rad)
Displacement for for
(rad) Hollow
Hollow Shafts
Shafts
14

12 y = 310.85x - 0.2585
y = 263.65x - 0.4596
10
y = 249.93x - 0.2867
Torque (Nm)

8 y = 246.76x - 0.251
6

0
0 0.005 0.01 0.015 0.02 0.025 0.03 0.035 0.04 0.045
-2
Angular Displacement (rad)

12/9 mm 12/8 mm 12/7 mm 12/6 mm

 Theoretical % Change in
Solid Shaft
Maximum Shear Stress
Ds = 12mm % Change in Torsional Stiffness
% Change in Volume
Vs = 45.239m2 = 100%

Ks = 814.3 = 100%
= 100%
(Theoretical) 1

Ks = 382.64 4 4 3
= 100%
(Experimental) 1
3
Experimental Theoretical
Hollow Shafts
1. 12/6mm -18.76% -6.25% -25% 6.667%
dh/Dh = 0.5
2. 12/7mm
-31.10% -11.58% -34.03% 13.095%
dh/Dh = 0.583
3. 12/8mm
-34.68% -19.75% -44.44% 24.615%
dh/Dh = 0.667
4. 12/9mm
-35.51% -31.64% -56.25% 46.285%
dh/Dh = 0.75
Table 2: Strength and Stiffness of Hollow and Solid Shafts Having the Same Outer Diameter

Graph 3: Strength and Stiffness of Hollow and Solid Shafts with the Same
Outer Diameter
60

40

20
% Change

0
0.45 0.5 0.55 0.6 0.65 0.7 0.75 0.8
-20

-40

-60

-80
dh/Dh

K (Experimental) K (Theoretical) V
 Theoretical % Change in Maximum Shear Stress

% Change in Torsional Stiffness = 100%


= 100% 1

4 4 3
= 100%
1
3
Experimental Theoretical
1. solid, 7.93mm
79.41% 258.46% -57.78%
hollow, 12/9mm
2. solid, 8.94mm
36.53% 160.50% -48.47%
hollow, 12/8mm
3. solid, 9.74mm
10.78% 103.72% -39.52%
hollow, 12/7mm
4. solid, 10.39mm
25.17% 66.82% -30.76%
hollow, 12/6mm
Table 3: Strength and Stiffness of Hollow and Solid Shafts having the Same Volume

Graph 4: Strength and Stiffness of Hollow and Solid Shafts with the Same
Volume
300

250

200

150
% Change

100

50

0
0.6 0.65 0.7 0.75 0.8 0.85 0.9
-50

-100
Ds/Dh

K (Experimental) K (Theoretical)
Discussion:
From Table 1, we can see that theoretical values of K increases as the diameter of solid shafts increases. This is because
Ip increases, hence more torque is needed to produce the same angular displacement. The same logic applies for hollow
shafts with the same outer diameter. As the inner diameter decreases (shaft becomes thicker), Ip increases, and
theoretical values of K increases as well, implying that more torque is required to produce the same angular
displacement among hollow shafts.

We observe similar trends in Graphs 1 & 2. For solid shafts, K increases as diameter increases, and for hollow shafts, K
increases as thickness increases. However, we observe that our experimental values of K are significantly lower than our
theoretical values. This can be attributed to wear and tear of the brass shafts. We noticed that as we unloaded and
loaded the same shaft to the same angular displacement, torque readings became slightly lower every time. An
accumulation of wear and tear from previous lab groups might have caused the extreme differences that we see
between our experimental values and theoretical values of K.

From Table 2 and Graph 3, we want to compare the strength and stiffness of solid and hollow shafts when Ds = Dh. From
our data, we can observe that as dh increases (thickness decreases), K decreases, implying that the hollow shaft is
weaker and less rigid than a solid shaft of the same outer diameter. Logically, this is because there is less mass in the
hollow shaft to sustain the same load as a solid shaft. Hence such a result is unsurprising. The data for the max shear
stress gives the same conclusions as dh/Dh increases, the maximum shear stress within the shaft increases, since less
mass is required to sustain the same amount of load. Hence, a hollow shaft is weaker and less rigid than a solid shaft if
Ds = Dh.

In Table 3, we investigate the effects of how stiffness and maximum shear stress of two shafts (one solid and one
hollow) would be changed if they have the same volume. These data are then plotted onto Graph 4. From our results, it
is apparent that K is much higher in a hollow shaft compared to a solid shaft if volume was the same in both shafts. This
implies that more torque is required to produce the same angular displacement, hence a higher rigidity in the hollow
shaft. We also observe that as thickness of the hollow shaft increases, K decreases exponentially. It is hence more cost
effective to have hollow shafts that have a larger outer diameter, but lower thickness if we were to increase the volume
of the shaft. Similar conclusions can be drawn from our data for shear stress. Hollow shafts would experience lower
shear stresses compared to solid bars if they had the same volume and underwent the same loading. As Ds/Dh
decreases, maximum shear stress experience in the bar decreases as well, implying that the hollow shaft can sustain
heavier loads if it has a lower thickness, but volume remains the same (higher strength to weight ratio). Hence, it is
indeed more cost effective to produce hollow shafts with a larger outer diameter, but lower thickness.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, we can conclude that as the diameter of the solid shaft increases, more torque is required to produce the
same angular displacements. Similarly, as the inner diameter of the hollow shaft increases, less torque is required to
produce the same angular displacements. However, if we were to keep volume a constant, hollow shafts with larger
outer diameters and lower thickness are the most cost effective as they have a much larger strength to weight ratio (
is much lower), as well as rigidity to weight ratio ( is much higher).