6/05/2021

Mechanics of Materials
MCT-215
Week 6

Revision
■ Concept of Stress ■ Statically Indeterminate problems
■ Normal Strain (for uniform and non- – Superposition Method
uniform cross-sections) & its Units ■ Poisson’s Ratio
■ Stress-Strain diagrams – Tensile test & ■ Generalized Hook’s law – Multi-axial
Compression test loading
■ Standard measure of ductility ■ Dilation and Bulk Modulus
■ True stress and true strain ■ Shearing Strain
■ Hook’s law – modulus of elasticity – 𝛾 = 𝛾 = 𝛾 =
■ Isotropic & Anisotropic materials
■ Stress Concentrations --- 𝐾 =
■ Elastic vs Plastic - Slip / Creep
■ Plastic Deformation
■ Fatigue – Repeated loadings
■ Deformations of members under axial
loading

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TORSION

Torsion
■ Torsion (in N/m) is the twisting of an object due to an applied
torque.
■ We will analyse structural members and machine parts that are
subjected to torsion – twisting couples or torques with common
magnitude T and opposite senses.
■ T and Tʹ are vector quantities that can be represented by vectors or
curved arrows.
■ Typical applications: Transmission shafts
– Transferring torques to rear wheel of bicycle, rotor blades of a
helicopter, lawn mowers, blenders, circular saws, drills etc.

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Torsion of Circular Shafts

■ Consider the system consisting of a steam turbine A and an
electric generator B connected by a transmission shaft AB.
■ The turbine exerts torque T on the shaft.
■ The shaft transmits the torque to the generator
■ Generator reacts by exerting the equal and opposite torque T´ on
the turbine.

■ Consider a shaft AB subjected at A and B to equal and

opposite torques T and T´.
■ We pass a section perpendicular to the axis of the shaft
through some arbitrary point C.
■ The FBD of BC must include the elementary shearing
forces dF – perpendicular to the radius of the shaft.
■ dF arise from the torque that AC exerts on BC as the
shaft is twisted.
■ The conditions of equilibrium for BC require that the
system of these forces be equivalent to an internal torque
T, as well as equal and opposite to T´.
■ Expressing the sum of the moments of the shearing
forces dF about the axis of the shaft is equal in
magnitude to the torque T,

𝑇= 𝜌𝑑𝐹 = 𝜌(𝜏𝑑𝐴)

Where 𝜌 is the perpendicular distance from the force dF to

the axis of the shaft

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■ Shear cannot take place in one plane only.

■ Torque applied to shaft produces shearing
stresses on the faces perpendicular to the
axis.
■ Will there be shearing stresses along the
longitudinal axis of shaft?
■ The existence of the axial shear components
is demonstrated by considering a shaft made
up of axial slats.
■ The slats slide w.r.t each other when equal
and opposite torques are applied to the ends
of the shaft.
■ Thus it indicates that stresses occur on
longitudinal planes as well as on planes
perpendicular to the axis of the shaft.

DEFORMATION IN A
CIRCULAR SHAFT

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Deformation Characteristics
■ Consider a circular shaft attached to a fixed
support at one end.
■ If a torque T is applied to the other end, the shaft
will twist, with its free end rotating through an
angle ϕ – angle of twist
■ Within a certain range of values of T, ϕ is
proportional to T and also to length L of the shaft.
■ When subjected to torsion, every cross-section of
a circular shaft remains plane and undistorted –
because a circular shaft is axisymmetric.
■ Cross-sections of noncircular (non-axisymmetric)
shafts are distorted when subjected to torsion.

Deformation Characteristics
■ If all sections are to remain plane and
undistorted, the torques are to be applied
in such a way that the ends of the shaft
must remain plane and undistorted.

■ This is achieved by using rigid plates at

the ends.

■ Resulting deformation will be uniform

across the entire shaft.

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Shearing Strain
■ Consider a circular shaft of length L and radius c that
has been twisted through an angle ϕ.
■ Now consider
– an interior section of the shaft of radius 𝜌.
– Small square element formed by two adjacent
circles and two adjacent straight lines traced on
the surface before any load is applied.
■ As a torsional load is applied, an element on the
interior cylinder deforms into a rhombus.
■ Since the ends of the element remain planar, the
shear strain is equal to the angle of twist.
𝜌𝜙
𝐿𝛾 = 𝜌𝜙 or 𝛾 = 𝐿
■ Shear strain is proportional to twist and varies
linearly with the distance from the axis of the shaft.
𝒄𝝓 𝜌
𝜸𝒎𝒂𝒙 = 𝛾= 𝛾
𝑳
𝑐

STRESSES IN THE ELASTIC RANGE

■ When the torque T is such that all shearing stresses in
the shaft remain below the yield strength, the stresses
in the shaft will remain below the proportional limit-
Hooke’s law can be applied
𝜏 = 𝐺𝛾
𝜌 𝜌
𝛾= 𝛾 → 𝐺𝛾 = 𝐺𝛾
𝑐 𝑐
𝝆
𝝉= 𝝉
𝒄 𝒎𝒂𝒙
The shearing stress varies linearly with the radial distance
(ρ) in the section.
■ In case of hollow circular shaft
𝒄𝟏
𝝉𝒎𝒊𝒏 = 𝝉𝒎𝒂𝒙
𝒄𝟐

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■ Recall that the sum of the moments of elementary

forces is equal to the torque on the shaft at the
section,
𝑇= 𝜌𝑑𝐹
𝝆
𝑇= 𝜌𝜏𝑑𝐴 𝝉= 𝝉
𝒄 𝒎𝒂𝒙
𝜏
𝑇= 𝜌 𝑑𝐴
𝑐
𝜏
𝑇=𝐽
𝑐
■ The results are known as the elastic torsion formulas,
𝑻𝒄
𝝉𝒎𝒂𝒙 =
𝑱
𝑻𝝆
𝝉=
𝑱
𝟏
 Polar moment of inertia of a circle of radius c is 𝑱 = 𝝅𝒄𝟒 𝒄𝟏
𝟐 𝝉𝒎𝒊𝒏 = 𝝉
 In case of hollow circular shaft 𝑱 =
𝟏
𝝅 𝒄𝟒𝟐 − 𝒄𝟒𝟏 𝒄𝟐 𝒎𝒂𝒙
𝟐

■ A hollow cylindrical steel shaft is 1.5 m long and has inner and outer
diameters respectively equal to 40 and 60 mm.
a) What is the largest torque that can be applied to the shaft if the
shearing stress is not to exceed 120 MPa?
b) What is the corresponding minimum value of the shearing stress in
the shaft?

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ANGLE OF TWIST IN
THE ELASTIC
RANGE

■ We know that the angle of twist and max

shearing strain are related
𝑐𝜙
𝛾 =
𝐿
■ Also 𝜏 =
■ In the elastic range, the shearing strain
and shear are related by Hook’s law
𝜏 𝑇𝑐
𝛾 = =
𝐺 𝐽𝐺
■ Solving for angle of twist
𝑻𝑳
𝝓=
𝑱𝑮
𝑻𝒊 𝑳𝒊
𝝓=
𝑱𝒊 𝑮𝒊
𝒊

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■ What torque should be applied to the end of the shaft

to produce a twist of 2o? Use the value G = 77 GPa for
the modulus of rigidity of steel.
■ What angle of twist, in degrees, will create a shearing
stress of 70 MPa on the inner surface of the hollow
steel shaft?

DESIGN OF
TRANSMISSION SHAFTS

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■ Principle specifications to be met in the design of a transmission shaft are

– Power to be transmitted
– Speed of rotation of the shaft.
■ Designer must select material and cross-section to meet performance
specifications without exceeding allowable shearing stress.
■ Torque exerted on the shaft at specified power and speed is
𝑃 = 𝑇𝜔 = 2𝜋𝑓𝑇
𝑷 𝑷
𝑻= = For Solid Shafts = 𝑐 =
𝝎 𝟐𝝅𝒇

■ Recalling 𝜏 = → = For Hollow Shaft = 𝐶 −𝐶 =

■ Solve for minimum allowable value for the radius of the shaft to
determine whether a given cross section will be acceptable.

■ The design of a machine element calls for a 40 mm outer

diameter shaft to transmit 45 kW.
a) If the speed of rotation is 720 rpm, determine the
maximum shearing stress in shaft a.
b) If the speed of rotation can be increased 50% to 1080
rpm, determine the largest inner diameter of shaft b for
which the maximum shearing stress will be the same in
each shaft.

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STRESS CONCENTRATIONS
IN CIRCULAR SHAFTS

■ The derivation of torsion formula 𝜏 = assumed a

circular shaft with uniform cross section loaded
through rigid end plates.
■ In practice, use of flange couplings, gears
and pulleys attached to shafts by keys in
keyways, and cross section discontinuities
can cause stress concentrations.
■ Experimental or numerically determined
concentration factors are applied as
𝑇𝑐
𝜏 =𝐾
𝐽
𝑻𝒄
Where 𝑱
refers to smaller diameter shaft

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■ The stepped shaft is to rotate at 900 rpm as it transmits power from a

turbine to a generator. The grade of steel specified in the design has an
allowable shearing stress of 8 ksi.
a) For the preliminary design shown, determine the maximum power that
can be transmitted [1 hp = 6600 in-lb/s]
b) If in the final design the radius of the fillet is increased so that r = 15/16
in., what will be the percent change, relative to the preliminary design, in
the power that can be transmitted?

Sections covered in Chapter 3

■ Sections: 3.1, 3.2, 3.4, 3.5

■ Problems:
Circular shafts in torsion  3.1 – 3.6, 3.15 – 3.20, 3.29, 3.30
Angle of twist  3.31 – 3.34, 3.37, 3.38, 3.62, 3.63
Design of transmission shafts & Stress Concentrations  3.64 –
3.73, 3.80 – 3.90.

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