Chapter 2

TORQUE TRANSMITTING
ELEMENTS :Couplings, keys,
PINS and splInes
Couplings are the elements of machinery that transmit torque from one shaft
to another. For example, they can be used to transmit the torque of an
electric motor to a pump, or from a Diesel engine crankshaft to an electric
generator or to a reduction gear. They are also used to eliminate the use of
very long, one-part shafts. They can be rigid, where the two shafts are
(presumably) in perfect alignment or they can be flexible, to tolerate small
amounts of misalignment. Misalignments can be radial, angular or axial in
nature.
RIGID COUPLINGS (Flanged couplings)

Rigid couplings are used when

there is no relative motion
between the two shafts. Power is
transmitted from one shaft to the
other by a number of bolts
equally spaced on a circle of a
flange.
The total shear force acting on the bolts is calculable in terms of the bolt circle (Dbc), the
diameter on the coupling plate on which the bolts are installed, and T, the torque
transmitted.
T 2T
F 
 Dbc  Dbc
 2 
 

For N – bolts F=2T/(ND)

For N – bolts; the shear stress on each bolt is:
F F  2T   4  8T
      
A   2   Dbc   Nd 2   Dbc Nd 2
N d 
4 

8T
d
 Dbc N d

where d is the permissible (design) shear stress.

EXAMPLE:
A flanged (rigid) coupling is mounted to join two shafts of 50 mm diameter, transmitting
2200 N.m of torque. The flanges of the coupling are joined by four course-threaded bolts
in reamed holes on a bolt circle of diameter 130 mm. The bolts are manufactured from
AISI Cold drawn 1040 steel, with ultimate tensile stress of 490 MPa. Find the required
bolt diameter. (Assume factor of safety as 2.5 for shear)

Since the test results for tensile stress are obtained by a uni-directional tension test, u = ½ u.
Assume a factor of safety of 2.5 for shear. Therefore d = 490/(22.5) = 98 MPa shall be taken.

T = 2200 N.m
Dbc = 0.130 m
d = 98 MPa
N=4
8T 8  2200
d   0.0105 m
Dbc N  d 0.13  4    98  10 6

However, the next available standard size bolt of larger dimensions is selected:
(Nominally, 12mm)
The power of a rotating body can be expressed as

P=T 
=T 2.n ; n rotations per seconds, rpm rotations per minutes
= T .rpm/30

T = P/ = P/(2.n) = 30 P/(.rpm) (Nm)

EXAMPLE:
A 500 kW motor rotates at a speed of 1200 rpm. The power from this motor
armature shall be transmitted to another shaft by a rigid coupling. The bolts of
this coupling shall be located on a circle of diameter 250 mm. If max = 70 MPa
and d = 10 mm for each bolt, find the number of bolts required.

T = P/ = P/(2.n) = 30 P/(.rpm) = 30  500 kN.m/s /(1200) =3.98 kN.m

T 3.98 kN .m 31.83
Fb    ( kN )
 D  N b 0.25 / 2 Nb
Nb   b 
 2 
Fb 4 Fb 4  31.83  103 N .m 405 .28  10 6
 max   2 
 2 d  0.010 m  N b
2

d Nb
4
max = 70106 Pa  Nb = 405.28106/70106 = 5.78 bolts
Answer : 6 bolts B/END
 EXAMPLES OF FLEXIBLE COUPLINGS

Chain coupling
Ever-flex  coupling Grid-flex  coupling

Bellows coupling
Gear coupling Para-flex  coupling
Components of human-powered vechicles, such as the shaft in the bottom
bracket of a bike, the propeller shaft of an aircraft or boat, or the wing of an
aircraft, are subject to torsional loads.
The top diagram shows a shaft that is fixed at one end and has a torque, T,
applied to the free end. This causes the shaft to twist as shown in (b) and the
outer elements of the shaft experience a maximum shear stress,
max = (TR/J) where R is the shaft radius and J is the polar moment of inertia of
the shaft.
EXAMPLE :
A flexible coupling is used to connect two 1 “ (D= 25.4 mm) shafts, with an allowable
shear stress of 40 MPa. The shafts rotate at 950 rpm. If the connecting strip is 1.5” (38
mm) from the center of the shafts, how many folds of 0.010” by 0.1” steel (0.254 mm by
2.54 mm)(SAE 1045, quenched in water and drawn at 600oF) are required? The
connector is to have 95% of the strength of the shaft. (SAE 1045, quenched in water and
drawn at 600oF has u = 1 GPa and y = 775 MPa)

Torque capacity of the shaft:

 max  
D  
TR T 2 16T
  T
 D3
 max
J  4  D3 16
D
32

 25.4  10 3 
3

T  40  10 6  128 .7 N .m
16
Design of steel folds:
The coupling is assumed to have a torque capacity of 95% of that of the shaft. Therefore,
Tcoup=0.95128.7 = 122.3 N.m

Let n- be the number of folds, t the thickness and h the width of the steel strip, and Rf
the distance of the strips from the shaft center.

Tcoup   max t h n R f  0.18 u t h n R f

122 .3  0.18  1.0  109  0.254  10 3  2.54  10 3 n  38  10 3

n = 27.7 folds  28 folds

Where the assumption max = 0.18 u is made per the related ASME code.
 Universal joints

In applications where the two shafts are not alligned, universal joints and Cardan shafts
are used.

An automobile Cardan joint

A universal joint
used in a handtool

An industrial Cardan joint

 KEYS and PINS
Keys, pins, dowels and setscrews are used to attach gears, disc brakes, clutches
or belt drives on shafts. Like the bolts of a flanged coupling, they are desired to
transmit torque to or from a shaft to the attached hub. They are also desired to
withstand shear loads. They inserted between the shaft and hub to connect these
together in order to prevent relative motion between them.
Types of keys
 Pins used for torque transmission and shaft location

Analysis of a key:
F Fr T
Shear stress on the key:   
bL bLr bLr

where T is the torque transmitted and r is the radius of

the shaft. L is the length of the key. The torque that the
key can carry from the standpoint of shear is therefore:

T  b Lr
 F Fr T
c 
Compressive stress on the key:
 t 2 L  t 2 L r
 
t
Lr
2

The torque that the key can carry from the standpoint of
compression is:
t
T   c   Lr
2
Example:
Determine the required length of a square key if the key and the shaft are of the same
material and of equal strenght.

Taking the stress concentration on the shaft due to the keyway into account,
 D3
Tmax  0.75Ttheor  0.75 
16
max, shaft = max, key
 D3 D
0.75   b Lr  b L
16 2
 D2 = 3.4 bL
Assume b = ¼ D. Therefore, L =1.18 D

However, use L = 1.25 D

Example:
A square key is to be used to key a gear to a 1 7/16” (36.5 mm) diameter shaft. The hub
length of the gear is 2 ½ “ (63.5 mm). Both the shaft and the key are made of same material
with an allowable shear stress of 54 MPa. What are the minimum dimensions of the sides of
the square key if 445 N.m of torque is to be transmitted ?

T  r L b  12 36.5  10 3 m  63.5  10 3 m  b  54  10 6 N / m 2  445 N .m

b  7.11  10 3 m

However, use: b = 8 mm
 PINS

Pins are used to transmit compressive or tensile forces between to rods.

Common examples in marine engineering are the piston (gudgeon) and

crosshead pins.

In pins, compressive and shear loads are created on the bearing surfaces of the
rods and shear loads in the pin.
 SPLINES
Splines are the torque transmitting elements that can tolerate axial misalignments.

The torque capacity of a spline: T =pArm

where p : Permissible pressure on the spline < 1000 psi (6.8 Mpa) (ASME standard)
A : total area of the splines, = ½ N(D – d) L
rm = Mean radius = ¼ (D + d)
L : Length of the hub , N : Number of splines

T = 1/8 pN (D2 – d2)