MECHANICS OF DEFORMABLE BODIES

Module 3: Torsion

Objectives:

1. Understand the principles of torsional stresses in shafting and thin-walled tubes.

2. Compute the power transmitted by the shaft.
3. Determine the stresses involved in flange bolt coupling.

Contents:

Torsion refers to the twisting of an object due to an applied torque. It is a type of deformation that occurs when a
force is applied to a body in such a way that it causes one part of the object to rotate relative to another. The most
common scenario for torsion is in shafts, rods, or other cylindrical objects that experience rotational forces.

Couple and torque

When two equal forces act on a body as shown in Figure, they cause the body to rotate, and the system of forces is
called a couple. The turning moment of a couple is called a torque.

Torque is the measure of the rotational force applied to an object. It causes an object to rotate about an axis and is
a crucial concept in mechanics, particularly in systems involving rotating components such as engines, wheels,
and shafts.

3.1 Torsional Shearing Stress

The internal stress induced in the material of the shaft due to the applied torque. For a cylindrical shaft, the
maximum shear stress occurs at the outer surface and decreases towards the center.

The torsional shear stress at a point in a circular shaft is given by:

3.2 Stresses in shafting

Maximum Torsional Shearing Stress:

The angle of twist refers to the angular displacement a shaft or structural element undergoes when subjected to
torque. It represents the amount of rotation experienced by the cross-section of the shaft due to torsional loading,
and it plays a key role in determining how much a shaft will twist when subjected to a given torque.
3.3 Power Transmitted by the shaft

The power transmitted by a shaft is directly related to the torque applied to the shaft and the angular velocity at
which the shaft is rotating. In mechanical systems, shafts are often used to transmit power from a motor to a
machine, such as in cars, turbines, and other rotating machinery.

In metric units, the relationship between power, torque, and speed is described by the following formula:

In English units, the relationship between power, torque, and speed is expressed as:

Note:

1HP = 33,000 (ft.lb)/min = 0.746 kW

Sample Problem:

1. Determine the force applied tangentially to a bar of a screw jack at a radius of 800 mm, if the torque
required is 600 N m.
2. A constant force of 150 N is applied tangentially to a wheel of diameter 140 mm. Determine the work done,
in joules, in 12 revolutions of the wheel.

3. Calculate the torque developed by a motor whose spindle is rotating at 1000 rev/min and developing a
power of 2.50 kW.

4. A steel shaft 3 ft long that has a diameter of 4 in. is subjected to a torque of 15 kip·ft. Determine the
maximum shearing stress and the angle of twist. Use G = 12 × 106 psi.
5. What is the minimum diameter of a solid steel shaft that will not twist through more than 3° in a 6-m length
when subjected to a torque of 12 kN·m? What maximum shearing stress is developed? Use G = 83 GPa.

6. A steel marine propeller shaft 14 in. in diameter and 18 ft long is used to transmit 5000 hp at 189 rpm. If G =
12 × 106 psi, determine the maximum shearing stress.

7. A solid steel shaft 5 m long is stressed at 80 MPa when twisted through 4°. Using G = 83 GPa, compute the
shaft diameter. What power can be transmitted by the shaft at 20 Hz?
8. An aluminum shaft with a constant diameter of 50 mm is loaded by torques applied to gears attached to it
as shown in Figure. Using G = 28 GPa, determine the relative angle of twist of gear D relative to gear A.
3.4 Torsion of Thin-walled tubes

The total torque applied to a closed thin-walled tube is:

Where:

The torsional shearing stress across any thickness t is:

Sample Problem:

1. A thin-walled circular tube is made from steel with a shear modulus G=80×109 Pa. The tube has an outer
diameter of 100 mm and a wall thickness of 2 mm. The tube is subjected to a torque T=800 Nm. Calculate
the torsional shear stress in the tube.
2. A tube 0.10 in. thick has an elliptical shape shown in Figure. What torque will cause a shearing stress of
8000 psi?

3. A torque of 450 lb·ft is applied to the square section shown in Figure. Determine the smallest permissible
dimension a if the shearing stress is limited to 6000 psi.

4. A tube 2 mm thick has the shape shown in Figure. Find the shearing stress caused by a torque of 600 N·m.
3.5 Flanged bolt coupling

A flanged bolt coupling is commonly used in mechanical systems to connect two shafts together for torque
transmission. The torque is transmitted through a series of bolts arranged around the periphery of a flange. When
torque is applied, the bolts experience torsion, as they essentially act as small torsional shafts themselves,
transferring the rotational force between the flanges.

The torque capacity T is transmitted through the bolts that are arranged in a circular pattern around the flange.
Assuming uniform torque distribution across all the bolts, the formula for torsion in a flanged bolt coupling is:

If a coupling has two concentric rows of bolts, the torque capacity is:

For rigid flanges, the shear deformations in the bolts are proportional to their radial distances from the shaft axis.
The shearing strains are related by:
If the bolts on the two circles have the same area, A1 = A2, and if the bolts are made of the same material, G1 = G2,
the relation between P1 and P2 reduces to:

Sample Problem:

1. A flanged bolt coupling consists of ten 20-mmdiameter bolts spaced evenly around a bolt circle 400 mm in
diameter. Determine the torque capacity of the coupling if the allowable shearing stress in the bolts is 40
MPa.

2. A torque of 700 lb-ft is to be carried by a flanged bolt coupling that consists of eight ½ - in.-diameter steel
bolts on a circle of diameter 12 in. and six ½ -in.-diameter steel bolts on a circle of diameter 9 in. Determine
the shearing stress in the bolts.
 3. A flanged bolt coupling consists of eight 10-mmdiameter steel bolts on a bolt circle 400 mm in diameter,
and six 10-mmdiameter steel bolts on a concentric bolt circle 300 mm in diameter, as shown in Figure.
What torque can be applied without exceeding a shearing stress of 60 MPa in the bolts?

3.6 Helical Spring

In a helical spring, torsional stress is induced in the wire as it twists under the application of a force or load. The
spring's wire experiences torsion because the applied load creates a twisting moment along the coil's axis.

The torsional shear stress τ in the wire of a helical spring is given by:

Note:

This formula neglects the curvature of the spring. This is used for light spring where the ratio d/4R is small.
For heavy springs and considering the curvature of the spring, a more precise formula is given by: (A.M.Wahl
Formula):

where:

m is the spring index, which is the ratio of the mean coil diameter to the wire diameter,

m = D/d,

D is the mean coil diameter,

d is the wire diameter

is the Wahl Factor

The elongation of the bar is:

The ratio of P to δ is called the spring constant k and is equal to:

SPRINGS IN SERIES

For two or more springs with spring laid in series, the resulting spring constant k is given by:

SPRINGS IN PARALLEL

Where:

k1, k2,… are the spring constants for different springs.

Sample Problem:

1. A helical spring with an applied axial load of 500 N has a mean coil diameter of 50 mm and a wire diameter
d=5 mm. Calculate the torsional shear stress using the wahl’s formula.

2. Determine the maximum shearing stress and elongation in a helical steel spring composed of 20 turns of
20-mm-diameter wire on a mean radius of 90 mm when the spring is supporting a load of 1.5 kN. Use Eq.
wahl’s formula and G = 83 GPa.
3. A helical spring is fabricated by wrapping wire ¾ in. in diameter around a forming cylinder 8 in. in diameter.
Compute the number of turns required to permit an elongation of 4 in. without exceeding a shearing stress
of 18 ksi. Use the original equation and G = 12 × 106 psi.

4. Compute the maximum shearing stress developed in a phosphor bronze spring having mean diameter of
200 mm and consisting of 24 turns of 20-mm-diameter wire when the spring is stretched 100 mm. Use
wahl’s formula and G = 42 GPa.
5. Two steel springs arranged in series as shown in Figure supports a load P. The upper spring has 12 turns of
25-mm-diameter wire on a mean radius of 100 mm. The lower spring consists of 10 turns of 20-mm
diameter wire on a mean radius of 75 mm. If the maximum shearing stress in either spring must not exceed
200 MPa, compute the maximum value of P and the total elongation of the assembly. Use wahl’s formula
and G = 83 GPa. Compute the equivalent spring constant by dividing the load by the total elongation.
6. A rigid bar, pinned at O, is supported by two identical springs as shown in Figure. Each spring consists of 20
turns of ¾-in-diameter wire having a mean diameter of 6 in. Determine the maximum load W that may be
supported if the shearing stress in the springs is limited to 20 ksi. Use the original equation.
Practice Problem:

1. A pulley is 600 mm in diameter and the difference in tensions on the two sides of the driving belt is 1.5
kN. If the speed of the pulley is 500 rev/min, determine (a) the torque developed, and (b) the work done
in 3 minutes.

2. A steel propeller shaft is to transmit 4.5 MW at 3 Hz without exceeding a shearing stress of 50 MPa or
twisting through more than 1° in a length of 26 diameters. Compute the proper diameter if G = 83 GPa.

3. Determine the maximum torque that can be applied to a hollow circular steel shaft of 100-mm outside
diameter and an 80-mm inside diameter without exceeding a shearing stress of 60 MPa or a twist of 0.5
deg/m. Use G = 83 GPa.

4. A compound shaft consisting of a steel segment and an aluminum segment is acted upon by two
torques as shown in Figure. Determine the maximum permissible value of T subject to the following
torsional shearing stresses: τst = 83 MPa, τal = 55 MPa, and the angle of rotation of the free end is
limited to 6°. For steel, G = 83 GPa and for aluminum, G = 28 GPa.

5. A motor connected to a shaft develops a torque of 5 kN m. Determine the number of revolutions made
by the shaft if the work done is 9 MJ.

6. A flanged bolt coupling consists of six ½ -in. steel bolts evenly spaced around a bolt circle 12 in. in
diameter, and four ¾ -in. aluminum bolts on a concentric bolt circle 8 in. in diameter. What torque can
be applied without exceeding 9000 psi in the steel or 6000 psi in the aluminum? Assume Gst = 12 × 106
psi and Gal = 4 × 106 psi.

7. Calculate the shear stress (MPa) for a steel tube (G = 76 GPa) having the cross section shown in the
figure. The tube has a length of 1.5m and is subjected to a torque of 10 kN.m.

8. A rigid bar, hinged at one end, is supported by two identical springs as shown in Figure. Each spring
consists of 20 turns of 10-mm wire having a mean diameter of 150 mm. Compute the maximum
shearing stress in the springs, using the original formula. Neglect the mass of the rigid bar.

9. Two springs are connected in series. The spring constants are: Spring 1: k1=300 N/m, Spring 2:
k2=600 N/m. An axial load P=100 N is applied to the system. Determine the total deflection of the
system and the deflection of each spring.

10. Suppose we have two springs with the following properties: Spring 1 has a spring constant 500 N/m,
Spring 2 has a spring constant 300 N/m, A total load P=200 N is applied to the system. Calculate the
deflection of the system and the load carried by each spring.