What loads are experienced by drive shafts?

Question

what types of loads are experienced by drive shafts of say a family car, and drive shafts of ore trucks? i guess there's the overall weight of the thing..but what else? i'm kinda more interested in what exactly is causing the loads??

does it experience torque due to the motor?

you need to go simple terms..imagine i know nothing! lol

thanks heaps :)

Answer 1

Drive shafts usually transmit torque.  If you pull on the hand wheel of a valve (etc.) with 10 pounds of force and the radius of the hand wheel is 1 foot, the torque is 10 pounds x 1 foot = 10 foot-pounds.  If you use both hands on opposite sides of the wheel you can double the torque.  The drive shaft will transmit the 10 foot-pounds of torque, for example to a rotating load and will move the load if that produces enough force to overcome resistance.

Answer 2

*When a drive shaft or a part of a drive shaft fractures, it is usually the result of some sort of shock load. If the fracture occurs in a vehicle, it can usually be traced back to an irregular action by the driver. If the fracture occurs in a stationary application, it is usually caused by something that “ties’ up in the drive train.

*Thrust load:

In vertical motors thrust is an unusually heavy weight or load applied in one or both directions. Thrust is the most important consideration to high, medium and low thrust turbines or centrifugal pumps.

-Radial Loads

Centrifugal pumps and non-clog pumps have some axial thrust, but considerable radial loading.

-Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton's Second and Third Laws. When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction the accelerated mass will cause a proportional but opposite force on that system.

*Impact Load :

Generally when the strength of machine elements are considered it is assumed that the loading is static or applied gradually.  This loading condition is often not the case, the loading may be cyclic requiring assessment for fatigue.   Fatigue    or it may involve impact or suddenly applied loads.   When loads are applied suddenly and when the loads are applied as impact loads the resulting transient stresses (and deformations) induced in the machine elements are much higher than if the loads are applied gradually.

*Heavy start up torque can cause shear.

*Failure of bearings can also cause twist.

*Unbalancing of the equipment like blower/pump can cause different types of loading of the drive shaft.