Analysis of Interference-Fit Joints

Abstract

Interference fit joints have been widely used in many engineering constructions, in particular in electric motors. It is of particular importance to calculate the load capacity of press-fit joints, especially in the overload ranges of construction to estimate the safety factor. The article presents a FEM numerical simulation of pressing the shaft into the hub, taking into account various types of fits. The results of numerical simulations presented in the article were positively verified with the MTS measuring device, which confirmed the correctness of the numerical model. So far, the load-bearing capacity of press-fit joints has been calculated from Lame’s formulas. The results of the load capacity of the joints obtained by the FEM simulation were compared with the results obtained from Lame’s formula. The comparison shows that when designing interference fit joints, attention should be paid to the fact that the press-in process, depending on the type of fit, may be elastic-plastic. Plastic deformations in the contact zone of the joint affect its load-bearing capacity. Therefore, the design of press-fit joints should not be based on Lame’s formulas, which do not take into account the range of plastic work of the material.