The torsion and flexure of shafting with keyways or cracks

Abstract

The object of the paper is to investigate the properties of shafts of circular cross-section into which keyways or slits have been cut, first when subjected to torsion, and second when bent by a transverse load at one end. The torsion problem for similar cases has been treated by several writers. Filon has worked out an approximation to the case of a circular section with one or two keyways ; in his method the boundary of the cross-section was a nearly circular ellipse and the boundaries of the keyways were confocal hyperbolas. In particular he considered the case when the hyperbola degenerated into straight lines starting from the foci. The solution for a circular section with one keyway in the form of an orthogonal circle has been obtained by Gronwall. In each case the solution has been obtained by the use of a conformal trans­formation and this method is again used in this paper, the transformations used being ρ = k sn 2 t . ρ = k 1/2 sn t , ρ = k 1/2 sn 1/2 t where ρ = x + iy , t = ξ + i η. No work appears to have been done on the flexure problem which is here worked out for several cases of shafts with slits. 2. Summary of the Problems Treated . We first consider the torsional properties of shafts with one and with two indentations. In particular cases numerical results have been obtained for the stresses at particular points and for the torsional rigidity. The results for one indentation and for two indentations of the same width and approximately the same depth have been compared. We next consider the solution of the torsion problem for one, two or four equal slits of any depth from the surface towards the axis. The values of the stresses have not been worked out in these cases since the stress is infinite at the bottom of the slits. This in stress occurs because the physical conditions are not satisfied at the bottom of the slits, but as had been pointed out by Filon this does not affect the validity of the values of the torsional rigidity. We compare the effect on the torsional rigidity of the shaft of one, two and four slits of the same depth in particular cases. We also compare the results for one slit with those obtained by Filon by another method, and find very good agreement which is illustrated by a graph. The reduction in torsional rigidity due to a semicircular keyway is compared with that due to a slit of approximately the same depth. Finally the distortion of the cross-sections at right angles to the planes is investigated, and in this, several interesting and perhaps unexpected features appear. The relative shift of the two sides of the slits is calculated in several cases.