A Stepped Shaft in Axial Tension

Stepped shafts are widely used in drive trains.They are generally holding large gears and cams, which are key elements in power transfer. Mostly supported by bearings at the end, the shaft experiences bending loads, axial thrust and torsional loads. The shaft must have greater strength to withstand these loads.A factor of safety is used to design the shaft so that higher loads limits are assumed than the working load limit. With gears and cams engaged with other parts in the assembly, any deviation in the shaft's shape can cause a catastrophic effect.The assembly could fail long before the shaft reaches its failure limit and, therefore, the study of the shaft is extremely important. This SimCafe course was developed by Rajesh Bhaskaran, Swanson Director of Engineering Simulation at Cornell University in partnership with Ansys; it was last modified by Sebastien Lachance-Barrett. It serves as an e-learning resource to integrate industry-standard simulation tools into courses and provides a resource for supplementary learning outside the classroom. The following course shows how to estimate the axial stress concentration on a stepped shaft under axial tension using Ansys Structural.