Contact — Shaft-Hub Keyway Joint Shear & Bearing Stress

3-body drive shaft, flanged hub and parallel key assembly under torsional loading: torque transmission, key shear stress tau_shear and keyway contact bearing stress sigma_bearing.

Tolerance:

5%

Problem statement

Geometry

Drive shaft (journal R=25 mm, shoulder R=32 mm), flanged hub (bore R=25 mm, outer R=48 mm, torque lugs at X = +-65 mm), and parallel key (b=14 mm, h=10 mm, length L=54 mm, depth in shaft/hub h'=5 mm). Applied torque Mz = 2 * 5000 N * 0.065 m = 650 N*m. Tangential transmission force at shaft radius R=25 mm is Ft = Mz /… show full text

Drive shaft (journal R=25 mm, shoulder R=32 mm), flanged hub (bore R=25 mm, outer R=48 mm, torque lugs at X = +-65 mm), and parallel key (b=14 mm, h=10 mm, length L=54 mm, depth in shaft/hub h'=5 mm). Applied torque Mz = 2 * 5000 N * 0.065 m = 650 N*m. Tangential transmission force at shaft radius R=25 mm is Ft = Mz / R = 26000 N (26 kN).

Material

Shaft: 42CrMo4 Alloy Steel (E=210 GPa, nu=0.29). Hub: EN-GJS-500-7 Ductile Iron (E=169 GPa, nu=0.28). Key: C45 Carbon Steel (E=205 GPa, nu=0.29). Unilateral frictionless Mortar contact.

Boundary conditions

Fix shaft shoulder end and journal (surface number 1, 2). Axial retention of hub (surface number 41, 51 component=z). Guide key side and end faces (surface number 118, 119 component=y, z). Tangential couple +5000 N on surface number 52 (at +X) and -5000 N on surface number 47 (at -X).

Measured quantity

Nominal key shear stress tau_shear = Ft / (b * L) = 26000 / (14 * 54) = 34.39 MPa (deviation <= 5%); nominal contact bearing stress sigma_bearing = Ft / (h' * L) = 26000 / (5 * 54) = 96.30 MPa (deviation <= 5%); torque equilibrium M_reaction = 650 N*m.

WebCAE Terminal

units mm
material E=210000000000 nu=0.29 density=7850
import path="shaft_hub_key_assembly_body1.step" format=step
material E=169000000000 nu=0.28 density=7100
import path="shaft_hub_key_assembly_body2.step" format=step
material E=205000000000 nu=0.29 density=7850
import path="shaft_hub_key_assembly_body3.step" format=step
contact frictionless
mesh tet size=5.2 order=2 bonding=0
fix surface number 2
fix surface number 1
fix surface number 41 component=z
fix surface number 51 component=z
fix surface number 118 component=z
fix surface number 119 component=z
fix surface number 118 component=y
fix surface number 119 component=y
load surface number 52 force=5000 component=y
load surface number 47 force=-5000 component=y
solve
minmax displacement_magnitude

Results comparison

Updated: 2026-10-19 · WebCAE solver