Sixth Edition

CHAPTER MECHANICS OF

3 MATERIALS
Ferdinand P. Beer
E. Russell Johnston, Jr.
John T. DeWolf

Lecture Notes:
Torsion

Tony Meri C
Makerere University
Edition
Sixth
MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Contents

Introduction Statically Indeterminate Shafts

Torsional Loads on Circular Shafts Example 2
Net Torque Due to Internal Stresses Design of Transmission Shafts
Axial Shear Components Example 3
Shaft Deformations
Shearing Strain
Stresses in Elastic Range
Normal Stresses
Torsional Failure Modes
Example 1
Angle of Twist in Elastic Range

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Introduction: What is Torsion?

• Twisting of a member when it is
loaded by moments (or torques) that
tend to produce rotation about the
longitudinal axes of the member.
Examples include:
• Turning a screw-driver by hand;
drive shafts in automobiles; axles;
propeller shafts; steering rods; drill
bits, etc.

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Torsional Loads on Circular Shafts

• Interested in stresses and strains of
circular shafts subjected to twisting
couples or torques.
• Shaft: any structural/cylindrical
member that transmits torque from
one plane to another
• Circular shaft: axisymmetric body
i.e. geometry, material properties &
loadings are symmetric w.r.t an
axis. => symmetric stresses
• Turbine exerts torque T on the shaft

• Shaft transmits the torque to the

generator
• Generator creates an equal and
opposite torque T’
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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Net Torque Due to Internal Stresses

• For shaft AB subjected to torsional forces T and T’,
cut a section at C perpendicular to shaft axis and
draw the fbd.
dF: shearing forces portion AC exerts on BC as the
shaft is twisted
ρ: is the perpendicular distance from the force to
shaft axis
• Net of the internal shearing stresses is an internal
torque, equal and opposite to the applied torque,
T    dF     dA
• Although the net torque due to the shearing stresses
is known, the distribution of the stresses is not
• Distribution of shearing stresses is statically
indeterminate – must consider shaft deformations
• Unlike the normal stress due to axial loads, the
distribution of shearing stresses due to torsional loads
can not be assumed uniform.
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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Shaft Deformations
Assumptions
• The shaft is in pure torsion i.e. every cross section
is identical and subjected to the same internal force
• Every cross-section of a circular shaft remains
plane and undistorted.
• For small angle of rotation, neither the length or the
radii will change
• Strains are small
• The material is homogeneous, isotropic and linearly
elastic.
• Consider a circular shaft fixed to a support at one
end and subjected to a Torque T at the other.
• The shaft will twist with its free end rotating
through an angle φ called the angle of twist.

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Shaft Deformations
• From observation, the angle of twist of the
shaft is proportional to the applied torque and
to the shaft length.

 T
L

• Cross-sections for hollow and solid circular

shafts remain plain and undistorted because a
circular shaft is axisymmetric.

• Cross-sections of noncircular (non-

axisymmetric) shafts are distorted when
subjected to torsion.

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Shearing Strain

• Consider an interior section of the shaft. As a

torsional load is applied, an element on the
interior cylinder deforms into a rhombus.

• Since the ends of the element remain planar,

the shear strain is equal to angle of twist.

• It follows that

L   or  
L

• Shear strain is proportional to twist and radius

c 
 max  and    max
L c

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Stresses in Elastic Range

• Multiplying the previous equation by the
shear modulus,

G  G max
c
From Hooke’s Law,   G , so

  max
c
The shearing stress varies linearly with the
J  12  c 4
radial position in the section.
• Recall that the sum of the moments from
the internal stress distribution is equal to
the torque on the shaft at the section,
 
T    dA  max   2 dA  max J
c c
• The results are known as the elastic torsion

J  12  c24  c14  formulas,
Tc T
 max  and  
J J
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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Normal Stresses
• Elements with faces parallel and perpendicular
to the shaft axis are subjected to shear stresses
only. Normal stresses, shearing stresses or a
combination of both may be found for other
orientations.
• Consider an element at 45o to the shaft axis. For
equilibrium of triangular element
F  2 max A0 cos 45   max A0 2
F  max A0 2
 45o     max
A A0 2
• Element a is in pure shear.
• Element c is subjected to a tensile stress on
two faces and compressive stress on the other
two.
• Note that all stresses for elements a and c have
the same magnitude
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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Torsional Failure Modes

• Ductile materials generally fail in

shear. Brittle materials are weaker in
tension than shear.

• When subjected to torsion, a ductile

specimen breaks along a plane of
maximum shear, i.e., a plane
perpendicular to the shaft axis.

• When subjected to torsion, a brittle

specimen breaks along planes
perpendicular to the direction in
which tension is a maximum, i.e.,
along surfaces at 45o to the shaft
axis.

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Example 1
SOLUTION:
• Cut sections through shafts AB
and BC and perform static
equilibrium analysis to find
torque loadings
• Apply elastic torsion formulas to
find minimum and maximum
stress on shaft BC
Shaft BC is hollow with inner and outer
diameters of 90 mm and 120 mm, • Given allowable shearing stress
respectively. Shafts AB and CD are solid and applied torque, invert the
of diameter d. For the loading shown, elastic torsion formula to find the
determine (a) the minimum and maximum required diameter
shearing stress in shaft BC, (b) the
required diameter d of shafts AB and CD
if the allowable shearing stress in these
shafts is 65 MPa.
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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Example
SOLUTION: 1
• Cut sections through shafts AB and BC
and perform static equilibrium analysis
to find torque loadings

 M x  0  6 kN  m   TAB  M x  0  6 kN  m   14 kN  m   TBC

TAB  6 kN  m  TCD TBC  20 kN  m

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Example 1
• Apply elastic torsion formulas to • Given allowable shearing stress and
find minimum and maximum applied torque, invert the elastic torsion
stress on shaft BC formula to find the required diameter

c24  c14   0.0604  0.0454 

  Tc Tc 6 kN  m
J  max   65MPa 
2 2 J  c4  c3
2 2
6 4
 13.92 10 m
c  38.9 103 m
TBC c2 20 kN  m 0.060 m 
 max   2   d  2c  77.8 mm
J 13.92 10 6 m 4
 86.2 MPa
 min c1  min 45 mm
 
 max c2 86.2 MPa 60 mm  max  86.2 MPa
 min  64.7 MPa  min  64.7 MPa
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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Angle of Twist in Elastic Range

• Recall that the angle of twist and maximum
shearing strain are related,
c
 max 
L
• In the elastic range, the shearing strain and shear
are related by Hooke’s Law,
 max Tc
 max  
G JG
• Equating the expressions for shearing strain and
solving for the angle of twist,
TL

JG
• If the torsional loading or shaft cross-section
changes along the length, the angle of rotation is
found as the sum of segment rotations
Ti Li
 
i J i Gi

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Statically Indeterminate Shafts

• Given the shaft dimensions and the applied
torque, we would like to find the torque reactions
at A and B.
• From a free-body analysis of the shaft,
TA  TB  120 N.m
which is not sufficient to find the end torques.
The problem is statically indeterminate.
• Divide the shaft into two components which
must have compatible deformations,
TA L1 TB L2 LJ
  1  2   0 TB  1 2 TA
J1G J 2G L2 J1

• Substitute into the original equilibrium equation,

L1 J 2
TA  TA  120 N.m
L2 J1

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Example 2
SOLUTION:
• Apply a static equilibrium analysis on
the shaft to find a relationship
between Ts and Ta and Use geometry
of deformations

• Apply stress formula to solve for

shearing stresses and angle of twist
The component shaft shown consist
of 9 mm thick aluminum jacket and
solid steel core. Knowing that
modulus of rigidity of steel is 77GPa
and that of aluminum is 27GPa and
the torque applied is 4kN.m.
Determine the maximum shearing
stress in the steel core and aluminum
jacket and the angle of twist at A.
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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Example 2
SOLUTION:
• Apply a static equilibrium analysis on
the shaft to find a relationship Ts  Ta  4 103 N.m
between Ts and Ta
 s  a
 TL   TL 
   
 GJ  s  GJ  a
d a  72mm; d s  54mm
subsitute and solve;
Ts  1  320Ta
 Ta  1  724 kN.m

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Example 2
• Apply stress formula

Ts c 2  276 106  27
s  
32 54 
Js  4

 s  73.61 MPa
Ta c 1.724 10  36
6
a    4
Js 32 72  54 4

 s  34.41 MPa  TL  2  276 106  2500
   
 GJ  s 77000  32

544
  5  07
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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Design of Transmission Shafts

• Principal transmission shaft • Determine torque applied to shaft at

performance specifications are: specified power and speed,
- power P  T  2fT
- speed P P
T 
 2f
• Designer must select shaft
material and cross-section to • Find shaft cross-section which will not
meet performance specifications exceed the maximum allowable
without exceeding allowable shearing stress,
shearing stress.  max 
Tc
J
J  3 T
 c  solid shafts 
c 2  max
J

 4 4
c2 2c2

c2  c1  
T
 max
hollow shafts 

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MECHANICS OF MATERIALS Beer • Johnston • DeWolf

Example 3

• Given τallow= 50MPa, shaft is to transmit 15kW of power. Design the

solid shaft to transmit power at a) 30Hz b) 60Hz

THE END

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