Seventh Edition

CHAPTER

MECHANICS OF
MATERIALS
Ferdinand P. Beer
E. Russell Johnston, Jr.
John T. DeWolf
David F. Mazurek

Torsion

Lecture Notes:
Brock E. Barry
U.S. Military Academy

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Torsional Loads on Circular Shafts

Stresses and strains in members of
circular cross-section are subjected
to twisting couples or torques
Turbine exerts torque T on the shaft
Shaft transmits the torque to the
generator
Generator creates an equal and
opposite torque T

Fig. 3.2 (a) A generator provides power at a

constant revolution per minute to a turbine
through shaft AB. (b) Free body diagram of shaft
AB along with the driving and reaction torques on
the generator and turbine, respectively.

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Net Torque Due to Internal Stresses

Net of the internal shearing stresses is an
internal torque, equal and opposite to the
applied torque,
Fig. 3.3 Shaft subject to torques
and a section plane at C.

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 cannot be assumed uniform.

Fig. 3.24 (a)Free body diagram of

section BC with torque at C
represented by the representable
contributions of small elements of area
carrying forces dF a radius from the
section center. (b) Free-body diagram
of section BC having all the small area
elements summed resulting in torque

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Axial Shear Components

Torque applied to shaft produces shearing
stresses on the faces perpendicular to the
axis.
Fig. 3.5 Small element in shaft
showing how shear stress components
act.

Conditions of equilibrium require the

existence of equal stresses on the faces of the
two planes containing the axis of the shaft.
The existence of the axial shear components is
demonstrated by considering a shaft made up
of slats pinned at both ends to disks.
The slats slide with respect to each other
when equal and opposite torques are applied
to the ends of the shaft.

Fig. 3.6 Model of shearing in shaft

(a) undeformed; (b) loaded and
deformed.

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Shaft Deformations
From observation, the angle of twist of the
shaft is proportional to the applied torque and
to the shaft length.
T
L
Fig. 3.7 Shaft with fixed support and
line AB drawn showing deformation
under torsion loading: (a) unloaded;
(b) loaded.

When subjected to torsion, every cross-section

of a circular shaft remains plane and
undistorted.
Cross-sections for hollow and solid circular
shafts remain plain and undistorted because a
circular shaft is axisymmetric.

Fig. 3.8 Comparison of deformations

in circular (a) and square (b) shafts.

Cross-sections of noncircular (nonaxisymmetric) shafts are distorted when

subjected to torsion.

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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

Shear strain is proportional to twist and radius

max
Fig. 3.13 Shearing Strain Kinematic
definitions for torsion deformation. (a)
The angle of twist (b) Undeformed
portion of shaft of radius with (c)
Deformed portion of the shaft having
same angle of twist,and strain, angles
of twist per unit length, .

and max
L
c

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Stresses in Elastic Range

Multiplying the previous equation by the
shear modulus,
G

G max
c

From Hookes Law, G , so

Fig. 3.14 Distribution of shearing

stresses in a torqued shaft; (a) Solid
shaft, (b) hollow shaft.

max
c

The shearing stress varies linearly with the

distance from the axis of the shaft.
Recall that the sum of the moments of the
elementary forces exerted on any cross
section of the shaft must be equal to the
magnitude T of the torque:

T dA max 2 dA max J
c
c
The results are known as the elastic torsion
formulas,
max

Tc
T
and
J
J

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Normal Stresses

Fig. 3.17 Circular shaft with stress

elements at different orientations.

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,
F 2 max A0 cos 45 max A0 2

45o
Fig. 3.18 Forces on faces at 45 to shaft
axis.

Fig. 3.19 Shaft elements with only

shear stresses or normal stresses.

F max A0 2

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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Torsional Failure Modes

Photo 3.2 Shear failure of shaft subject to

torque.

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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Sample Problem 3.1

SOLUTION:
Cut sections through shafts AB
and BC and perform static
equilibrium analyses to find
torque loadings.

Shaft BC is hollow with inner and outer

diameters of 90 mm and 120 mm,
respectively. Shafts AB and CD are solid
and of diameter d. For the loading shown,
determine (a) the minimum and maximum
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.

Apply elastic torsion formulas to

find minimum and maximum
stress on shaft BC.
Given allowable shearing stress
and applied torque, invert the
elastic torsion formula to find the
required diameter.

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Sample Problem 3.1

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

Fig. 1 Free-body diagram for section between A

and B.

Fig. 2 Free-body diagram for section between B

and C.

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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Sample Problem 3.1

Apply elastic torsion formulas to
find minimum and maximum
stress on shaft BC.

Fig. 3 Shearing stress distribution on cross

section.
4

0.060 4 0.045 4
J
c2 c14

13.92 10 6 m 4

max 2

TBC c2 20 kN m 0.060 m

J
13.92 10 6 m 4

Given allowable shearing stress and

applied torque, invert the elastic torsion
formula to find the required diameter.

Fig. 4 Free-body diagram of shaft portion AB.

max

min
45 mm

86.2 MPa 60 mm

min 64.7 MPa

65MPa

6 kN m
c3
2

c 38.9 103 m

86.2 MPa

min c1

max c2

Tc
Tc

J c4
2

d 2c 77.8 mm

max 86.2 MPa

min 64.7 MPa

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Angle of Twist in Elastic Range

Recall that the angle of twist and maximum
shearing strain are related,
max

c
L

In the elastic range, the shearing strain and shear

are related by Hookes Law,
Fig. 3.20 Torque applied to fixed end
shaft resulting angle of twist .

max

max Tc

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
Fig. 3.21 Shaft with multiple crosssection dimensions and multiple loads.

Ti Li
i J i Gi

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Sample Problem 3.4

SOLUTION:
Apply a static equilibrium analysis on
the two shafts to find a relationship
between TCD and T0 .
Apply a kinematic analysis to relate
the angular rotations of the gears.
Two solid steel shafts are connected
by gears. Knowing that for each
shaft G = 11.2 x 106 psi and that the
allowable shearing stress is 8 ksi,
determine (a) the largest torque T0
that may be applied to the end of
shaft AB, (b) the corresponding angle
through which end A of shaft AB
rotates.

Find the maximum allowable torque

on each shaft choose the smallest.
Find the corresponding angle of twist
for each shaft and the net angular
rotation of end A.

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Sample Problem 3.4

SOLUTION:
Apply a static equilibrium analysis on
the two shafts to find a relationship
between TCD and T0 .

Apply a kinematic analysis to relate

the angular rotations of the gears.

Fig. 2 Angles of twist for gears B and C.

Fig. 1 Free-body diagrams of gears B and
C.

M B 0 F 0.875 in. T0

rB B rCC
rC
2.45 in.
C
C
rB
0.875 in.

M C 0 F 2.45 in. TCD

TCD 2.8 T0

B 2.8C

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Sample Problem 3.4

Find the corresponding angle of twist for each
Find the T0 for the maximum
shaft and the net angular rotation of end A.
allowable torque on each shaft
choose the smallest.
Fig. 5

Fig. 3 Freebody diagram of

shaft AB.

max

Fig. 4 Freebody diagram of

shaft CD.

T 0.375 in.
TAB c
8000 psi 0
0.375 in. 4
J AB
2

T0 663 lb in.

max

TCD c
2.8 T0 0.5 in.
8000 psi
0.5 in. 4
J CD
2

T0 561lb in.

T0 561lb in

A/ B

C / D

561lb in. 24 in.

TAB L

J ABG 0.375 in. 4 11.2 106 psi

2

0.387 rad 2.22o

T L
2.8 561lb in. 24 in.
CD
J CDG 0.5 in. 4 11.2 106 psi

0.514 rad 2.95o

B 2.8C 2.8 2.95o 8.26o

A B A / B 8.26o 2.22o

A 10.48o

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Design of Transmission Shafts

Principal transmission shaft
performance specifications are:
power
Speed of rotation
Designer must select shaft
material and dimensions of the
cross-section to meet
performance specifications
without exceeding allowable
shearing stress.

Determine torque applied to shaft at

specified power and speed,
P T 2fT
T

P
P

2f

Find shaft cross-section which will not

exceed the maximum allowable
shearing stress,
max

Tc
J

J 3
T
c
c 2
max

solid shafts

J
4 4
T

c2 c1
c2 2c2
max

hollow shafts

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