IOSR Journal of Mechanical and Civil Engineering (IOSR-JMCE) e-ISSN: 2278-1684,p-ISSN: 2320-334X, Volume 12, Issue 4 Ver. VI (Jul. - Aug. 2015), PP 01-07 www.iosrjournals.org DOI: 10.9790/1684-12460107 www.iosrjournals.org 1 | Page Experimental Investigations on Static and Dynamic Parameters of Steel and Composite Propeller Shafts for a Light Passenger Vehicle M. Pallavi 1 , T. Joel Swaroop Raj 2 , A. Syam Prasad 3 , M.Madhavi 4 1,2 Undergraduate students, Department of Mechanical Engineering, M.V.S.R Engineering College Hyderabad- 501510 3 Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, M.V.S.R Engineering College Hyderabad-501510 4 Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, M.V.S.R Engineering College Hyderabad-501510 Abstract: This paper describes static and dynamic analysis of steel propeller shaft and composite propeller shaft made of glass fibre reinforced polymer. Primary objective is to compare the torque bearing capacity, stiffness and weight savings of composite propeller shaft with that of steel propeller shaft. The design constraints are angle of twist and natural frequency. Finite element analysis with full torsional load on 3-D model of composite propeller shaft was done using finite element technique and analytical results were compared with experimental results. Composite propeller shaft had greater angle of twist, higher stiffness and higher natural frequency than that of existing steel propeller shaft. A weight reduction is achieved by using composite propeller shaft. Keywords: Composite propeller shaft, Glass fibre reinforced polymer, Angle of twist, Natural frequency, Static analysis, Dynamic analysis Nomenclature: SPC ………..Steel Propeller Shaft CPS………...Composite Propeller Shaft E …………...Elastic Modulus v……………Poisson’s ratio G………….. Shear Modulus T……………Torque ability I. Introduction Weight reduction has been the main focus of automobile manufactures. Transmission propeller shaft, a potential item for weight reduction in automobiles, accounts for 7-15 percent of sprung weight, which is the entire weight of the vehicle supported above the suspension springs. Application of composite structures reduces the weight of propeller shaft without any reduction on the torque bearing capacity and stiffness in automobile transmission system. Propeller shaft should be capable of absorbing dynamic vibrations and impacts due to road irregularities and transfer maximum transmission energy from the engine to differential with minimum energy loses to rotate the wheels. So, increasing energy transmission capability of a propeller shaft ensures a more compliant transmission system. A material with maximum strength and minimum shear modulus is the most suitable material for a propeller shaft; Important characteristics of composites 7 that make them excellent for propeller shaft instead of steel are higher strength-to-weight ratio, superior fatigue strength, excellent corrosion resistance, higher natural frequency, etc. In the present work, a steel propeller shaft used in passenger cars is replaced with a composite propeller shaft made of glass/epoxy composites. Dimensions of steel propeller shaft (SPS) and composite propeller shaft (CPS) are considered to be same. Primary objective is to compare their load carrying capacity, stiffness and weight savings of CPS. II. Design Specifications 2.1 Steel propeller shaft (SPS) Design parameters of existing steel propeller shaft used in this work includes: total length (composite shaft),500 mm; outer diameter, 77 mm; inner diameter,47mm;thickness, 15mm; shaft weight, 3.41 kg; material being mild steel with elastic modulus (E) , 207 GPa; poisons ratio(v),0.3; Shear modulus of steel (G) , 80 GPa; and the torque ability (T),1500 N-m.