Torsional and Modal Analysis of Automobile Drive Shaft With Different Materials

The current work deals with the study of characteristics of drive shaft to substitute its material with composite material. Suitability of material is analysed by evaluating and comparing shear stress distribution with in the shaft since is torsional strength is directly proportional to shear stress and also compared natural frequencies of the drive shaft. The remarkable properties of Composite materials such as high specific stiffness and strength made to consider replacement of drive shaft. Glass and carbon fibres are most extensively using in commercial applications as its easy availability and stability and reliability. Composite material with 5 plies is considered for analysis and analysis is performed by using commercial FEA software ANSYS. Analysis results are indicating that carbon epoxy material is more reliable than glass epoxy material of same physical dimensions with same number plies and stacking sequence and it evident from displacement, shear stress distribution and natural frequencies.