We had two concerns related to stress in the drive shaft. Since a lot of torque would be required to turn the gears, shear stress in the drive shaft could result in failure. That same torque will induce a force-based displacement in the shaft, which could cause the gear teeth to mis-align with or un-mesh from the mating gear.
Based on our simulations, the shear stress affecting the shaft will be well below the amount required for failure, and the displacement of the gear teeth will not be enough to cause any problems.
After our faculty review with subject matter expert Dr. Boedo, we had some concern about the amount of RPM expected to be sustained by our shafts. Based on methods described below, Mechanical Design by Shigley, we were able to investigate the possibility of 'speed wobble'.
Home | Seat Assembly |Gearbox | Electronics | Methods of Testing | Faculty Reviews