Traditional propeller shafts using universal joints have been replaced by sophisticated and complex solutions that not only reduce weight, but also increase the performance of such systems in modern automotive vehicles. Due to its complexity that nowadays even may combine plastic and metallic components, traditional analytical models reach their limits to support engineers during their design phase.
Particularly, in the case of their analysis under vibration, it becomes critical, as the life time of a propeller shaft and its components (bushes and joints) have to work far away from their natural frequency values. Analytical solutions seem not to be helpful anymore, when one need to reach a mostly precise value of a natural frequency of complex shafts. Although the FEM analysis nowadays is so far highly developed, they are still no responding to the increasingly demand for high accurate results in a short period of development time.
This work focus on the development of a reliable method to simulate complex propeller shafts under vibration, including the components bush and joints and assessing its limits when compared to available analytical solutions. The paper presents a positive and efficient tool to the design phase of such powertrain products.