Vibration Analysis of a Three-Piece Automotive Shaft

Drive shafts are major automotive components in rear wheel and four wheel drive vehicles. They can be made of single or multi-piece segments. The segments of a multi-piece driveshaft in automotive applications are joined using constant velocity or universal joints or a combination of both. The design of the driveshaft of an automotive system is primarily driven by its natural frequency. This paper uses an exact solution for the vibration of a three-piece driveshaft with multiple intermediate joints. The joint is modeled as a frictionless internal hinge. Thin beam theory is used. Exact solutions are found and used to study the vibrations of three piece shaft system. Natural frequencies and modes shapes are obtained. Numerical results obtained here are compared with those obtained using analytical tools (e.g. finite elements). The solution should be of value to engineers interested in the design and optimization of the system.