Study of Design and Analysis of S-glass Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Polymer Metal Laminate Composites in the Application of Propeller Shafts

The propeller shafts are utilized to transmit power from gear box to rear wheels in automobiles. It is found that the weight, cost, critical speed and buckling of shafts are the serious issues in conventional metallic propeller shafts. The propeller shafts made up of composite material are best suited for LMV due to single piece manufacturing. The fiber metal laminate propeller shafts are getting popular as the metal liner adds extra strength, rigidity and acts as a substrate and avoids leaking during manufacturing. The propeller shaft of light motor vehicle was selected for study. S-glass fibers, epoxy and a thin mild steel liner are the materials chosen. The design of the shaft was carried out according to ASME Standard code of design. The ply orientation and stacking sequence are selected as [±45°, 0°, 90°], to increase the torsional strength, enhance natural frequency and buckling strength respectively. The finite element analysis of the propeller shaft is carried out in Ansys APDL. It is found from the analysis that the weight, torsional strength, torsional stiffness and natural frequency of the S-glass fiber reinforced Epoxy Metal Laminate (FML) composites are superior than the conventional C-35 alloy steel material, and hence can be an alternative to the conventional alloy steel shaft.