Shaft Work Calculator

This calculator allows for the calculation of shaft work and the optimal sizing of a rotating shaft under a torque load. A shaft may fail in one of three manners: shear, bending, or fatigue. This calculator uses expected shear stresses as the expected failure mode, and subsequently as the basis for shaft sizing. Fatigue stresses are complex and require more detailed modeling, whereas bending stress are placed by gears and pulleys that attach to a shaft. Generally speaking, guidelines will be provided by equipment providers on permissible bending loads for a shaft.

This calculator considers maximum permissible shear stresses as 8,000 psi for shafts with allowance for keyways and 6,000 psi without keyway allowance. Shaft model is considered to be carbon steel.