Finite element analysis of two-piece cardan shafts using conventional and composite materials

Abstract This study investigates the structural and modal behavior of two-piece cardan shafts constructed from conventional and composite materials. Material selection included Steel SM45C, Hardox 400, Stainless Steel, and two composite coatings Carbon Epoxy and E-Glass Polyester applied on a steel core. Finite element analyses in ANSYS Workbench 2021 R2 were conducted to assess the cardan shaft's total deformation, shear stress, maximum principal stress, strain energy, and natural frequency. Under torsional loading of 1250 N·mm at 2000 rpm, Hardox 400 showed the highest total deformation of 0.778 mm, while Steel SM45C had the lowest at 0.398 mm. Maximum principal stresses ranged between 2.4041 MPa (Stainless Steel) and 3.1634 MPa (E-Glass Polyester). Modal analysis revealed that Hardox 400 displayed the lowest fundamental natural frequency at 1191.1 Hz, while Carbon Epoxy exhibited the highest at 952.96 Hz. Across higher-order modes up to Mode 16, Carbon Epoxy and Stainless Steel consistently yielded the highest natural frequencies (~ 8802.3 Hz), while Hardox 400 showed the most compliant behavior (~ 5314.5 Hz). These findings highlight that material selection greatly influences dynamic performance, making composite and stainless-steel coatings promising for lightweight, high-speed automotive driveshafts.