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Vehicle driveshafts are used for transmitting rotational motion and
torque of the engine to the driving wheels. They have the following
characteristics: transmitting high torque, operating at high speed, and
varying positions of output shafts. The purpose of this study is to develop
a complete design method for minimizing the weight of driveshafts.
Firstly, the kinematic structure of driveshafts is analyzed and a conceptual
design, most suitable for driveshafts, is suggested. Secondly, the
kinematic and dynamic analyses of driveshafts are presented and the basic
design principles of elements are developed. Finally, an optimization
design algorithm to obtain the optimal design is introduced, as the weight
minimization is set as the objective goal. A computer code is then
developed, and the optimization results of various cases are discussed and
compared. The design method developed in this study should be helpful
in the case of driveshaft design.
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