Design shafts

Design a shaft
  1. On the ribbon, click Design tab Power Transmission panel Shaft .
  2. On the Design tab:
    • In the Placement box area, specify the shaft placement within the assembly, if needed.
      Note: Placement is not required to design shaft using Shaft Generator.
    • In the Sections box area, use the pull-down list to design a shape of the shaft. Depending on your selection, the commands within the toolbar display.
      • Select Sections to insert shaft features and sections.
      • Select Bore on the right/Bore on the left to design a hollow shaft shape.
    • Select commands from the menu (Insert Cone, Insert Cylinder, Insert Polygon) to insert shaft sections. Selected section displays in the tree control. Based on the section type (cone, cylinder, and so on) and based on the section position (first, in the middle, and so on) the list of available features is available for each section. You can insert unlimited number of sections.
    • Select the shaft feature or section and click to edit the dimensions.
    • Select the shaft feature or section and click to delete the feature or section.
    • (Optional) Click Options from the toolbar (which is always available) to set options for 3D graphical preview and 2D preview.
    • (Optional) Click More in the right lower corner of the Design tab to add a designed shaft to the Templates Library.
  3. Click OK to insert a shaft to the Autodesk Inventor assembly.
Note: You can switch to the Calculation tab to set the shaft material and add loads and supports.

Click Results to display the HTML report.

Design a hollow shaft shape
  1. On the ribbon, click Design tab Power Transmission panel Shaft .
  2. On the Design tab:
    • In the Placement box area, specify the shaft placement within the assembly.
      Note: Placement is not required to design shaft using Shaft Generator.
    • Select Sections from the pull-down list in the Sections box area, and insert shaft sections.
    • Select Bore on the right/Bore on the left from the pull-down list in the Sections box area. Insert Cylindrical Bore and Insert Conical Bore options display on the toolbar. Click to insert a hollow shaft of an appropriate shape.
    • Select the bore in the tree control and click to edit the dimensions.
    • Select the bore in the tree control and click to delete the bore.
    • (Optional) Click Options from the toolbar (which is always available) to set options for 3D graphical preview and 2D preview.
    • (Optional) Click More in the right lower corner of the Design tab to add a designed shaft to the Templates Library.
  3. Click OK to insert a shaft to the Autodesk Inventor assembly.

Split selected shaft cylinder

When designing shaft with cylinder you can split the selected cylinder into two parts. The length of the cylinder remains the same.

In the graphics window or the 2D Preview area of the Design tab, select the cylinder and click Split Selected Section in the toolbar.

Specify supports

Drag supports along the whole shaft length, if appropriate. Only one support carries the axial load, and its diagrammatic display is different from others.

  1. On the ribbon, click Design tab Power Transmission panel Shaft .
  2. On the Design tab, design a shaft shape.
  3. Switch to the Calculation tab:
    • In the Loads & Supports area, select Supports from the pull-down list. Add Fixed Support and Add Free Support commands display in the toolbar.
    • Add free or fixed support.
    • Select the support in the tree control and click to edit the support dimensions.
    • Select the support in the tree control and click to delete the support.

Specify loads
  1. On the ribbon, click Design tab Power Transmission panel Shaft .
  2. On the Design tab, design a shaft shape.
  3. Switch to the Calculation tab:
    • In the Loads & Supports area, select Loads from the pull-down list. Available commands display in the toolbar.
    • Click or to add common or continuous load.
    • Select the load in the tree control and click to edit the load dimensions.
    • Select the load in the tree control and click to delete the load.

Specify forces

Forces are specified in all directions. Fx (axial), Fy (XY plane) and Fz (XZ plane). Positive force actuates in the opposite direction than the positive coordinate axis.

  1. On the ribbon, click Design tab Power Transmission panel Shaft .
  2. On the Design tab, design a shaft shape.
  3. Switch to the Calculation tab:
    • In the Loads & Supports area, select Loads from the pull-down list. Available commands display in the toolbar.
    • Click or to add radial or axial force.
    • Select the force in the tree control and click to edit the force dimensions.
    • Select the force in the tree control and click to delete the force.

Specify moments

Specify moments in all directions. Mx (torque), My (bending - XZ plane) and Mz (bending - XY plane). Positive moment actuates in the counterclockwise direction.

  1. On the ribbon, click Design tab Power Transmission panel Shaft .
  2. On the Design tab, design a shaft shape.
  3. Switch to the Calculation tab:
    • In the Loads & Supports area, select Loads from the pull-down list. Available commands display in the toolbar.
    • Click to add bending moment.
    • Select the bending moment in the tree control and click to edit the bending moment dimensions.
    • Select the bending moment in the tree control and click to delete the bending moment.

Specify torque

Torque is entered using two forces which are mutually opposite. One force represents the actual torque, and the other force must be negative (for example, 150 Nm and -150 Nm). The sum of all torques (Max) must be equal to 0.

  1. On the ribbon, click Design tab Power Transmission panel Shaft .
  2. On the Design tab, design a shaft shape.
  3. Switch to the Calculation tab:
    • In the Loads & Supports area, select Loads from the pull-down list. Available commands display in the toolbar.
    • Click to add torque.
    • Select the torque in the tree control and click to edit the torque dimensions.
    • Select the torque in the tree control and click to delete the torque.

Edit shafts using Shaft Generator
  1. Open the Autodesk Inventor assembly with the already inserted Design Accelerator shaft.
  2. Select the shaft, right-click to display the context menu and select the Edit Using Design Accelerator command.
  3. Edit the shaft. You can add, delete features and sections, edit the calculation parameters. If you changed calculation values, click Calculate to see the strength check. Calculation results are displayed in the Results area. The inputs that fail the calculation are displayed in red (their value does not correspond with other inserted values or calculation criteria). Reports of the calculation are displayed in the Summary of Messages area.
  4. Click OK.

Add shafts to Templates Library

You can save shafts to Templates Library.

To display the Templates Library, on the Design tab, click More in the lower right corner.

In the Templates Description dialog box, set the template name, and click OK.

Set shaft options

Within the Shaft Generator, you can set options for features and inner sections visibility in 3D graphical preview and 2D preview.

The availability of options depends on which tab you used to open the Options dialog box. The options vary for Design and Calculation tabs. Selections made in the Design tab apply to that particular tab..

  1. On the ribbon, click Design tab Power Transmission panel Shaft .
  2. On the Design or Calculation tab, select Options.
    Note: Options command is always available.
  3. On the Options dialog box you can:
    • On the 3D Preview box area, set options for 3D visibility of features, display of the shaft coordinate system.
    • On the 2D Preview box area, set options for 2D preview within the Design tab.
  4. Click OK.

Use padlocks to specify if the variable is independent

Lock the particular dimension to stick to the dimensions of shaft sections next to them. Use padlocks to make certain dimensions dependent and independent.

When dimensions are unlock, they can be freely changed.

Lock particular dimension – cone diameter, for example. Cone has no grips available. The dimensions change according to the dimension of section next to the cone. When you change the dimension of such section – cylinder, for example, the diameter of cone changes also. Changes in the cylinder dimensions affect the cone.

Padlocks are available for hollow sections too.

Shaft Tutorial

Parent topic: Shaft Component Generator