Effect of ovality of shaft/hole on interference fits between shaft and hole

Abstract

Interference fit is commonly used in joints in mechanical engineering. The interference between a shaft and a hole has been studied thoroughly in literature. In most studies, the shaft and hole are assumed to be free of geometrical errors such as ovality and taper. Studies including the effect of geometrical errors are rare. In this project, the effect of ovality on the interference fit between a shaft and hole is investigated. For the analysis of interference fit in this project, the finite element software ANSYS has been used. Initially, a shaft and hole assembly has been analysed without considering ovality. Theoretical results have been calculated for interference fit without ovality to confirm the results of finite element analysis. The analysis is used as a reference while studying the effect of ovality. In studying the effect of ovality, the ovality of the shaft has been varied in steps while the hole is still assumed to be circular. The variation of radial stress and hoop stress along the radial and circumferential directions are plotted. It is seen that the ovality has a profound effect on the distribution of these stress components.