Fatigue life prediction for a barrelled spline coupling under torque overload

Abstract Aeroengine spline couplings experience a wide range of loading conditions leading to contrasting service life limiting phenomena, including fatigue, fretting fatigue and fretting wear. Highly loaded couplings may employ incomplete contact axial profiles, while the contact geometry transverse to the spline axis is nominally complete with theoretical stress singularities at the contact edges. Life assessment of such components is consequently complex. The effect of torque overload conditions on the fatigue life of a barrelled, aeroengine type spline coupling is investigated experimentally. The experimental results are interpreted using three-dimensional finite element analyses, incorporating frictional contact and elastic-plastic material behaviour and the results of simple tension-tension fatigue tests. Torque-life and finite element predicted stress-life relationships are generated for spline life prediction purposes. Good correlation is obtained between the spline coupling and simple tension-tension fatigue test results, interpreted via the finite element predicted stress ranges.

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