An Analysis of Ford Model A Driveshaft
Study of the Ford Model A driveshaft, looking at design objectives, constraints, loading conditions, material selection, and process selection.
Our group selected a Ford Model A driveshaft as the part for analysis because it is an important component in every automobile that has to withstand fairly large forces (torque and shear stress) in many applications. The driveshaft for the Model A is very simple and we saw that it could be greatly improved if it was made in the present day through the use of modern materials, technologies, and manufacturing processes.
For the Model A driveshaft, EE Steel, which has roughly the same composition as AISI 1040 Steel, was chosen. This material has several properties that made it applicable for the driveshaft: Resistance to brittle failure, Relative cheap cost for a high stiffness, and High critical frequency. The steel was water-quenched and tempered at 540 degrees Celsius.
For the redesigned, we chose 6061-T6 aluminum that can perform better than medium-carbon steel. We also added the U-joint to the shaft to improve the suspension and dampening, while reducing stress on the driveshaft.
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