Flexibility and Strength of Flexible Shaft : 1st Report, Case of Bending

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the analytical and experimental studies of a cylindrical shell cut by a spiral groove, the so-called flexible shaft. The analysis of the flexible shaft under a uniform bending is carried out by using the theory of a cylindrical shell derived by one of the authors. The relations between the angle of the spiral groove, thickness of shell, radius of cylinder and width of band element, and the flexibility, displacement and stresses of the flexible shaft are made clear. The discussion on the flexibility of the shaft with or without groove suggests how sensibly the groove affects the flexibility of the shaft. Some experimental data are presented for the displacement and strain, and the comparison between them assures the validity of theoretical analysis.