Analytical Solution for Interference Fit for Multi-Layer Thick-Walled Cylinders and the Application in Crankshaft Bearing Design

Abstract: Interference fit is an important contact mode used for torque transmission existing widely in engineering design. To prevent trackslip, a certain magnitude of interference has to be ensured; meanwhile, the interference needs to be controlled to avoid failure of the mechanical components caused by high assembly stress. The finite element method (FEM) can be used to analyze the stress, while the computational cost of FEM involving nonlinear contact algorithm is relatively high, and likely to come across low precision and convergence problems. Therefore, a rapid and accurate analytical method for estimation is of vital need, especially for the initial design stage when the parameters vary in a large range. In this study, an analytical method to calculate the contact pressure and stress between multi-layer thick-walled cylinders (MLTWC) with multi-contact pairs and temperature-raising effect is proposed, and evaluated by FEM. The analytical solution of the interference for tri-layer thick-walled cylinders is applied to the design of engine crankshaft bearing. The results indicate that the analytical method presented in this study can reduce complexity of MLTWC problems and improve the computational efficiency. It is well suited to be used for the calculation model of parameter optimization in early design.