Keyed Shaft, Dia. 5/8 In, 6 In L, CS

Product Information

Like splined shafts, keyed shafts are available in a variety of materials, lengths, and diameters, and their keys are available in different styles, such as round, saddle, sunk, and tangent. A shear key is a feature intended to fail and avoid further damage should the machinery be accidentally operated in excess of its design limits. Shear keys may be any of the designs described above, but are made from a weaker material than the shaft. The shear key is easily and inexpensively replaced, and avoids more serious damage to the mechanism that would be costly or difficult to repair. For example, a steel shaft and pulley may employ a brass key. When excessive torque is applied to the joint, the steel edges shear the brass key into two pieces, leaving the pulley spinning loosely on the shaft and relieving the rest of the machine from possible damage. The shaft key material must be chosen based on the operating environment. A designer must very carefully consider the loads that will be applied to the material and what kind of environment will be in the service. Carbon steel is used more broadly than any other material. Carbon steel provides very good strength through heat treatment.

Parallel, tapered, and Woodruff keyways can be produced on a milling machine. End mills or slotting cutters are used for parallel and tapered keyways, while a Woodruff cutter is used for Woodruff keyways. [10] A keyed connection allows for more tolerance between the shaft and hub, whereas in a keyless connection, the parts should be cleaned and machined to allow tolerances.Like other types of shafts, they are available in a collection of styles, including ball splines, crowned splines, helical splines, serrations, and parallel splines. Wire-cut electrical-discharge machining (EDM) is primarily used for small production lot sizes where either extreme precision is required or other cutting technologies are not readily available. Wire-cut EDM cuts keyways by eroding material away from the workpiece through a series of rapid electric current discharges between a spooling wire and the workpiece through a dielectric liquid. Computer numerical control (CNC) wire-cut EDM machines allow for a wide variety selection of keyways to be cut, inclusive of multiple keyways on the same hub. The main limitations of CNC wire-cut EDM is the time it takes to cut a keyway as well as the size of parts a given wire-cut EDM machine can accommodate. [9] Shaping or slotting [ edit ] The feather key is a parallel key, which is square and rectangular, with a radius apart and length tolerances at both ends. The mating shaft key slot is mechanized with an end-mill cutting tool to the same length as the wing key. This oval shape holds the key in the shaft and prevents axial motion. Broken keyways in mounted components are similar to traditional keys used for parallel keys, so no changes to mounted components are necessary.

Keyseaters, also known as keyseating machines and keyway cutters, are specialized machines designed to cut keyways. They are very similar to vertical shapers; the difference is that the cutting tool on a keyseater enters the workpiece from the bottom and cuts on the down-stroke, while the tool on a shaper enters the workpiece from the top and cuts downward. Another difference is a keyseater has a guiding system above the workpiece to minimize deflection, which results in a closer tolerance cut. The process starts by clamping the workpiece to the table with a fixture or vise. The workpiece is properly located and then the reciprocating arm is started. Some models have a stationary table so the cutter is fed horizontally into the workpiece, while others have a movable table that feeds the workpiece into a fixed cutter. These machines can cut other straight sided features other than keyways (see the picture). They can also produce blind slots, which are slots that do not extend through the whole workpiece. [7] [8] Wire-cut electrical-discharge machining (EDM) [ edit ] Compared to sunk keys, saddle keys are not sunk into the shaft and hub instead they are only sunk into the hub. They either sit on a flat or the circumference of the shaft. Power transmission is achieved through friction between the shaft and the key. The saddle keys are of the following two types: Registered Australian Company: Small Parts & Bearings Pty Ltd (ABN 79 121 865 414) - Trading as Bearing Shop Online

You can easily find the appropriate connection method for your specific application based on the given information.

Keyed Shafts can be found in industries ranging from automotive manufacturing to aerospace engineering. Professionals use them in everything from electric motors and transmissions to pumps and compressors. Find the Keyed Shafts You Need at Zoro A saddle key is a key for securing a member to a machine shaft that fits into a keyway in the secured member and is concave to grip the shaft by friction compared to a flat key, or sunk key. Containing teeth or ridges that allow them to mate with other components, splined shafts are primarily used to transfer torque throughout mechanical drive systems while allowing for linear motion, such as those found in vehicles. Normally, they are composed of different metals depending on the localized stresses they are expected to undergo. Their teeth or ridges equally distribute circumferential force to a mated component, facilitating a uniform transfer of torque between the mated pair. This also helps to prolong the lifecycle of the parts. Based on the scenarios above, the limiting factor is actually the crushing force on the key, and the maximum torque that can be transmitted is reduced by approximately 25 percent (337 Nm based on crushing failure with a key versus 447 Nm for a plain shaft). Again, it’s important to note that the calculations for a keyed shaft do not take into account any service, application, or safety factors. So the recommended maximum torque may be lower than the examples above, depending on other application parameters.

Splined Shafts

The second possible mode of failure, also caused by forces exerted on the key by the shaft and hub, is based on compressive forces, which can induce permanent deformation and crush the key. In this case, the maximum torque that can be transmitted is based on the height, rather than the width, of the key. Garfield, Eugene (2007). "The John Scott Award Recipients from 1826 - present" . Retrieved 2007-08-23. A flat saddle key is a taper key that fits into the keyway in the hub and lies flat on the shaft. It is likely to round the shaft under load. Therefore, it is used for comparatively light loads. Keyed Shafts are designed to transmit torque and rotation between two components. They are usually made of hardened steel, stainless steel, or aluminum and can be used in a variety of applications. Types of Keyed Shafts a b c d Keys and Keyways (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-14 , retrieved 2010-03-19.