Tolerance analysis for automobile transmission shaft based on minimum cost and reliability target

Area of Science:

• Mechanical Engineering
• Manufacturing Engineering
• Industrial Engineering

Background:

• Designing transmission shafts requires balancing high product quality with reduced manufacturing costs.
• Existing methods may not fully integrate process capability, reliability, tolerance, and cost.
• Optimizing dimensional tolerances is crucial for efficient shaft production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a mathematical model and flowchart for optimizing transmission shaft dimensional tolerances.
• To elucidate the relationship between process capability index (PCI), reliability, tolerance, and manufacturing cost.
• To provide a practical tool for cost reduction in shaft design.

Main Methods:

• Development of a mathematical model considering shaft diameter, material, and manufacturing process characteristics.
• Creation of a flowchart to visualize the interdependencies between key design parameters.
• Application of the model to a real-world case study for validation.

Main Results:

• The proposed model effectively demonstrates the relationship between PCI, reliability, tolerance, and manufacturing cost.
• A significant 10.904% cost reduction was achieved in a practical application within a defined PCI range.
• The model provides a quantifiable approach to tolerance optimization.

Conclusions:

• The developed mathematical model and flowchart are effective tools for optimizing transmission shaft design.
• The methodology facilitates achieving higher product quality while simultaneously lowering manufacturing costs.
• This approach is applicable to various technical fields requiring product design optimization.