Shaft Design – Forklift Transmission Subassembly image

Shaft Design – Forklift Transmission Subassembly

Project Overview

This shaft design project formed the first part of my Design, Materials, and Manufacturing module — an 8-week team challenge to develop a power transmission sub-assembly for a custom electric forklift operating in a stone quarry near Bath.

Skills Used

CAD Material Selection Fatigue and Failure Analysis Iteration Torque Analysis Keyway Design Bearing Selection Stress Concentration Handling

🛠️ Project Overview

This 8-week project tasked us with designing a power transmission shaft sub-assembly for a forklift operating in demanding quarry conditions. The shaft needed to meet strict performance, cost, and sustainability requirements — making it a highly realistic engineering challenge.

🎯 Objectives

  • Lift and position 1-tonne stone blocks
  • Ensure 10+ years of life (12 hours/day)
  • Meet cost and sustainability targets
  • Model and analyse torque, stress, and fatigue
  • Include chain drives, keyways, bearings, and circlips

📄 Click here to view the full brief (PDF)

🧩 My Contributions

✅ Load and torque analysis using moment and stress diagrams
✅ CAD modelling and technical drawing of full assembly
✅ Material selection using Ashby charts and merit indices
✅ Cost and manufacturability analysis
✅ Documentation of system logic and design decisions

📘 View Report

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📐 Technical Drawings

Assembly Drawing

Shaft Part Drawing

💬 Final Thoughts

This project deepened my understanding of shaft mechanics, stress concentration, and mechanical integrity. It pushed me to balance analytical precision with practical manufacturability and gave me a better appreciation of how each component fits into a real-world system. It also highlighted the importance of time management and cross-functional collaboration in a fast-paced design process.