Weight Optimization of Tractor PTO Shaft Using Composite Material

Abstract:

The PTO (Power-take-off) shaft is an essential rotatory component in agricultural tractor, used for transmitting power to shaft-driven implements such as rotary tiller, thresher, PTO driven pump, etc. During field operations, the PTO is subjected to uneven vibrational loads, which often lead to premature failure. These failures pose significant challenges pertinent to structural integrity, product quality as well as customer satisfaction. The current study conducts static and harmonic analysis to observe failure characteristics of conventional medium-carbon steel shaft under torsional loading. This study also explores the utilization of synthetic, natural, and hybrid-based fiber-based polymer composite to optimize overall weight and evaluate the impact of fiber orientation on stress and deformation behavior. The shaft was made up of unidirectional hemp and carbon-bamboo fiber reinforced epoxy, assuming isotropic characteristics for the fibers and polymer. A Representative Volume Element with a hexagonal array of circular fibers was developed using ANSYS Material Designer, maintaining a fiber volume fraction of 0.3 within the matrix. Laminated composites were then modeled using ANSYS Pre-Post Module with varying ply orientation to obtain an optimum configuration. Compared to the results of baseline steel shaft, Carbon fiber, Hemp fiber and Carbon-Bamboo fiber configurations demonstrated a mass reduction of 75.71%, 80% and 77.5%, respectively. These findings highlight the potential of composite PTO shaft as more economical, biodegradable, sustainable and light weight alternatives to steel in modern agricultural applications.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volume 928)
• Pages: 99-111
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-tu2Wk3
• Online since: November 2025
• Authors: Muhammad Hateem Arif*, Tariq Jamil
• Keywords: Composite Material, Harmonic Analysis, Natural Fiber, PTO Shaft, Static Analysis, Weight Optimization

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