Shaft Design for an Onion Slicing Machine Using AISI 1020 Material

Abstract

This study presents the design and basic mechanical calculation of a shaft for an onion slicing machine using AISI 1020 material. The study focuses on the shaft because it transmits rotation from the electric motor to the slicing blade through a pulley and V-belt system. The design process used literature study, material selection, 2D and 3D CAD modelling, shaft calculation, quality control, and finishing evaluation. The driving unit was a single-phase AC motor with 200 W power, 220 V voltage, 50 Hz frequency, and 2800 rpm rotation speed. The selected shaft has a length of 320 mm and an applied diameter of 20 mm. The calculation produced a design power of 0.24 kW, a design moment of 83.485 kg.mm, a shaft torque of 1.63 N.m, an allowable shear stress of 52.08 N/mm2, an actual shear stress of 1.03 N/mm2, a minimum shaft diameter of 6.22 mm, and a shaft speed of 1.88 m/s. The 20 mm shaft diameter was retained to match the inner diameter of the slicing blade and pulley. The study remains limited to dimensional design and analytical shaft calculation. It does not include full finite element analysis, fatigue testing, corrosion testing, or machine performance testing under continuous production conditions. The result can support the early-stage design of a compact onion slicing machine for small-scale food processing because it provides a safe shaft dimension and a simple power transmission configuration. The paper converts a student design report into a concise engineering manuscript that highlights the relationship between motor power, shaft torque, material selection, and component compatibility in a small onion slicing machine.