Abstract: In this paper, the drive shaft of carbon fiber composites for underwater equipment was designed from raw material selection and composite laminated structure. The design and calculation process of the transmission shaft was introduced emphatically. According to the design index, the layer design of the transmission shaft was firstly carried out. Then the torsional buckling, torsional load and critical revolutions of the drive shaft were analyzed by combining theory and finite element methods. Furthermore, the simulated sample was made on the basis of the designed laminated scheme and the torsion test of the sample was carried out. The results show that the designed laminated scheme can meet the requirements of the design index of the drive shaft.

Key words: underwater equipment, composites, drive shafts, layer design