Patent ID: 7788982

Claim:
A shaft tester comprising: a frame; a first shaft support coupled to the frame, the first shaft support adapted to support a first portion of a shaft at a first fixed position; a second shaft support coupled to the frame, the second shaft support adapted to support a second portion of the shaft at a second fixed position; a third shaft support coupled to the frame, the third shaft support adapted to support a third portion of the shaft at a third fixed position; an actuator coupled to the third shaft support and adapted to displace the third portion relative to the first portion and the second portion to cause a deflection in the shaft; a sensor coupled to one of the first support, the second support and the third support and adapted to output a signal corresponding to a load force exerted by the shaft due to the deflection; a controller coupled to the actuator and adapted to control displacement of the shaft; and a computer adapted to generate a fatigue profile of the shaft based at least in part on the load force exerted by the shaft due to the deflection over time.