The term half shaft is another name for a front-wheel drive shaft, which is also called the constant velocity axle or CV axle. There is one half shaft per wheel. Some may further to this part as a CV shaft.
A half shaft is an automotive term used mainly to describe an axle on a front wheel drive vehicle, connecting the transmission to the driven wheels. When integrated with a transmission, the entire system is known as a Transaxle. Some rear wheel drive vehicles may also use half shafts, when the differential is rigidly mounted and an independent rear suspension is used. Corvettes have used this system ever since switching to an independent rear suspension from a solid axle with the car's 1962 redesign.[1] BMW is another extensive user of this setup in its vehicles.
In many garages around the world the 'half shaft' is more commonly known as a "drive shaft"; the reason for this is that it covers a more broad term and is widely accepted as an unmistakable way to describe the part.
If the half shafts are not identical in length, the longer one is generally constructed thinner than the shorter one, or one axle may be solid and the other hollow.
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Half shafts are commonly designed as a hollow metal tube with a CV joint at either end, allowing the driven wheels to maintain constant velocity while the suspension travels during driving. This design is implemented into many modern front wheel drive cars. Other features such as vibration dampeners and ball joints may be incorporated into a half shaft. SOURCE