Analysis of driveline loads in an automotive powertrain with multiple Cardan joints

Abstract

A general equilibrium analysis of automotive drivelines with multiple universal joints and numerous supporting conditions is presented. For the analysis, components of the driveline in terms of their angular rotation, angular velocity and acceleration are defined. Using kinematic conditions and a known torque and speed, the angular speed of the axle output shaft and all intermediate shafts and forces at contact points are computed using software developed to perform the analysis. To perform a time domain analysis, the quasi-static equilibrium conditions are imposed on the system at an instant. The instantaneous behaviour of the system is determined as a function of the transmission output shaft rotation. Finally, a numerical example is provided to illustrate the analysis. The results of the numerical example are plotted with respect to time. The general behaviour of the forces is found to be oscillatory and harmonic in nature.