Driveline Load Analysis with Multiple Cardan Joints

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 is computed using a 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 behavior of the system is determined as a function of the transmission output shaft rotation. Finally numerical example is provided to illustrate the analysis. Results of the numerical example are plotted with respect to time. The general behavior of the forces is found to be oscillatory and harmonic in nature.