

The drive shaft of a front-wheel drive has a connecting shaft, a fixed joint at the centre, and a constant velocity joint at the front.As a result of the drive shaft, two parts can move independently without breaking drive train components. It is impossible to drive without the transfer of torque between the different components.For improved synchronization between shaft joints, an adjustment must also be made to any angles or lengths that result from manipulations or deflections. A prop shaft or drive shaft transmits torque from the engine to the vehicle wheels through its differential or gearbox.Let’s try to understand how does a drive shaft work or its basic working philosophy: Today this vehicle is in the Smithsonian Institution’s collection, it was built in 1901. First gasoline-powered cars were manufactured by Autocar, a pioneering automobile manufacturer.

Clark referred to the gear-driven shaft in his Marine Velocipede as the propeller shaft via a universal joint in the same year. A universal joint is found in Bukey’s Horse-Power in 1899, which transmits power between the wheel and driven machinery. For instance, Battles referred to the drive shaft in his Climax locomotive as the shaft between the transmission and the driving trucks in 1891. In this term, shafts are used here in order to transmit power from the wheels of the machine to the gear train that operates the cutting mechanism.Īs the term grew closer to modern usage in the 1890s, it became more widely used. The term was also used in a patent reissued for a horse-drawn mowing machine by Watkins and Bryson in the year 1861. The term is used in Stover’s 1861 patent reissue of a planing and matching machine to describe the belt-driven shaft that drives the machine. It was during the mid-19th century that the term drive shaft first appeared. The drive shaft bridges the gap between the engine PTO and the accessory that can be mounted elsewhere on the vehicle when it is not possible to accommodate it beside the engine. In vehicles, drive shafts transfer power from engines and PTOs to accessories like air compressors.A typical rear-wheel drive car’s drive shaft configuration is shown below (some cars have the transmission behind the rear axle). In addition to motorcycles, locomotives, and marine vessels, drive shafts are used by other vehicles as well. The number of rear-wheel-drive cars varies greatly depending on whether they are front-wheel drive, four-wheel drive, or the previously mentioned front-engine rear-wheel drive. The Drive Shaft is used in various ways in different types of vehicles.

Front drive shaft drivers#
To allow deviations in alignment and distance between drivers and driven components, drive shafts are often equipped with universal joints, jaw couplings, rag joints, or splined joints. Due to the fact that the rear axle and transmission are on opposite sides of a front-engine rear-wheel drive car, a long drive shaft must connect the rear axle to the transmission.
