Cardan transmission

Cardan drives contribute to the transition of torque. In the biaxial construction of a car with a driving rear axle, there is a transition from the box to the rear axle.

A propeller shaft is a construction whose front part is connected to the driven shaft of the box by means of a hinge. The rear part is connected to the driving bevel gear, which is constantly engaged with the large conical driven gear. The gears form the main vehicle transmission . It brings the torque to the driving wheels.

The articulation is necessary due to the special arrangement of the propshaft and the shaft of the box. They are at some angle. The change in the angle of inclination of the propeller shaft relative to the slave occurs when the driving axle suspended from the springs is moved relative to the box and the frame when the road surface is hit by irregularities. Changes occur in a small range and in the case when the magnitude of deflection of the springs on the leading bridge varies. This happens when the car's payload decreases or increases.

Cardan gear can consist of hinges of elastic or rigid construction. The hinge has a cross. Its spikes enter special forks, which are located in two mutually non-perpendicular planes. The plug of one of the plugs is connected to the shaft of the box, and the sleeve of the other is put on the slot of the cardan.

The hinge provides movement. Due to its presence, the cardan shaft moves at an angle relative to the driven shaft in the box in a different direction. Oscillations of the rear axle contribute to an insignificant change in the distance between it and the box. This is due to the fact that the front splined end of the propeller shaft has the ability to slip in the hinge sleeve bushing.

Hinges in some cases are placed in special casings. Thus, they are protected from penetration of dirt, and lubricant is retained inside. Enclosures usually consist of two hemispheres.

The rigid hinge, which includes the cardan gear, consists of a flange, safety valve, drive fork, oil seal, needle bearing, bearing race, lid, lock washer, oiler, driven fork and its bush, cross.

There are two plugs in the hinge. The drive is connected by means of a flange to the driven shaft of the box, and the driven one is connected to the splines located at the forward end of the propeller shaft by means of a sleeve. Between themselves, the forks are docked with the help of a cross with four spikes.

The elastic joint, of which cardan transmission can also consist, includes, as a rule, several rubberized elastic disks. To them, from each side, bushings with three forks are pivoted.

In GAZ-51 cars, the cardan gear has a special design. It includes hinges, intermediate support. In addition, there are two PTO shafts. One of them is in between. The presence of two shafts is necessary to reduce the length of the cardan shaft and increase its rigidity. The rear of the intermediate rotates in the bearing. The bearing is mounted in a rubber ring in the support, the bracket of which is connected to the crosspiece on the frame.

The elasticity of the rubber ring allows the bearing to be mounted independently in the deformation to which the frame is subjected, or in case of inaccurate installation.

A two-axle vehicle is characterized by a torque transition from the box through three shafts with six hinges.

Three axle axles are provided in the triaxial construction of the car. Here, among others, there are two cardan shafts. They are used to drive an additional single rear axle. These shafts have four hinges, as well as an intermediate support located on the leading middle bridge.