An Experimental and Numerical Study on Reduction of Generated Axial Force

This paper proposes an experimental and numerical study to reduce the generated axial force (GAF) in a tripod constant velocity joint (CVJ). Based on the GAF model developed through kinematic and frictional analysis on the tripod CVJ, the key parameters that have a significant influence on the GAF are obtained. These parameters vary with the design parameters of the CVJ and the optimal design parameter with the lowest GAF are presented. The GAF of a tripod CVJ is estimated by the developed model, with respect to various design parameters, and the results shows that track curvature highly affects the GAF whereas contact angle hardly affects the GAF. The GAF decreases with the decrease of track curvature, and the minimum GAF occurs at −20% track curvature and +20% contact angle.

Analytical and experimental analysis of axial force generated by a drive shaft system

The drive shaft system with a tripod joint is known to cause lateral vibration in a vehicle due to the axial force generated by various contact pairs of the tripod joint. The magnitude of the generated axial force, however, is related to various operating factors of the drive shaft system in a complex manner. The generated axial force due to a drive shaft system with a tripod joint and a ball joint was experimentally characterized considering ranges of operational factors, namely, the input toque, the shaft rotational speed, the articulation angle, and the friction. The data were analyzed to establish an understanding of the operational factors on the generated axial force. Owing to the observed significant effects of all the factors, a multibody dynamic model of the drive shaft system was formulated for predicting generated axial force under different operating conditions. The model integrated the roller–track contact model and the velocity-based friction model. Based on a quasi-static finite element model, a new methodology was proposed for identifying the roller–track contact model parameters, namely, the contact stiffness and force index. To further enhance the calculation accuracy of the multibody dynamic model, a new methodology for identifying the friction model parameters and the force index was proposed by using the measured data. The validity of the model was demonstrated by comparing the model-predicted and measured magnitudes of generated axial force for the ranges of operating factors considered. The results showed that the generated axial force of the drive shaft system can be calculated more accurately and effectively by using the identified friction and contact parameters in the paper.