A drive shaft or propeller shaft is a piece of an automobile
Which takes power from the engine and delivers to the wheels.
A drive shaft has to be strong enough to absorb the torque of the engine
And lightweight to reduce the overall weight of the vehicle.
A drive shaft should be perfectly balanced and should spin equal to the
Torque coming out of the engine and the transmission;
For a smooth driveline performance.
In recent times most of the automobiles are front-wheel drive,
Soothe drive shafts are between the transaxle and each front wheel.
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In simple words, a drive shaft is a shaft that drives the vehicle. For example in a rear-wheel drive, the rear wheel rotates. This rotation of the wheel is done through the drive shaft.
Driveshaft transfers torque from a remotely mounted engine to drive the wheels. For example, a front-engine car with the rear-wheel-drive will have a driveshaft to deliver the torque. A driveshaft is also commonly used in 4WD/AWD cars. On front-wheel-drive cars, the driveshaft is not used. The transmission and differential are combined into one unit called a transaxle.
Read More:
Working Of Driveshaft
Watch the video below to understand the working of driveshaft
While the importance of an engine to the running of an automobile is well-known,
It can be argued that the drive shaft plays an equally vital role. The drive shaft acts as a medium for transferring the power generated by the engine to the wheels,
Enabling them to turn. This, in turn, puts the vehicle in motion.
The force that is transmitted by the drive shaft is referred to as torque.
Torque is the technical term to describe the force associated;
With a twisting or spinning motion. Because driveshafts have to endure conditions
That could cause them to bend or break they are made to be “flexible”. Flexible in this sense does not mean the ability to bend.
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- Horsepower vs Torque – A Simple Explanation
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What it speaks to is an allowance for some small degree of movement;
At the points where the driveshafts are connected. This is accomplished via what is known as universal joints, or u-joints. It is necessary to drive shafts to be straight and balanced. If this is not so vibrating will result. This can lead to damage to the components that are connected to the drive shaft. One example is the engine, which is turning at high speed.
The importance of the drive shaft is best appreciated in circumstances
Where it bridges the gap between inconveniently located components. This inconvenience can arise because of the component’s long-distance apart,
Or their awkward positioning/alignment
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