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Constant-velocity (CV) joints have become standard design and an integral part of modern vehicles, primarily due to their superiority in terms of CV torque transfer. Despite widespread usage of constant velocity joints there are certain aspects of their friction, wear, and contact characteristics that are not well understood. In this article, the need to directly measure CV joint internal contact and friction forces is addressed by designing and constructing an instrumented advanced CV joint friction apparatus using actual tripod-type joint assemblies. The apparatus is capable of measuring key performance parameters such as friction and wear under different realistic operating conditions of oscillatory speeds and CV joint articulation angles. The apparatus incorporates a custom-installed triaxial force sensor inside of the CV joint to measure in situ internal CV joint forces (including friction). The CV joint apparatus is under full computer control and is communicating with all measurement components via a master Labview control program. Experiments under different articulation angles and lubrication conditions were performed and the measurements were correlated with published data.
Presented at the STLE Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada May 15-19, 2005
Review led by Bill Marscher
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to express our thanks to Delphi Saginaw Steering Systems for funding of this project. Special thanks go to Wayne Kieselbach and William P. Skvarla for coordinating the project and supplying the samples, and to Mark W. McPherson for providing useful advice and information in the design of the CV joint friction apparatus.
Notes
Presented at the STLE Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada May 15-19, 2005
Review led by Bill Marscher