Analysis Of Limited Slip Differential In Trucks

Nikhil K, Joe Varghese Varghese, Dipin Raj D K

Guided by Dr. Rajay Vedaraj
Abstract:
A differential is a device that sends power from a driveshaft to both sides of an axle.
The rotational torque from a driveshaft is generally laid out horizontally down the length of the
vehicle. But the wheels need to be turned at a 90-degree angle from the position of the
driveshaft. The axle driving the wheels is split into two parts and the inner ends of both sides
are connected to the differential. The differential is made up of a series of gears that can
direct the rotational power from the driveshaft to 90-degree angles and turn both sides of the
axle.
The differential mainly performs three purposes. The first function of the differential is
that it turns the drive by an angle of 90-degree so that the wheels turn perpendicular to the
drive shaft. The second function of differential is that it splits the drive to the wheels so that all
wheels connected by differential always have some drive. The third function of the differential
is that it ensures that the outer wheels rotate at a higher speed than the inner wheels during
cornering to prevent slipping.
The first kind of differential was the open differential. The problem of open differential
is that when one of the wheels is in a very slippery surface, a major part of the drive will go to
that wheel causing that wheel to slip. This causes the other wheel having grip to receive very
little power. To solve this problem two other differentials was introduced- locking differential
and limited slip differential.
The limited slip differential differs from the open differential in that it limits the slippage
that is allowed in the wheels. Because of this even when one wheel is on slippery surface, the
wheel that has grip will have sufficient drive to move the vehicle. The limited slip differential is
at a highly developed stage today. The latest developments involve integration of electronics in
differentials.
In this project we aim to create a model of standard limited slip differential, apply the
loads and analyze the model using ANSYS. Hence we aim to find the critical points where the
action of stress is most severe. Also we try to estimate the lifetime of the components.