传动轴和驱动桥外文文献翻译、中英文翻译.doc

附录A Driveshafts and Drive Axles Driveshafts See Figures 1 and 2 In a conventional longitudinally mounted front-engine/rear wheel drive vehicle, a driveshaft is used to transfer the torque from the engine, through the transmission output shaft, to the differential in the axle, which in turn transmits torque to the wheels. The driveshaft can be made out of steel or aluminum and can be either solid or hollow (tubular). A splined slip yoke assembly, either as an integral part of the shaft or utilizing a splined transmission output shaft, permits the driveshaft to move forward and rearward as the axle moves up and down. This provides smooth performance during vehicle operation. Figure 1 Cut-away view of a typical solid driveshaft and related components. On some four wheel drive vehicles, a front driveshaft connects the power flow from the transfer case to the front drive axle. The driveshaft uses flexible joints, called Universal joints (U-joints) or Constant Velocity joints (CV-joints) to couple the transmission/transaxle to the drive axle/drive wheels. Refer to the Universal and Constant Velocity joints section for more information. Front wheel drive vehicles also utilize driveshafts, although they are usually referred to as halfshafts. The halfshafts are usually equipped with CV-joints on each end which allow the wheels to turn as well as move up and down while still smoothly transferring engine power to the wheels. Front wheel drive vehicles typically use a transaxle (a combination TRANSmission and drive AXLE) Figure 2 Exploded view of a typical front wheel drive halfshaft assembly using CV joint components on both ends. Some rear and four wheel drive vehicles use halfshafts. These vehicles will usually have a rigidly mounted differential and an independent suspension with halfshafts linking the differential to the drive wheels. For example, the 1998 Chevrolet Corvette--not only does it use halfshafts to drive the rear wheels, the rigidly mounted transaxle is actual