Drive train - Revision history

Jmdonev: 1 revision imported

2026-08-04T20:43:54Z

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energy>Jmdonev at 22:05, 30 July 2026

2026-07-30T22:05:06Z

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	[[Category:Done ~~2017~~-07-01]]		[[Category:Done 2026-08-01]]
	<onlyinclude>The '''drive train''' ~~of a vehicle~~ refers to the group of components that act to deliver power to the driving wheels of a vehicle.</onlyinclude> The [[power]] to run a vehicle starts in the crankshaft. It is then delivered to the clutch, via the [[flywheel]] (in a manual transmission), or to a [[torque]]-converter (in an automatic). Power then goes to the transmission, where it is redirected to the [[drive shaft]] (also called prop shaft, driveline or propeller shaft). The drive shaft directs the power to the drive axle, which contains both a final drive gear, and a differential. The final drive gear connects the drive shaft to the differential, which then directs power to each wheel. Below is a more in depth explanation of the individual mechanisms discussed in the above paragraph.		<onlyinclude>The '''drive train''' refers to the group of components that act to deliver power to the driving wheels of a vehicle.</onlyinclude> The [[power]] to run a vehicle starts in the crankshaft. It is then delivered to the clutch, via the [[flywheel]] (in a manual transmission), or to a [[torque]]-converter (in an automatic). Power then goes to the transmission, where it is redirected to the [[drive shaft]] (also called prop shaft, driveline or propeller shaft). The drive shaft directs the power to the drive axle, which contains both a final drive gear, and a differential. The final drive gear connects the drive shaft to the differential, which then directs power to each wheel. Below is a more in depth explanation of the individual mechanisms discussed in the above paragraph.

	==Crankshaft==		==Crankshaft==
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			== For Further Reading ==

			* [[Gasoline engine]]
			* [[Diesel engine]]
			* [[Torque]]
			* [[RPM]]
			* Or explore a [[Special:Random\|random page]]

	==References==		==References==
	{{reflist}}		{{reflist}}
	[[Category:Uploaded]]		[[Category:Uploaded]]

Jmdonev: 1 revision imported

2017-08-29T01:47:35Z

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Jmdonev at 15:18, 18 August 2017

2017-08-18T15:18:00Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:18, 18 August 2017
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	[[Category:Done ~~2015~~-06-11]]		[[Category:Done 2017-07-01]]
	<onlyinclude>The '''drive train''' of a vehicle refers to the group of components that act to deliver power to the driving wheels of a vehicle.</onlyinclude>		<onlyinclude>The '''drive train''' of a vehicle refers to the group of components that act to deliver power to the driving wheels of a vehicle.</onlyinclude> The [[power]] to run a vehicle starts in the crankshaft. It is then delivered to the clutch, via the [[flywheel]] (in a manual transmission), or to a [[torque]]-converter (in an automatic). Power then goes to the transmission, where it is redirected to the [[drive shaft]] (also called prop shaft, driveline or propeller shaft). The drive shaft directs the power to the drive axle, which contains both a final drive gear, and a differential. The final drive gear connects the drive shaft to the differential, which then directs power to each wheel. Below is a more in depth explanation of the individual mechanisms discussed in the above paragraph.

	~~====A quick overview====~~
	The [[power]] to run a vehicle starts in the crankshaft. It is then delivered to the clutch, via the [[flywheel]] (in a manual transmission), or to a [[torque]]-converter (in an automatic). Power then goes to the transmission, where it is redirected to the ~~propeller~~ shaft (also called prop shaft, driveline or ~~[[drive~~ shaft]]). The ~~prop~~ shaft directs the power to the drive axle, which contains both a final drive gear, and a differential. The final drive gear connects the ~~driveline~~ to the differential, which then directs power to each wheel. Below is a more in depth explanation of the individual mechanisms discussed in the above paragraph.

	==Crankshaft==		==Crankshaft==
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	A transmission, also known as a gear box, is what converts the engine's power into motion.<ref name=y>Popular Mechanics, ''How It Works: The Drivetrain'' [Online], Available: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/a250/1302716/</ref> Just like the gears on a bike. The amount of power an engine outputs at a specific [[RPM]] is the same, no matter if a car is going 10 [[kph]], or 110. Because of this, the car has a gearbox, which allows the engine to run at efficient RPMs no matter its speed.		A transmission, also known as a gear box, is what converts the engine's power into motion.<ref name=y>Popular Mechanics, ''How It Works: The Drivetrain'' [Online], Available: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/a250/1302716/</ref> Just like the gears on a bike. The amount of power an engine outputs at a specific [[RPM]] is the same, no matter if a car is going 10 [[kph]], or 110. Because of this, the car has a gearbox, which allows the engine to run at efficient RPMs no matter its speed.

	==~~Propeller~~ shaft==		==Drive shaft==
	:''[[drive shaft\|main article]]''		:''[[drive shaft\|main article]]''
	A ~~propeller~~ shaft, also known as a ''prop shaft'', or ''driveline'', is what connects the gearbox to the drive wheels. A rear-wheel drive car has a long, thin cylinder running the length of the car to the rear final drive and differential (often visible when looking under a car). The prop shaft spins at a rate proportional to the speed of the car.<ref>Wise Geek, ''What is a Drive Shaft?'' [Online], Available: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-drive-shaft.htm</ref>		A drive shaft, also known as a ''prop shaft'', or ''driveline'', is what connects the gearbox to the drive wheels. A rear-wheel drive car has a long, thin cylinder running the length of the car to the rear final drive and differential (often visible when looking under a car). The prop shaft spins at a rate proportional to the speed of the car.<ref>Wise Geek, ''What is a Drive Shaft?'' [Online], Available: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-drive-shaft.htm</ref>

	==Drive axle==		==Drive axle==

J.williams: 1 revision imported

2015-08-26T21:30:43Z

1 revision imported

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J.williams at 22:46, 11 August 2015

2015-08-11T22:46:15Z

New page

[[Category:Done 2015-06-11]]
<onlyinclude>The '''drive train''' of a vehicle refers to the group of components that act to deliver power to the driving wheels of a vehicle.</onlyinclude>

====A quick overview====
The [[power]] to run a vehicle starts in the crankshaft. It is then delivered to the clutch, via the [[flywheel]] (in a manual transmission), or to a [[torque]]-converter (in an automatic). Power then goes to the transmission, where it is redirected to the propeller shaft (also called prop shaft, driveline or [[drive shaft]]). The prop shaft directs the power to the drive axle, which contains both a final drive gear, and a differential. The final drive gear connects the driveline to the differential, which then directs power to each wheel. Below is a more in depth explanation of the individual mechanisms discussed in the above paragraph.

==Crankshaft==
:''[[crankshaft|main article]]''
[[File:Inline-four.gif|framed|right|Figure 1. A moving diagram of a four cylinder engine. The pistons are in gray, the crankshaft is in green, and the block is transparent.<ref>http://auto.howstuffworks.com/engine2.htm</ref>]]
The [[crankshaft]] (see figure 1) is a device whose job is to convert the linear motion of the [[piston]]s into rotational motion (spin). It is where the power delivery to the drive train comes from. In effect, the crankshaft is the connection between the [[engine]] and the drive train. The end of one and the beginning of another.<ref>Wise Geek, ''What is a Crankshaft? (with pictures)'' [Online], Available: http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-a-crankshaft.htm</ref>

==Flywheel==
:''A flywheel is only present in manual transmissions.''
The [[flywheel]] is the part of the engine least often mentioned. It's job is to keep power delivery to the drive train continuous. Since reciprocating engines (piston-driven) only deliver power during a stroke, their power production is not continuous. Imagine riding a bike up a steep hill. Even in a low gear, the ride is choppy - the bike slows down significantly between pedal strokes (losing momentum). This is inefficient since additional [[work]] must be done by the rider to regain the lost [[momentum]]. A flywheel can help prevent this loss of momentum, it stores [[rotational kinetic energy]] which eventually gets transformed into translational [[kinetic energy]] (i.e the moving car). Work is done by the engine on the flywheel causing it to spin faster until the drive train utilizes this energy which, by the [[law of conservation of energy]], causes the flywheel to slow down. A flywheel keeps the car moving smoothly and more efficiently.

==Clutch/Torque converter==
[[File:Torque-converter.jpg|framed|Figure 2. A torque converter diagram.<ref>http://auto.howstuffworks.com/enlarge-image.htm?terms=torque+converter&page=2</ref>]]
Manual transmission cars have a clutch. Its purpose is to connect the power delivery to the transmission. When the clutch pedal is not pressed, power is delivered, when the clutch pedal is pressed, the car's wheels spin freely.

Automatic cars don't have a clutch pedal. These cars have a ''torque converter'' (see figure 2). A torque converter is a device filled with fluid that transmits [[torque]] (and power) to wheels of the car. A torque converter allows for an engine to sit at idle while the car is stopped. The torque converter also contains something called a ''friction clutch'', which locks the crankshaft to the gearbox when driving on the highway (fluctuating power levels aren't as big of an issue at steady speeds). So even automatic cars have a form of clutch, but it's not connected directly to a pedal for the driver.

==Transmission==
:''[[transmission (vehicle)|main article]]''
A transmission, also known as a gear box, is what converts the engine's power into motion.<ref name=y>Popular Mechanics, ''How It Works: The Drivetrain'' [Online], Available: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/a250/1302716/</ref> Just like the gears on a bike. The amount of power an engine outputs at a specific [[RPM]] is the same, no matter if a car is going 10 [[kph]], or 110. Because of this, the car has a gearbox, which allows the engine to run at efficient RPMs no matter its speed.

==Propeller shaft==
:''[[drive shaft|main article]]''
A propeller shaft, also known as a ''prop shaft'', or ''driveline'', is what connects the gearbox to the drive wheels. A rear-wheel drive car has a long, thin cylinder running the length of the car to the rear final drive and differential (often visible when looking under a car). The prop shaft spins at a rate proportional to the speed of the car.<ref>Wise Geek, ''What is a Drive Shaft?'' [Online], Available: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-drive-shaft.htm</ref>

==Drive axle==
The drive axle is the axle that connects the drive wheels to the prop shaft. It generally has a differential in the middle, which splits power between the wheels.

===Final drive===
The final drive is like a gear on a bicycle crank (big - found on front of bike). In comparison the gearbox is like the gears on the cassette (little - found on the back of bike). The little gears change all the time, depending on the output, but the big gear up front stays the same. Desired performance determines how the final drive gears are set. When climbing a hill on a bike, the little gear up front is best, because it provides a low gear ratio. When going as fast as possible, a big gear up front is best, providing a high gear ratio. This is what a final drive gear does. The difference is, a car only has one final drive gear - set at production, instead of potentially two or three as on a bike.

===Differential===
The differential is a device that allows wheels to spin at different speeds while still being powered.<ref name=y/> For example, when travelling around a corner, the outside wheel is spinning faster than the inside wheel, because it's going a longer distance. Rear-wheel drive cars require something called a limited-slip differential in order to provide even power while turning. Watch the video below to learn how differentials work (video starts at 1:50).

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==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Uploaded]]