Powertrain
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In a
A motor vehicle's driveline or drivetrain consists of the parts of the powertrain excluding the engine. It is the portion of a vehicle, after the prime mover, that changes depending on whether a vehicle is front-wheel, rear-wheel, or four-wheel drive, or less-common six-wheel or eight-wheel drive.
In a wider sense, the powertrain includes all of the components used to transform stored (chemical, solar, nuclear, kinetic, potential, etc.) energy into kinetic energy for propulsion purposes. This includes the utilization of multiple power-sources and non–wheel-based vehicles.
Developments
The most recent developments in powertrain are driven by the electrification of it in multiple components. Electrical energy needs to be provided, usually this leads to larger batteries. Electric motors can be found as isolated component or as part of other elements, e.g. the axle. In hybrid powertrains the torque generated by the combustion engine and the electric motor have to be brought together and distributed to the wheels. The control of this process can be quite involved but the rewards are greatly improved acceleration and much lower emissions.
Powertrain development for
BEVs, FCEVs and PHEV powertrains are expected to reach cost parity with ICE powertrains in 2025.[2]
Manufacturing
The manufacturing of powertrain components and systems is important to industry, including the automotive and other vehicle sectors. Competitiveness drives companies to engineer and produce powertrain systems that over time are more economical to manufacture, higher in product quality and reliability, higher in performance, more fuel efficient, less polluting, and longer in life expectancy. In turn these requirements have led to designs involving higher internal pressures, greater instantaneous forces, and increased complexity of design and mechanical operation. The resulting designs in turn impose significantly more severe requirements on parts shape and dimension; and material surface flatness, waviness, roughness, and porosity. Quality control over these parameters is achieved through metrology technology applied to all of the steps in powertrain manufacturing processes.
Frames and powertrains
In automotive manufacturing, the
Later, a body (sometimes referred to as "
The frame plus the body makes a
Final drive
The final drive is the last in the set of components which delivers torque to the
diesel shunting locomotives.Variations
This section uses infographics to show a unified model with variations, the green wheels denote no traction, and the angled wheels denote steering.
6X4 means 6 wheel ends and 4 positions distribute power (power divider installed)
6X2 means 6 wheel ends and 2 positions distribute power (single axle drive)
4X0 means 4 wheel ends no power (Trailer axle)
4x2 means 4 Wheel ends, 2 Positions to distribute power
The 6 wheel ends can either be wide base singles or duals. Its about the outside of the wheels.
Code | Description | Use | Graphic |
---|---|---|---|
RWD | Rear Wheel Drive | Small Van | |
4WD | Four Wheel Drive AKA 4x4 | Pick Up Truck | |
FWD | Front Wheel Drive | Van, Where Weight is desired over front wheels | |
DWD | Dual Wheel Drive (Dually) | Extra load Capacity is required to a 4WD | |
6X4 | A 6×4 or six-by-four is a vehicle with three axles, with a drivetrain delivering power to two wheel ends on two of them. It is a form of four-wheel drive but not one of all-wheel drive. | Classic Truck | |
6x6 | 6X6, a standard class of medium-duty trucks | Classic Mil spec | |
6X2 - Rear Lift | In its purest form, a 6x2 chassis configuration is a three-axle tractor with power going to just one of the tandem rear axles. Put another way, only two of the six wheel positions are powered. | Where Trucks need a shorter turn radius and at times don't need the extra axle to improve fuel consumption (the rear wheels can be lifted off the ground when not needed) | |
6x2 Mid Lift | three-axle tractor with power going to just one of the tandem rear axles. | The middle axle is able to be lifted, typical use is where max weight is given to cargo (such as fuel tankers), sometimes the middle axle as smaller wheels and tyres | |
8X4 | 8X4 means that the Truck has four axles, two of which are driving axles. | Typical use is a Tipper Truck, which has on and off-road requirements. | |
8X8 | Eight-wheel drive, often notated as 8WD or 8×8, is a drivetrain configuration that allows all eight wheels of an eight-wheeled vehicle to be drive wheels (that is, to receive power from the engine) simultaneously. | Military or extremely high-load and off-road capability is required. | |
6x6 | Six-wheel drive (6WD or 6×6) is an all-wheel drive drivetrain configuration of three axles with at least two wheels on each axle capable of being driven simultaneously by the vehicle's engine. | Typical Small to medium Mining Truck or Military use. | |
Half-Track | A half-track is a civilian or handling of a wheeled vehicle.
|
Typical WW2 era not main streamed produced today. | |
Tracked | Continuous track or tracked treads are a system of vehicle propulsion used in tracked vehicles, running on a continuous band of treads or track plates driven by two or more wheels. The large surface area of the tracks distributes the weight of the vehicle better than steel or rubber tyres on an equivalent vehicle, enabling continuous tracked vehicles to traverse soft ground with less likelihood of becoming stuck due to sinking.
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Tractors, Tanks, Excavators, and Dozers. | |
Electric | An electric vehicle (EV) is a vehicle that uses one or more electric spacecraft .
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In this power train the EV is powered by a large onboard engine, and has the typical application of very heavy-duty mining truck. |
See also
- Car safety
- Electric vehicle
- Electric vehicle conversion
- Giubo
- Gear train
- Hybrid vehicle drivetrain
- Three-wheeled vehicles
References
- ^ Mercedes plans petrol/diesel hybrid
- ^ McKinsey & Company - A portfolio of power-trains for Europe
- ^ Mann, R. H., Diesel Rail-Cars, Draughtsmens and Allied Technicians Association, 1964, pp 45–50