Device auto Theme Driving axles and main gear Issue 39

The drive axle is a rigid hollow beam composed of three main elements: two semi‑axial sleeves and a crankcase that houses a gearbox containing the main transmission and differential. Two half‑axle casings are pressed into the floor of the axial sleeves to hold the wheel hub. Drive bridge beams come in linear and stamped varieties, most commonly made of cast iron; the studied brands use stamped welded drive axles. The ZIL drive axle features a twin main transmission with a total gear ratio of 6.32, where the first pair of gears is conical with spiral teeth and the second pair is cylindrical with oblique teeth. The pinion shaft, a main gear that rotates in two roller bearings, is connected to the cardan shaft via a coupling. Two sets of adjusting gaskets fine‑tune the engagement gaps. Torque is transmitted to the drive wheels through a sequence of components: the driveline leading gear shaft, the first hub, the second gear of the first hub and the driving gear, a second hub, the driven gear of the second transmission and the differential, the half‑axial pinion and axle, and finally the driving wheel. The semi‑axles transfer torque from the differential to the driving wheels; they are steel shafts with slots at one end and a special flange for mounting the wheel hub at the other, rotating in conical roller bearings. Depending on installation, they are classified as floor, unloaded, or fully unloaded.