Study on Thrust Force Reduction of Tripod Constant Velocity Joint

A tripod constant velocity joint is used in the driveshaft of front wheel drive vehicles. Thrust force generated by this joint causes lateral vibration in these vehicles. In this paper, in order to reduce the thrust force, some reduction methods are surveyed based on mechanisms inducing the thrust force. In these methods, the dual-contact method between a roller and a groove is focused. This method has the advantage of only a few design modifications, but reduction mechanisms have not been clarified. Therefore, a theory inducing the thrust force in this method is constructed by applying sliding velocities caused between the roller and this dual-contact groove, and the effectiveness of the thrust force reduction is studied. This paper also describes the appropriateness of this theory. It is verified by comparing these theoretical results with computational results by utilizing multibody dynamics approach and experimental results by using a prototype joint equipped with the dual-contact grooves.