The Ingenious Mechanics of Driveshafts

[@NewMind]

▶ Visit brilliant.org/NewMind to get a 30-day free trial + 20% off your annual subscription

[@leonmusk1040]

You forgot to add that they are now so numerous you're 4 times more likely to be killed by exploding universals than getting hit by lightening.

[@clintonhalunajan467]

How about vid about vehicular drivetrain configurations (AWD,4WD) or hybrid drivetrains, the diversity of differentials or eVolution of advance vehicle dynamic safety devices like abs tcs brake vectoring etc.

[@handsomejonny6211]

did you figure out how to say the word scythe? Or are you a robot

[@iteerrex8166]

Our modern world is standing on the shoulders of countless number of giants and lifetimes of experience. Another great video NM 👍

[@robinnautica9773]

They say great science is built on the shoulders of giants. Not here. At Aperture, we do all our science from scratch. No hand holding.

[@Yezpahr]

Our modern world is also standing on the verge of magdumping the nuclear arsenal. There are no big enough shoulders of big enough giants to stand on after that. Let's hope it fizzles out somehow. Then everything we learned along the way will stil matter. Otherwise it won't.

[@pvic6959]

its giants all the way down~

[@Yezpahr]

I stand by my previously deleted comment about mankind being on the verge of doing something "silly" and it doesn't matter on which shoulders we stand after that thing happened. But the video was indeed enjoyable.

[@pvic6959]

@@Yezpahr what comment? and what silly thing?

[@butlerbees6639]

Every time I watch videos like this I can’t help to be completely humbled. So many nameless faces less men throughout history that worked individually or with a team to make so many modern conveniences possible. I’m just an average guy trying to do his best. I can’t imagine sitting down and inventing something like this, let alone constantly improve upon it. The amount of brainpower, work ethic, and trials these guys went through is nothing short of amazing.

[@JohnDoeWasntTaken]

Our history being this way is the reason why I can never believe it when someone says "times were better back then". We are standing on the shoulders of these inventors and engineers, countless conveniences that we take for granted only coming about thanks to them.

[@LynxStarAuto]

It was these great folks' passion projects that helped take America to new heights. Now we just got a bunch of nincompoops chasing a paycheck, doing whatever their corporate overlords demand of them.

[@mejestic124]

Oh you will, necessity is the mother of invention. imagine you as a farmer or some mechanic in the older times, you would definitely make something that could help you daily life bussiness

[@StepSherpa]

​@mejestic124 that sounds great but for something to be known it has to be spread, especially before the internet. And maybe you invent something but think it is not such a big deal. Most things these days are that someone figured something out AND managed to spread the idea, my favorite example is the boxer and berdan primer used in cartridge cases and where they were used

[@TheMasonX23]

I would assume they had names and faces. I think it's hard to get hired without either of those.

[@rjones6219]

As this video shows. There is rarely a perfect solution to engineering challenges, and that in most scenarios, a compromise is required.

[@alveolate]

the video almost touches on that perfect solution tho... eliminating driveshafts completely and mating the engines directly to the wheels, which is now feasible with compact electric motors. but ofc, that's not the point of the video xD

[@incofriganel]

​@alveolate but that does lead to the problem of greater unsprung weight. Leading to handling issues

[@MrZenzio]

Me, every 90 seconds: "Oh, that's smarter".

[@masterimbecile]

You’re getting smarter every day Oops wrong channel

[@ShivanshParihar_0]

Fo real😂😂😂

[@drewendly89]

💀 i just saw the Zeppa joint and went THATS SMARTTTT…

[@프레디khjfreddy]

So true 😂😂😂

[@TheWarhoop]

Me, every 90 seconds: "He said balls."

[@WolfmanDude]

Amazing video! You could literally show this in a engineering class. I love the no-nonsense, pure info approach!

[@PhoenIXrcrr]

This is miles better than anything I had "pleasure" to see at tech uni classes.

[@circusitch]

I’m awed at the superb graphics. I’m glad I taught him everything he knows.

[@GearHeadedHamster]

The exploded views do an excellent job at conveying the complex 3d shape and assembly of these joints in a simple, easy to understand way. With that said, I did noticed 2 animation errors. The first one at 9:55 The right hemisphere doesn't pivot properly causing it to clip into the yoke of the right shaft. The second error is at 11:35 If I'm not mistaken, when the shaft pivots, the ball cage should also pivot at half the angler displacement. essentially splitting the difference between the two angles. Where as here, it is locked to the inner race.

[@mugilanjoorindanjn7500]

I'm awed at the superb comment. I'm glad I taught him everything he knows.

[@PhoenIXrcrr]

​@@GearHeadedHamster you are right on both animations. They are so awesome that my perfectionist side really wants them to be 100% correct :D

[@SlipYoke6081x]

I fabricate and custom build driveshafts for all kinds of stuff, big rigs, 4x4s, cruisers, drag racers and even tractor and agriculteral ptos, and I sure enjoy it. Its like legos, pieces might be different in some ways but they all go together the same. I also replace center bearings, straighten and balance them

[@LynxStarAuto]

Perfect sn then.

[@TheAefril]

I bow to artists like you. You stand on the shoulders of giants, and the many generations of engineers before you!

[@SlipYoke6081x]

@@TheAefril yeah, I owe it all to the people who taught me and helped me out

[@waynejohnstone3685]

Pretty cool!

[@andersjjensen]

How come "a random dude", with only 600k subscribers, has higher production quality and absurdly higher factual correctness than major TV networks?

[@ZhulMechanos]

It’s by design. Mass Media = Mass Disinformation

[@riverstones-wd40]

Because sheep are satisfied with mediocrity

[@ck17350]

The beautiful digital animations created on this channel never cease to amaze me. Whoever is behind them, your work is really impressive.

[@hootinouts]

The RZEPPA joint is by far brilliant. I remember many years ago replacing the split rubber boot that covered this joint on my Honda and had to remove the shaft and disassemble the joint. I was astounded by the high precision and high surface finish on the internal workings of that joint. it was trick getting it apart and reassembling it too.

[@dan_youtube]

Who doesn't love this? Amazing visuals and crisp voice narration. Plus everyone drives a car or has been in one!

[@SimEon-jt3sr]

Wow that old timer video of the car going down that bank was crazy the whole car pivoted/twisted. Between front and rear axle. That was crazy

[@peterwilson7532]

Amazing graphics and a refined pace of learning from a tight script. Fab.

[@NewMind]

Balls and shafts jokes go here. Best one by April 1st gets $100 🤣

[@alittlelad]

go to 11:19 and close your eyes

[@Outlawstar0198]

"ball and shafts jokes go here" Joke is already written. Just needed to add *points to crotch* to it

[@MarekReinsch]

My wife confirms that the dirt contamination of the shaft is the worst case. She also says it starts with the balls.

[@Karagoth444]

Bendix Weiss joint must have been inspired from a good night of 2 shafts and 4 balls.

[@Wizofawes]

@6:20 it's a long one, but I think worth it, ending @6:55

[@Ben-Dixey]

Fantastic video. This subject is particularly apt for me at the moment. I'm trying to design a driveshaft for my homemade helicopter. Tried tripod cv joints and it worked but I'm running them at engine RPM, the rubber boots can't take that rpm so I'm going to a universal joint. The driveshaft needs to plunge 100mm under very low friction so another joint needs to be found. Splined slip joints have too much friction so it has to be a ball bearing joint. You can get ball bearing slip joints called ball splines, used on some Volvos. This is a possible solution, I've also come up with another lighter solution using two telescopic boxes sections separated by flat cage needle roller bearings but this hasn't been tested. I'll watch your video again as it's great for ideas on how to solve my problem in the lightest way. Thanks again Ben

[@marvinochieng6295]

damn... this is one of those channels i never miss to watch every upload. Keep up the good effort

[@ahmedp8009]

Man, Thank you! Driveshafts, they always fascinating me considering the unimaginable stresses and torture they endure and experience throughout their life, truly marvels of Engineering! This video on the history and advancements is simply extraordinary! Extremely informative and fantastically paced and explained. I appreciate all your effort, skills and hard work poured in creating such premium videos for us to watch, and wish you all the Best!

[@lyzek01]

It amazes me that technology from the 1920s is still being used today. Thanks for this great video!!

[@wrenbrighton2358]

Such fascinating geometry here. Pretty cool how the intersection of math and engineering has created everythkng we know.

[@leoa4c]

I am designing an experimental aircraft and due to the distance between engine and propeller a driveshaft is needed. The problem is not as simple as it first appears, as demonstrated by this video. There's a lot to consider, especially when weight is of concern. Wonderful video.

[@tslaton]

please, never stop producing this content. It has helped me understand things in my profession, this is some of the best educational content I have found on KZbin. I appreciate the effort that you put into making these videos.

[@joepeach997]

This type of passing information is what I live for, with a humble thanks to all the brilliant minds that made it possible.

[@JKTCGMV13]

I had no idea there was such history here. Thanks for the info and the great graphics!

[@JoshuaC923]

Super high quality documentaries, one can only imagine how many hours is put into these videos. Thank you!

[@TheWizardGamez]

you had me at ballcage

[@silvervortex2441]

Another banger. I love automotive related stuff

[@hughoxford8735]

Universal joints were the favourite parts of my technic Lego kits.

[@keanMechanic]

That is the most informative and complete information on “CV “ joints. Very well done sir.

[@binapark9208]

The most helpful video I have seen this month. Recently got a job in car part manufacturer and this will make me look smart.

[@discoverlight]

Man my fav videos of this channel so far. The drive shaft is sort special for me, I remember I was quite young when I first got the opportunity to see a drive shaft from up close and got to understand how it works, I simply love its function of transmitting the motion and how crucial it is for vehicles specially for 4x4s which are my fav segment, ever since whenever I see any 4x4 or a semi truck I’m always peeking at the drive shaft and countless times I’ve spotted 4x4 trucks without the front drive shaft, thanks for sharing the entire amazing story behind this piece and all its types, the animation is top notch btw.

[@onlyme0349]

this is a really great format, allowing us to see the pros and cons and the evolution of these driveshafts over time, the improvements are also intrinsically rewarding to capture an audience that may not have entirely "got it", drivetrains are definitely interesting technology

[@itsdaninn]

Impressed by the amount of efforts gone into making this video. Great job!

[@nidalshehahadeh7485]

Mercedes Benz drive shaft coupling which is basically a rubber coupling is one of the most efficient quiet ways of transporting power without vibration with extreme durability that can be up to the lifetime of the vehicle.

[@mickmccasker6401]

That's because the lifetime of a Benz is so low...

[@nidalshehahadeh7485]

@@mickmccasker6401 There was a time in history in which Mercedes-Benz used to give a brand new vehicle to any individual who drives his old Mercedes-Benz 1 million kilometers, I worked on Mercedes-Benz since I was 13 years old and I could tell you out of my experience that the amount of times that I had to replace a drive shaft couplings can be counted on the hands, many car manufacturers have adopted this invention including Toyota and BMWs. Rubber Couplings are used extensively in many industrial applications, especially with engines. Mainly used for their torsionally soft properties and damping effect on troublesome vibrations.

[@volvo09]

For applications with a slight angle those rubber couplings do last quite a long time. They also have the benefit of isolating more vibrations.

[@otm646]

That's a Guibo joint, designed by an Italian, the Germans use. It has very limited misalignment capabilities and is severely torque limited for their volume. Like everything shown here it's a good design in certain applications like independent rear suspension where the differential doesn't move.

[@poindextertunes]

@@mickmccasker6401this isn’t true tho depending on what year you get. And you can say that for almost any car company. the manufacturing and quality control of so many cars has gone down hill in the last 10-15 years. You can blame the CEOs for that. They do anything to keep the shareholder’s happy and increase their profits 3% year over year. And of course their bonus has to be bigger and better than their golf buddies bonus

[@tylersakir7119]

I love videos about shafts and balls. Great video

[@stephenbone4764]

FANTASTIC VID ! GREAT GRAPHICS ! LOVE THE EXPLANATION OF [ C V ] JOINTS ! ! !

[@snakezdewiggle6084]

That was like "Next Level". Good job 👍 Thank you.

[@Vrga]

Learned so much about balls and ball cages from this video! ❤

[@Welterino]

this channel is the real deal.

[@luigicirelli2583]

rubber coupling missing; great documentary

[@Williraser]

Titles the video "The Ingenious Mechanics of Driveshafts" talks about Universal Joints for 40 Minutes

[@EyesOfByes]

This whole channel is Brilliant

[@aga080]

driveshaft: what a special episode. thank you as always.

[@douglasbullet6456]

These type of videos make me wanna build my own car

[@AndriusKamarauskas]

i would like to nominate this video as an amazing

[@Finite-Tuning]

And here I was thinking that I knew all about drive shafts and their joints, nope, I was wrong! You showed me a couple of things here I didn't know existed. Excellent video man! Cheers 🍻

[@doodskie999]

Just discovered this channel, damn the animations are so good and direct to the point! Subbed!

[@iainduncan1998]

Got to love the prop shaft on the gearpumps of extruders

[@ralfbauerfeind8236]

I am missing a bit the mentioning of VL and DO joints, but this was extensive enough to get a good impression of how those joints work in general.

[@dingolovethrob]

truly superb video

[@awkwardsaxon9418]

man I love when I find channels like this that are not ai voice and ai script

[@jameshartman6031]

Ur videos just make my brain feel better...

[@bovanshi6564]

Really high quality video!

[@Matteo_Licata]

Brilliant video, thank you for making this!

[@TomiTapio]

Thanks fly out to you from the #TimelineOfMankind project.

[@onazram1]

Excellent driveshaft video, but no mention of the common Flex Disc....

[@burgundy4583]

Thank you so much

[@kirkhamandy]

I heard the word "trunnion," and suddenly, the Turbo Encabulator jumped into my head. After that, it didn't matter what you said; despite being entirely factual, I couldn't stop hearing that skit and laughing. Sorry, great video, but one word just set me off 😂

[@dzfz2100]

INCREDIBLE ANIMATIONS as per usual!

[@Zzrdemon6633]

The support bearing was a staple in every pick up truck at least from 1970! The year of my first truck

[@AbdiPianoChannel]

Thanks for the knowledge

[@stco2426]

Excellent!

[@addmix]

New Mind posted another car video. It's a good day.

[@paulbriggs3072]

One heck of a video.

[@tpkj658]

Great pronounciation of the name "Rzeppa"! :)

[@angiegillanders4529]

Rzeppa joints are cool but the porsche joint takes it to the next level.

[@Afuru1]

These are 100yr old inventions mostly. They never stopped trying to solve problems.

[@asianmanfromasia]

I just replaced my CV axles, and you came out with this. You read my mind 🧠

[@jasonruetz2306]

Good stuff 👌

[@samd7601]

I read that as Indeginous Mechanics, awesome!

[@M_Gargantua]

Using a student FSAE car for the CV Joint example, love when I see stuff like that in the wider world.

[@demal1010]

I still remember sitting in my dad's car at the age where kids ask a lot of questions, and seeing truck undercarriages go by and asking my dad about what is that spinning underneath. And my dad being an engineer would at some point explain what driveshafts and differentials are by drawing simple diagrams.

[@zombieregime]

Cracks of the inner accordion fold of CV joint boots is a common shady mechanic tactic to convince people to get new CV joints they dont need. While I acknowledge not every car is the same, I drove a 92 Chevy Corsica for almost 10 years, the outboard boots had cracks in the inner folds. Id driven it through mud, streams, beach sand and water, all manner of grit and grime had prime opportunity to get inside. Do you know how many times I had to put new joints on that car? Once, on the passenger side, to get rid of a noisy clunk when atriculating to extremes. It still functioned just fine. Other than that one half shaft (since you cant just replace one joint set, you just replace the whole half shaft) we got rid of it with the joints that were on it when we got it. And that new joint? Yeah it developed cracks at some point, and was just fine. As long as there is wet grease inside the boots, you're fine. That gritty grease in the image shown in this video, yeah, thats gonna eat em up eventually. But a little crack in the boot is not an issue to worry too much about. Yes, keep an ear out for issues, but you WILL KNOW when your CV bearings are going.....trust me. They're not subtle...

[@htimsid]

From 1960, Pontiac used a 'ropeshaft' on the Tempest. Instead of a driveshaft the front-mounted engine and rear-mounted transaxle were connected by a 5/8inch-diameter flexible steel shaft which operated in an arc below the cabin floor. This shaft was enclosed in a torque tube.

[@markproulx1472]

Great video!

[@Pickelhaube808]

Challenge: Take a shot every time the words "balls" or "shaft" are said

[@904C5ZOSIX]

Just found your channel. Love the content!! 👍

[@spelunkerd]

Referring to the freeze frame at 7:38, I notice that the two joints seem to be lined up identically. In the monologue you say they need to be 90 deg out of phase. Am I correct to say that the configuration shown is what you want, that is from front to back they are indeed 90 deg out of phase?

[@AlRoderick]

Yes, you have to realize that the input of one side has to be out of phase with the input of the next one, but the output of each joint is always out of phase with its own input, so putting the two joints out of phase means that the input of the second joint has to be oriented the same as the output of the first joint.

[@mrtopcat2]

Great video, I just wished it had a bit more depth. If it matters, this is the first video that I saw from this channel as it just showed up on my feed.

[@raylopez99]

Fun fact: as acknowledged (implicitly) by the author in the first two minutes of this video, chain drives actually have a higher mechanical efficiency than drive shafts, which have higher losses such as due to friction. But, as the author said, drive shafts are more robust and less prone to breakdown. A design tradeoff.

[@GeoffryGifari]

If we stack many small universal joints together with short shaft, could we transfer rotational motion through a flexible tube/"tentacle"?

[@otm646]

If contained in an outer sleeve yes, but you'd be better with a wire rope like what's used in a Dremel extension, pipe snake or early Pontiac Tempest driveshaft

[@Azdingue]

Your videos are awesome and amazing ❤❤❤

[@brianbanks3044]

some very smart people back in the day when the manufacturing processes were far less than what we have today

[@shawnhickman3512]

I make 30,000 of these a day now. All shapes and sizes. Big 3 OEM. Still use cardan,slip yokes, CVJs and even old style methods to set bearings on service parts. Nothing much has changed in 100 years..except friction welding of the shaft...

[@morkovija]

had too take a moment to reflect on the fact that this is free. Unbelievable

[@pklimbic]

Wonderful video, thank you. A lot of cars use Hardy-disks. What is their function?

[@noodle3768]

The mechanic engineers are so smart.

[@rrotwang]

You missed that Cadiilacs from the sixties had constant velocity driveshafts four universal joints & two yokes

[@tiesdevos6897]

try drawing such a thing without cad, seems like a good excercize

[@arthurmcgregor2249]

I drew a plunging Rzeppa CV joint in cad and printed in with 3D Printer. Works great.

[@_olamilekan]

I love this channel ❤❤❤❤

[@jareknowak8712]

The "In wheel motor" will be used in Emily GT (a car built by former SAAB engineers), which is scheduled to hit the market later this year. Videos of test drives are available on KZbin.

[@akhilaryappatt]

today we learn about driveshafts

[@necko2529]

That TJ at 8:00 needs a slip yoke eliminator...

[@DanNeb-w3e]

10 min in and still not talking about the greatness of the cv shaft

[@pauls5745]

I think the Tracta joint is elegant and the most durable thing ever. No wonder they had to get rid of it. All it ever needed was just grease it.

[@harlanbarnhart4656]

The double cardin shafts shown at 7:00 and 8:20 are not the same. I suspect the later is correct with the intermediate shaft hosting yokes at 90° angles.

[@FLORIDIANMILLIONAIRE]

These joints were originally invented by Italian polymath Gerolamo Cardano whose.skills included everything from physician, chemist, biologist, astrologist, chemist, mathematician, mechanisms designer, philosopher, artist and even well known gambler. Nearly two Centuries passed until one the most famous and bitter rivals of Issac Newton Sir Robert Hooke also a polymath and the most brilliant man in the history of science in the times when great minds like Issac Newton were alive experimented with double cardan joints for use in astronomy. Finally in 1928 Alfred RZeppa improved the design to a zeppa joint. Since then I have made significant improvements to prevent the degradation of such joints under extreme circumstances which is the next step in power transmission of mechanical joints in 2 DOF.

[@au1317]

Shout out to the quantum homie Gerolamo Cardano for starting us all on this path

[@jamestregler1584]

Thanks now I know who Mr. Cardan is !

[@diogoduarte369]

In the world of driveshafts, everything cones down to a double cardan, but with ball bearings in different places.

[@DimiShimi]

The voice actor enjoyed speaking about the balls. XD Great vid.