Activity 1 - Driveshaft Background

In this activity, the student’s task is to design a driveshaft for the transmission. The Design Process will be utilized through a MATLAB (TO FIX) program, where the program will output the recommended size of the shaft depending on what parameters the students input.

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The power transmission is a mechanism that takes power from the motor and delivers it to the driveshaft. This power is delivered through rotation to the driveshaft which then goes to the rear wheels. A properly designed shaft will decide how well the car will actually move. In general, the shaft will take up space inside the car being surrounded by gears, pulleys and other compartments that exist within a fully For example, a shaft that has a large diameter will take up a lot of space in its surroundings which affects how other parts attach to it will behave when all the parts are in motion. All of these details will affect the performance of the car either in a positive, negative or neutral direction. A fast and effective diagnosis that can be determined by combining the appropriate parameters into a MATLAB (TO FIX) program. These parameters include: factor of safety, material selection, types and amount of loadings, and geometry. The MATLAB (TO FIX) code will be provided for students in the workshop, and students will mainly focus on inputting those parameters into the program.