Front Drive Axle And Differential (G1905161): Operation

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2020 Jaguar XE and 2019 Jaguar XE. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

Rotational input from the front driveshaft is passed via the pinion shaft and pinion gear. The angles of the pinion gear to the crown wheel drive gear moves the rotational direction through 90°.

The transferred rotational motion is passed to the crown wheel drive gear, which in turn rotates the differential case. A shaft, which is secured to the case, rotates at the same speed as the case. The planet gears, which are mounted on the shaft, also rotate with the case. In turn, the planet gears transfer their rotational motion to the left and right sunwheels, rotating the left and right halfshafts.

When the vehicle is moving in a forward direction, the torque applied through the differential to each sunwheel is equal. In this condition both halfshafts rotate at the same speed. The planet gears do not rotate and effectively lock the sunwheels to the case.

If the vehicle is turning, the outer vehicle wheel will be forced to rotate faster than the inner vehicle wheel by having a greater distance to travel. The planet gears rotate on their axes to allow the outer vehicle wheel to rotate faster than the inner one.