A NEW REAR AXLE.
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AN INTERESTIND form of rear axle and final drive has been developed by the Flint Motor Axle Co., of America. It is, in its main features, somewhat similar to the axle fitted to the 7. ton Renault, incorporating, as it does, a sunand-planet reduction gear in each rear wheel. This gear is, of course, in addition to the usual reduction gearing, contained in the axle proper.
The advantage of -a gear of this type is that the torque transmitted by the differential shafts is particularly small, so that there is less liability of the.se fracturing; also, the axle centre casing can be made comparatively small, consequently giving greater ground clearance.
Thei first reduction from the cardan shaft is 2.24 to 1, and is by bevel gears of the usual type. To the end of each axle shaft is splined a spilr pinion meshing with three planetary pinions carried by studs secured to a housing bolted "to the outside of the driving wheel hub, and, in fact, forming a type of hub cap. The planet pinions mesh with an: internal gear ring keyed to the end of the
axle tube. Total gear reductions from 71 to 8.8 can be obtained, the planet gear ratio being kept constant at 3.33, the variations in gear ratio being obtained by altering the sizes of the bevel wheel and pinion. It will be readily understood that, with this construction, the tooth thrusts are equalized, 'Which is not the case when a single pinion is used to drive each internal gear ring.