Viscous couplings enter mainstream vehicles
- GKN Automotive Inc., Auburn Hills, MI (United States)
This article discusses how the viscous coupling, which is now known mostly because of its use as a driveline component in four-wheel-drive vehicles, as a limited-slip differential in axles and transfer cases, and as a viscous transmission device, could become a major player in mainstream front-wheel-drive applications. Several factors are at work here. One is the fact that new external mounting techniques have made it possible to design viscous couplings into existing vehicles with minimal modifications. Another is that recent substantial reductions in cost and weight have made viscous couplings a more economical choice than in the past. However, perhaps the greatest impact has come from their use in vehicles such as the Lancia Thema, Nissan NX2000, and Honda Prelude, which have demonstrated that viscous couplings can significantly improve handling and stability even under normal driving conditions. When properly tuned and applied, viscous couplings can greatly reduce the need for driver correction of a vehicle's course under moderate- to high-speed driving conditions, especially on higher-powered front-wheel-drive vehicles.
- OSTI ID:
- 5610999
- Journal Information:
- Mechanical Engineering; (United States), Vol. 115:10; ISSN 0025-6501
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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