Abstract
A transmission consisting of three non-collinear shafts connected in sequence by two Hooke's joints is described. Each shaft has a specified moment of inertia, and power is transmitted from one end of the system to the other. Elastic and other deformations are neglected. A single differential equation governing the motion is derived, and is solved approximately by a method of small perturbations. The solution shows that at a constant mean speed the system will experience speed fluctuations which are complex functions of its dynamic parameters, including inertia and torque characteristics, as well as the more familiar kinematic parameters such as angularities of the joints.
Special cases relating to constant speed conditions at chosen points in the system are assessed, and the effects of the significant parameters are illustrated numerically for a single-joint arrangement.
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