What is differential lock in a car

When the vehicle turns, each wheel rotates at a slightly different speed. This is due to the fact that the distance traveled by the outer wheels is slightly longer than the path of the inner wheels. For this, it is necessary to have a differential device in the car.

How it workscar differential?More on this later.

Car differential principle of operation, purpose

The purpose is to regulate the speed of the driving wheels.

The drive shaft turns the gears that transmit power to the axle shaft to move the wheels. The trick is that the gears allow the axles, and therefore the wheel, to rotate at different speeds.

Principle of operation

The engine torque is divided into two outputs, each of which rotates at a different speed.

If one tire loses contact with the road, the opposite tire also experiences a reduction in traction. In the worst case, the car will get stuck, and one wheel will spin freely, and the second one with a better grip does not provide the necessary torque for the car to move. Today's anti-towing systems compensate for wheel slip with the brakes.

The principle of operation consists in releasing one car wheel and transferring all the power to the "wheel of least resistance". This is a logical method on hard, flat surfaces. But when it comes to off-road driving, problems arise.

A powerful differential lock will help here. When it is turned on, whether it is a factory standard or an aftermarket modification, it "locks" and begins to gradually control both wheels. This not only allows the tire to continue spinning without traction in the hope of gaining contact with the road, but also sets in motion another tire that has good contact with the surface.

What is a differential lock in a car?

Action: the connections of the car wheel rotate at the same speed. In sand, mud and snow, the traction force continues to flow to the tire with a higher grip.

In the unlocked state, it behaves like an open differential device. Its blocking on a surface with high contact, for example, on dry asphalt, makes it difficult to turn the car and can lead to an explosion of the transmission.

Types of differential mechanisms

1. Increased friction.It combines the concepts of open and locked, works as open most of the time, and then automatically begins to lock when a slip occurs. Locking can be achieved using a viscous fluid, a clutch or a complex gearing.Weak point:are reactive, not locked until slippage occurs.
2. Operation of the car differential withelectronic management.The electronically controlled clutch unit offers rheostatic control between open and fully locked modes with adjustments made hundreds of times per second. For example, if the computer detects too much oversteer during a turn, it can increase the lock to stabilize the vehicle.Disadvantages:the traction force is shifted towards the slower car wheel.
3. WITHtorque vector. Using additional gears to accelerate the half-axles, the device precisely adjusts the traction force transmitted to each driving wheel. This creates a torque that slows or speeds up the vehicle's turn. Heavy, complex and expensive, and also lead to a slight decrease in fuel consumption.

The differential mechanism extends the service life of the tires, minimizing their wear during turns.