<VV> Half Shafts ... Now Torque Tubes

[RoboMan91324@aol.com]

Hi Tim,

Yes, torque tubes worked well for their purpose but torque tubes as I know 
them are not used to transmit torque from the engine to the drive wheels.  
(Despite the name.)  They basically were used (and still are in some exotics) to 
house the drive shaft from front to back.  They did not rotate.  Their purpose 
was to stiffen the drive train eliminating the need for a second U-joint and 
such things as traction bars.  In some vehicles with half shafts at the driven 
end, they were even used as structural members.  In effect; they are part of 
the vehicle's frame.  Again, I believe that my statement is well based 
technically.  You can use solid shafts as in EMs or hollow shafts as in LMs and there 
are benefits and drawbacks to each.  The EMs with one U-joint and the peculiar 
wheel bearing almost required a solid shaft to be cost effective.  The 
improved rear suspension of the LMs required a dual U-joint setup which allowed the 
use of the hollow half shafts.

Doc
~~~~~~~
In a message dated 10/31/2004 10:51:25 AM Pacific Standard Time, YENBAT 
writes:
In a message dated 10/31/04 9:35:30 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
RoboMan91324@aol.com writes:
The physics is what it is all about.  The VAST amount of the torque is 
transmitted along the outside of any shaft.  The center of a solid shaft 
transmits 
zero torque.  This is why driveshafts have been hollow tubes since the early 
days of automobiles.
Then how do you explaiin the torque tube drives that GM (and others) used up 
until the 60s?

They seemed to work pretty well.

Tim Abney