COMPONENT OPERATION / Axle

LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIAL (LSD) (OPTIONAL)

The wheel loader must be operated on slippery ground condition like sand and muddy soil. In places like these, the tires can slip. As rotation is transmitted to the slipping tire and not to the tires contacting the road, not only the funtion of the wheel loader is worsened but the tire lives are shortened. In order to avoid this, the limited slip differential (LSD) provided with the differential movement restriction device in order to avoid different movement of the left and right wheels is adopted.

Operational Principle

LSD is so constructed that the clutch disc is inserted between the side gear and the differential gear case, which makes restriction of different movement by keeping the tire speeds the same by the resistances of the friction surfaces.

Ring Gear

Pinion Gear Spider

Friction Washer

Side Gear Disc Clutch Disc

Differential Gear Case

T3-7-6

T4FG-03-07-011

Traveling Straight with the Same Road Resistances to Left and Right Tires

As the differential pinion gear and the left and right pinion gears rotate solidly, the driving forces of the left and right tires are the same.

Traveling on Soft Ground (Different Road Resistances to Left and Right Tires)

Driving force is transmitted to the differential gear case, pinion gear and side gear through the ring gear. At this time, thrust force (P) occurs due to rotation of the pinion gear so that the side gear is pushed by the pinion gear. The clutch disc is geared with the differential gear case through the friction washer. As the side gears fitted to the clutch disc by spline rotate solidly with the differential gear case, the left and right gears rotate at the same speed. Like this, the left and right axle shafts fitted to the side gears by spline tend to rotate solidly with the case, and the differential movement restriction works. In case the driving force provided for the slipping tire is larger than the road resistance, part of the torque of the slipping tire is added to the tire contacting ground by the differential movement restriction (because of the same speed of the left and right tires), and the tire contacting ground is provided with more torque.

Until the difference of the resistances between the left and right tires exceeds certain value (until the clutch disc begins to slip), the left and right gears solidly rotate at a constant speed.

T3-7-7