Abstract
Keywords: Torque vectoring, limited slip differentials, vehicle dynamics, simulation, customer behaviour
Conventional bevel-gear differentials used as final drives are only a compromise of system complexity, driving comfort, driving safety and agility since they only allow a 50:50 distribution of the drive torque on both wheels of an axle, independent of the vehicle state.
For cornering, however, the drive torque has to be redistributed in favour of the outside wheel to use the adhesion potential optimally. Apart from increasing the driving performance, this asymmetric distribution of the drive torque also results in a considerable increase in agility. Therefore, different systems were presented in the past, ranging from passive differential locks to controllable torque vectoring drives, which allow the asymmetric distribution for improving the driving behaviour.
In terms of the structural design of these systems, however, there is a conflict of objectives between the improvement potential regarding driving dynamics, required space and costs of the system. The selected drive concept, vehicle segment and driver behaviour also play an important role here. It is the aim to support the search for an optimal compromise of customer benefit and a cost-effective system configuration by means of the simulation. In the scope of this article, the basic characteristics of these systems are analysed by means of the simulation while taking the above mentioned influences into account. Priority is given to the restriction of functions owed to the principle and the effects on the benefit in customer operation. For this purpose, the MOVE 3F simulation method, developed at the Institute of Automotive Engineering, is used.