
19 Drive lines
19.1 UNI VERSAL JOINTS
Flexible element universal joints
Since the early history of the motor car automobile
engineers have always been attracted to the idea of a
universal joint that does not require lubrication or any
other attention during the useful life of the vehicle. In
practical terms, this led to the development of various
forms of universal joint in which the driving and driven
shafts were provided with spider-arm connections to a
flexible disc of either metal or leather. It was the British
engineer E.J. Hardy who, in 1911, introduced the first
really successful flexible disc universal joint. The disc
was built up fro ...