Car drivetrain – clutch, gearbox, drive axle and tractive force

Design & TechnologyMechanical EngineeringAges 16–17

Power runs from the engine through the clutch, gearbox and drive shaft to the drive axle and wheels: each stage spins at a different speed set by its gear ratio. Click Shift up / Shift down and drag the throttle and road-slope sliders to watch the tractive force F_k = M_e·i_h·i_0·η/r_b, drag force and acceleration change; the tractive-force-vs-speed graph for all 5 gears shows why a low gear is strong but slow while a high gear is fast but weak.