Couplings and Drives

Dynamic transfer of torques and motions

Couplings and drives blocks represent power transmission elements and systems such as springs, dampers, pulleys, and drives. To model the dynamic transfer of torques and motions, connect these blocks together just as you would assemble a physical driveline system.

Simscape Blocks

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Coupling and Drive Assemblies

Belt Drive	Power transmission system with taut belt connecting two pulleys
Belt Pulley	Power transmission element with frictional belt wrapped around pulley circumference
Chain Drive	Power transmission system with chain and two sprockets
Flexible Shaft	Shaft with torsional and bending compliance
Rod	Axially flexible bar or cable
Rope	Physical connection that enables tension transfer
Rope Drum	Power transmission system with tightly wound rope around cylindrical drum
Shock Absorber	Mechanism for damping translational vibrations
Torque Converter	Viscous fluid coupling between rotating driveline shafts
Torsional Spring-Damper	Rotational spring and damper coupling with Coulomb friction, locking, and hard stops
Universal Joint	Rotational coupling between two driveline shafts
Variable Ratio Transmission	Dynamic gearbox with variable and controllable gear ratio, transmission compliance, and friction losses

Springs and Dampers

Air Spring	Sealed translational air spring
Nonlinear Rotational Damper	Rotational damper based on polynomial or table lookup parameterizations
Nonlinear Rotational Spring	Torsional spring based on polynomial or table lookup parameterizations
Nonlinear Translational Damper	Translational damper based on polynomial or table lookup parameterizations
Nonlinear Translational Spring	Translational spring based on polynomial or table lookup parameterizations
Rotational Damper	Faultable linear rotational damper
Translational Damper	Faultable linear translational damper
Variable Rotational Damper	Rotational damper with variable damping coefficient
Variable Rotational Spring	Rotational spring with variable spring stiffness
Variable Translational Damper	Translational viscous damper with variable damping coefficient
Variable Translational Spring	Translational spring with variable spring stiffness

Topics

Model a Variable Inertia
Model a time-varying inertia using a variable ratio transmission.
Model Driveshafts with Loss
Model damping due to viscous friction.
Model Drivetrain Noise
Model random noise in a drivetrain.
Model and Detect Drivetrain Faults
Model faults that disturb drivetrains.
Flexible Shaft
This example shows two flexible aluminum shafts modeled using a lumped parameter approach.
Shaft with Torsional and Transverse Flexibility
This example shows two flexible shafts that have torsional and transverse flexibility.
Torque Converter in Two-Mode Modeling
This example shows basic operations of a torque converter including lock-up clutch mechanism.
Best Practices for Modeling Pulley Networks
Learn about belt direction and using ropes and inertias in pulley networks.

Troubleshooting

Troubleshoot Driveline Modeling and Simulation Issues

Identify and eliminate issues that prevent your model from simulating to completion.

Troubleshoot Pulley Network Issues

Learn how to solve initialization and motion issues in pulley networks.

Featured Examples

Compound Pulley

A block and tackle system that is represented by the Belt Pulley and Rope blocks from the Simscape™ Driveline™ library. This compound pulley is rigged as a threefold purchase with two triple blocks. The system has a mechanical advantage of 6.

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Washing Machine Fault Analysis

Model a washing machine and introduce a fault in its operation. The machine water supply faults at a specific time and this example models the system response under this scenario. The electric motor switches off and the machine operation is aborted by discharging the partially filled outer drum.

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