Couplings and Drives
R2026bCouplings 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
 | Bearing | Bearing that provides trans-axial support to freely rotating shaft (Since R2023a) |
 | Belt Drive | Power transmission system with taut belt connecting two pulleys |
 | Belt Pulley | Power transmission element with frictional belt wrapped around pulley circumference |
 | Cable | Cable connection that enables tension transfer |
 | 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 Drum | Power transmission system with tightly wound rope around cylindrical drum |
 | Shock Absorber | Spring and damper system that absorbs translational shocks |
 | Torque Converter | Torque converter coupling between two drive 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 |
 | Air Spring | Sealed translational air spring |
 | Nonlinear Rotational Damper | Nonlinear damper in a rotational system |
 | Nonlinear Rotational Spring | Torsional spring based on polynomial or table lookup parameterizations |
 | Nonlinear Translational Damper | Nonlinear damper in a translational system |
 | Nonlinear Translational Spring | Translational spring based on polynomial or table lookup parameterizations |
 | Rotational Damper | Linear rotational damper |
 | Translational Damper | 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 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.
- 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 Cable 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.
Tensioner with Custom Belt Pulley Components
Model a belt drive with a tensioner by using a custom pulley domain. The custom domain accounts for the two-dimensional kinematics and dynamics of the system. The belt drive contains an input pulley, output pulley, and tensioner, arranged in a two-dimensional space. The input pulley receives a torque from the shaft, and the belt transfers the power to the output pulley. The tensioner has a spring-damper unit that maintains tension in the system.
Flexible Shaft
Two flexible aluminum shafts modeled using a lumped parameter approach. Both shafts consist of 20 segments containing inertias, damping, and stiff torsional springs. At the start of the simulation, the clutch is unlocked and the driven shaft is free. Note that the initial velocity of the motor shaft is set to 200 rad/s and that the system starts at steady state. The clutch engages and disengages during the test, and during each event the effect of the shaft flexibility can be seen in the simulation results.
Shaft with Torsional and Transverse Flexibility
Two flexible shafts that have torsional and transverse flexibility. One shaft computes transverse motion using computed eigenmodes, and the other shaft uses a lumped parameter approach. The boundary conditions on the shafts can be changed on the block masks.
Torque Converter in Two-Mode Modeling
Basic operations of a torque converter including lock-up clutch mechanism. You can select three different simulation cases - Basic Lock-up, Drive Mode Test, and Coast Mode Test.
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.
