This honors thesis analyzes torque variation in the drive shaft system of the Baja SAE vehicle, with a focus on the effects of universal joint (U-joint) geometry and phasing in an inherited and new drive shaft design. The original drivetrain was inherited from a previous team and affected the seat placement that did not comply with the Baja SAE rules. This resulted in a redesign of the drive shaft and evaluation of both the inherited and redesigned configurations’ performance. An initial experiment was created and attempted to analyze the torque variation in the drive shaft, however, there were time constraints that limited prototyping and running trials. A simulation-based method was then attempted, but was insufficient in providing needed torque measurements on the system. A MATLAB-based analytical model was ultimately used to simulate U-joint behavior and calculate torque ratios and angular displacement error. The inherited driveshaft showed high torque fluctuation and angle error when compared to the redesigned configuration. The redesigned configuration showed improved performance with lower torque fluctuation and reduced angular error. These results further validate the design decisions made to optimize the drivetrain for future performance.
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