Universal Joint Assembly

Problem & Motivation: Universal joints are foundational drivetrain components that transfer torque across angular offsets. Building one from scratch develops intuition for rotational mechanics, degrees of freedom, and the geometric constraints that govern real-world linkage systems — skills directly applicable to drivetrain and powertrain engineering.

Role & Contributions: Sole designer. Modeled all individual components, assembled them with proper rotational mates, and configured motion analysis to simulate behavior under angular misalignment.

Technical Details:

Tool: SolidWorks (Part modeling + Assembly + Motion)

Components: yokes, cross/spider assembly, bearing caps

Constraints: rotational mates enforcing correct DOF per joint axis

Simulation: angular misalignment case to observe velocity variation (Cardan joint effect)