Differentials
Built by Alan Wenbourne in January 2016
Built using Meccano-compatible gears from Tony Bolton.
Having had a complete set of these gears for some time now, I decided it was time to use them for something, so applied the thought to my favourite subject!
The differential uses the 6-tooth pinions as side gears and 15-tooth pinions as satellite gears. The meshing centres are located by using the 5-hole square plate 73as bolted between the radial slots of 45 and 54 toothed gears on 1–1/8” bolts. The model demonstrates the flexibility of the hole/slot arrangement of these gears in producing a relatively small differential.
Using a spur type crown wheel implies a front wheel drive or inter-axle differential application. The gears forming the cage facilitate a choice of drive ratios of 54:36 (1.5:1) at 1½” centres or 45:15 (3:1) at 1” centres.
NB: The backpage article of SELMEC News issue 135 (June 2010) describes a very “Small limited-slip differential”.