Tripod Joint
Tripod Joint is used at the inboard end of car driveshafts, it enables power transmission even in case of angle shifting. Tripod Joint has needle bearing / barrel-shaped rollers mounted on a three-legged spider / three-pointed yoke, instead of balls bearings. These fit into a cup with three matching grooves, attached to the differential. The rollers are mounted at 120-degrees to one another and slide back and forth in tracks in an outer “tulip” housing.
This three-legged spider with tripod has only limited operating angles, but is able to plunge in and out with a longer distance as the suspension moves. A typical Tripod joint has up to 50 mm of plunge travel, and 26 degrees of angular articulation.
Tripod Type Inner CV Joint
Tripod Joint
Ｈow does Tripod Joint works? Tripod joint animation in solidworks.