What are the different types of differentials seen in automobile?

TYPES OF DIFFERENTIAL

What is a differential?

A differential is a gear train with three shafts that has the property that the rotational speed of one shaft is the average of the speeds of the others, or a fixed multiple of that average.

The automotive differential is designed to drive a pair of wheels while allowing them to rotate at different speeds. In vehicles without a differential, such as karts, both driving wheels are forced to rotate at the same speed, usually on a common axle driven by a simple chain-drive mechanism.

Types of differential.

The main 3 categories of differential's used in vehicles are:-

• Open differential
• Locked differential
• Limited-Slip differential

1. Open differential:-

Open differentials are the most common differential found on passenger vehicles and allow the wheels to rotate at different speeds while the vehicle is turning a corner. 

    2. Locked differential:-

A locking differential is designed to overcome the chief limitation of a standard open differential by essentially "locking" both wheels on an axle together as if on a common shaft.

    3. Limited-Slip differential:

A limited-slip differential (LSD) is a type of differential that allows its two output shafts to rotate at different speeds but limits the maximum difference between the two shafts.

In an automobile, such limited-slip differentials are sometimes used in place of a standard differential, where they convey certain dynamic advantages, at the expense of greater complexity.