ME 4323: Fundamentals of Drivetrain Systems

This product-oriented course focuses on engineering fundamentals of ground vehicle drivetrain systems with application to automobiles, commercial and off-road vehicles as well as autonomous and electrically driven ground vehicles. The course focuses on “theory and practice” aspects of engineering design of vehicle transmissions, transfer cases, open and limited slip differentials, etc. A term project integrates design principles with materials selection to improve a drivetrain component for a given vehicle. Project steps include: problem definition and analysis, development of design specifications, development and analysis of alternative designs, conceptual design and material analysis, and a CAE design.