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universal joint

Mechanism with bendable rotation axis

EntityQ862003

Also known as universal coupling · U-joint · Hooke's joint · Hardy-Spicer joint · Cardan joint

Subclass of: joint

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

A universal joint is a joint or coupling connecting rigid shafts whose axes are inclined to each other. It is commonly used in shafts that transmit rotary motion. It consists of a pair of hinges located close together, oriented at 90° to each other, connected by a cross shaft. The universal joint is not a constant-velocity joint.

Overview

All data

21 statements · 29% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Different from: constant-velocity joint
Said to be the same as: cardan shaft
Has use: cardan shaft
Named after: Christopher Polhem

On other databases

16 identifiers linking universal joint across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

29%

externally sourced

Source last edited September 27, 2026. AIDb refreshes this page daily.

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AIDb. (2026). universal joint (Q862003). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/universal-joint-Q862003