Automotive

Transmissions
Based on the book by
Lechner & Naunheimer
Different types of Transmission

(p2)
Trends
Transmission Manufacturers

(p39)
Some numbers (vehicle production
in 1997)

(p39)
BASIC DESIGN PRINCIPLES
GOALS to be achieved by a
transmission system
 Efficient power conversion from engine to vehicle
traction
 Over a wide range of speeds
 Good (NVH, speed) shift quality
 Good Climbing performance
 Good Acceleration
 Low fuel consumption (affects selection of final
drive ratio)
Basic Gearbox Calculations
 HW:
 T1+T2+T3=0
 P1+P2+P3=0

 For a direct drive, the chassis does not receive

any reaction torque.
 The reaction torque of the frame changes its
sign, i.e. İts direction when shifting from a speed
reducing gear to a speed increasing gear.
Transmission Service Life
Driver Type Motorway Main Road Urban Traffic Mountain
Road
Motorway 70 14 13 3
Driver
Urban Driver 30 23 45 2

What does this information affect?

One should also consider loading of vehicle, driving style (shifting

frequency, acceleration habits)
Transmission Testing
 Previous information on transmission service life
may be converted to
 Load cycles using suitable classification methods .....
Fatigue life analysis
 ( Review Mason’s rule in view of the project !)

Computer

P/M G/B Brake

Typical Transmission Service Life
Operating B10 Service
Conditions Life (km)
Passenger > 150 000 km
Cars
Trucks
Building Sites >300 000 km
Urban Traffic >400 000 km
Long Distance >800 000 km

The cumulative info on service life + driving habits + % types of

driven roads.... Should be converted to load cycles.
Center Distance Criterion
G/B Mass Charac. Value
Where to put the G/B?
 At the concept phase of a new vehicle
 Select vehicle type: saloon, coupé
 Then immediately Select type of drive: FWD, RWD.
This will have implications on
 Handling (OS/US/NS)
 Ride (vibrations)

 Fuel economy (gearshift, manual/automatic)

 Safety (crash!)

 space
Morphological Table: where to
put the G/B?
Configurations
Configurations
Configurations
HOMEWORK
 Analyse transmission systems of
 4WD passenger vehicles
 Trucks and busses (n X n)
G/B construction
 Single Stage
 Single stage gearboxes are used
in trans-axles; they are applied,
to front wheel driven cars with
front engine and rear driven cars
with rear engine; this is true with
longitudinal and transversal
engines.
 In all these situations the final
drive is included in the gearbox,
2-stage

Countershaft double stage gearboxes are used in conventionally

driven cars, where the engine is mounted longitudinally in the front
and the driving axle is the rear axle. If the gearbox is mounted on the
rear axle, in order to improve the weight distribution, the final drive
could be included in the gearbox
3-stage
Final Drive
Final Drive Types
Differential
Selection of G/B Ratios
Transmission Design Criteria
 GEAR DESIGN:
 4/5/6 speed; manual/automatic, etc..
 AGMA/DIN standards
 Service Life > Ls km
 Gear Teeth FDI with 20 deg pressure angle (next lesson !)
 Gear noise should be minimized. (spur or helical?)
 Same module should be used for gears inside G/B for ease of manufacturing.
 G/B should be competitive in the market: compactness, light weight are must!
 Gear ratio should progressively get smaller for higher speeds for pleasant gear
shifting.
 Final drive tuned for max speed but fuel consumption and reserve power should also
be taken into account at some level.
 1st gear ratio should be designed according to gradability and clutch life
 Transmission Design Criteria
 Maximum Mainshaft length: ... cm.
 Maximum shaft center distance: ... cm.
 Considering the design of shafts and selection of bearings:
 Mountings should be rigid with minimum deflections.
 Shaft deflections should be minimized to provide proper gear meshing at all times.
 Notches should be avoided;
 Bending moments should be reduced.
 Critical speeds should be increased.
 
 Some guidelines from “Automotive Transmissions” by Lechner et al:
 Distance between bearings should be minimized.
 Heavily stressed Gearwheels should be located close to bearings to minimize deflection and
bending moments and achieve high critical speeds.
 Transition diameters along shafts should be kept below D/d=1.4.
 Reduce the moment of inertia of components mounted on the shafts in order to reduce deflections
and increase critical speeds.
Transmission Design Steps
 M1. Using given vehicle specifications, find the appropriate gear ratios .You should
consider maximum speed, maximum acceleration, gradability, 0-100 kph acceleration,
return the sawtooth profile etc…

 M2. Select a G/B configuration, i.e., single stage, two-stage or multi-stage.

 M3. Select/compute/estimate gearbox dimensions and mass. Check if your predictions

are realistic at the end of the design.

 M4. Select bearing locations and bearing types used to locate mainshaft and layshaft.

 M5. Determine forces and moments acting on the gears and bearings at each gear
(you should obtain shear force & bending moment diagrams for the 1st, 2 nd, 3rd ,4th
and 5th gears).
 Transmission Design Steps
 M6. Carefully select a module for your gears. Design the gears (using AGMA standards!) taking vehicle life
into account. (Hint for M7: the sum of gear facewidths and extra spaces necessary for synchromeshes
determine max. shaft length).

 M7. Design the mainshaft and the layshaft taking vehicle life into account. Reduce stress concentrations at
bearing support locations appropriately. Check shaft deflections at the end of your design. Check critical
speeds.

 M8. Select the bearings that support the mainshaft and the layshaft taking vehicle life into account.
Compute factors of safety of all bearings.

 M9. Design the bevel gears involved in the final drive ratio.

 M10. Design the drive shafts, constant velocity joints, propeller shaft (if applicable) and universal joints (if
applicable).

 M11. Provide engineering drawings for all the parts that you design. Also provide an assembly drawing.
Sample Design Specs
Recommended 3.38/1.76/1.12/0.89/0.70
Gearbox Ratios
Differential Ratio 4.05
Engine Map Turbocharged
Ls (km) 100,000
Pressure angle of spur/helical gears 20 deg
Helix Angle 15 deg
(if applicable)
Overall Reliability on mainshaft 0.95
Qv 5
Overload factor 1.20
% distance travelled/% torque factor at
each gear
1st gear 2/50
2nd gear 3/60
3rd gear 5/70
4th gear 20/70
5th gear 70/60
Gear Material Through Hardened Steel (Grade II)/
Core HB: 200 Brinell
Shaft Material ASTM 1030 CD