BITS Pilani

Pilani Campus

ME F441, Automotive Vehicles

Module-4
Transmissions
Dr. Saket Verma
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Power Train

Flow of Power

Combustion
of fuel and
Engine Clutch Gearbox Final drive Drive shaft Wheels
expanding
gases

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Power Train

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Why gear box is required in IC engines?

𝑷𝒎𝒂𝒙 = 𝑭𝒕 ∙ 𝒗 or 𝑷𝒎𝒂𝒙 = 𝑻 ∙ 𝒘
𝑷𝒎𝒂𝒙
• it is not capable to produce torque from rest 𝑭𝒕 =
𝒗
(0 rpm)
Pmax [W] – maximum power at the wheel
• the maximum engine power is produced only Ft [N] – traction force at the wheel
at a certain engine speed v [m/s] – vehicle speed (wheel tangential
speed)
• fuel consumption is directly linked to the
operating point of the engine (speed and
torque)
• it can only rotate one way (Reverse?)
• it has a minimum operating speed (idle speed)

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• The engine’s traction line can only cover a small
area of the required (ideal) traction performance
(blue area).
• Without a way of converting the traction output
of the engine, the vehicle will not be able to
cover the ideal traction hyperbola.
• This means that the vehicle will not be able to
pull-away and it will have very poor acceleration
performance
Gear Box

• A gearbox is needed because an engine produces

power only when turning quite fast. The gearbox
allows the driver to keep the engine at its best
speed.
• When the gearbox is in neutral, power does not
leave it.
• When the gearbox is in first gear, power is
transferred from a small to a larger gear and then
out to the final drive.
• Different stages of speed reduction (second and
third gear) are created using different sizes of gear.
• Less speed out of the gearbox has a higher turning
force (Torque)
• Fifth gear makes the output shaft run faster than the
engine for economical higher speed driving
(Speed).

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Fundamentals of gear train

• A gear train is a mechanical system formed by

mounting gears on a frame so the teeth of the gears
engage.
• Gear teeth are designed to ensure the pitch circles of
engaging gears roll on each other without slipping,
providing a smooth transmission of rotation from
one gear to the next.

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TYPES OF GEARS

1. According to the position of axes of the shafts.

a. Parallel
1.Spur Gear
2.Helical Gear
3.Rack and Pinion
b. Intersecting
Bevel Gear
c. Non-intersecting and Non-parallel
worm and worm gears

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SPUR GEAR

• Teeth is parallel to axis of rotation

• Transmit power from one shaft to another
parallel shaft
• Spur gearing is used in all both manual
and automatic transmissions.

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External and Internal spur Gear…

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Helical Gear

• The teeth on helical gears are cut at an angle

to the face of the gear
• This gradual engagement makes helical
gears operate much more smoothly and
quietly than spur gears
• Due to above reason, Helical gears are used
now a days in most of the applications
including gear box.

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Rack and pinion

Rack and pinion gears are used to convert

rotation (From the pinion) into linear motion
(of the rack) An example of this is the steering
system on many cars

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Bevel gears

• Bevel gears are useful

when the direction of a
shaft's rotation needs to be
changed
• They are usually mounted
on shafts that are 90
degrees apart, but can be
designed to work at other
angles as well
• The teeth on bevel gears
can be straight, spiral or
hypoid
• Differential of automobile.

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WORM AND WORM GEAR

• Worm gears are used when large speed

reductions are needed. It is common for worm
gears to have reductions of 20:1, and even up
to 300:1 or greater
• Many worm gears have an interesting property
that no other gear set has: the worm can easily
turn the gear, but the gear cannot turn the
worm
• Used widely in transportation machinery,
machine tools, automobiles (Differentials,
steering mechanisms) etc

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 VELOCITY RATIO OF GEAR DRIVE

d = Pitch circle diameter of the gear (mm)

Let
N =Speed of the gear (rpm) 1 – Driver
ω = Angular speed (rad/s) 2 - Driven

T = Number of teeth on gear

 2 N 2 d1 𝑇1 Speed of driven gear

velocity ratio (n) =   = = ;
1 N 1 d 2 𝑇2
Used for Speed of driving gear
mating gear
Could be reverse also
Teeth on driven gear 𝑇
Gear ratio (G) = = 𝑇2 (Always defined this way)
Used for gear Teeth on driving gear 1
train G>1 (driven gear rotate slower than driving gear)
Speed of driver 𝑤 𝑁
Speed ratio (S.R.) = = 𝑤1 = 𝑁1(Always defined this way)
Speed of driven 2 2

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GEAR TRAINS

• A gear train is two or more gear working together by meshing their teeth
and turning each other in a system to generate power and speed
• Why needed?
– Large center distance
– Very high or very less velocity ratio
• Depending upon the gear ratio, it can increase or decrease the output
velocity.
• Torque is inversely proportional to velocity for same power output.

Type of gear trains

1. Simple gear train
2. Compound gear train
3. Planetary gear train

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Simple Gear Train

• The most common of the gear train is the gear pair connecting parallel
shafts. The teeth of this type can be spur, helical or herringbone.
• Only one gear may rotate about a single axis

Driving Driven Gear

Gear
Intermediate
/ Idler gear

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Simple Gear Train

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Compound Gear Train

• Two or more gears may rotate on a single

shaft.
• For large velocity ratio, compound
arrangement is preferred

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Compound Gear Train

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Planetary Gear Train (Epicyclic Gear Train)

• In epicyclic gear train, the axis of at least one of the

gears moves relative to the frame/arm/carrier.
• A gear train having a relative motion of axes is called
a planetary or an epicyclic gear train.

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Planetary Gear Train (Epicyclic Gear Train)

Planetary Gear Train (Epicyclic Gear Train)

• An epicylic gear train consists of two gears

mounted so that the center of one gear
revolves around the center of the other.
• Two or more planet gears connected to a
carrier and rotates around the center gear
called the sun gear.
• There is an outer gear meshing with the
planet gears called ring gear.
• A planetary gear has two input and one
output
• They have higher gear ratios.
• They are popular for automatic
transmissions in automobiles.

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 Types of engine transmissions

Transmissions

Manual Semi-automatic Automatic Unconventional

Transmission transmission transmission transmission

Sliding-mesh/ Dual-clutch Continuous

Constant-mesh/
non- transmission Variable
synchromesh
synchronous (DCT) transmission (CVT)
Manual Transmission
Types of Manual transmission

Sliding-mesh/ non-synchronous
• An obsolete type of transmission or gearbox in which the gears on the layshaft
are fixed to the shaft rigidly, whereas the gears on the main shaft can slide on it
by means of splines but are otherwise in permanent rotational mesh with the
shaft.

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Sliding-mesh/ non-synchronous

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Sliding-mesh/ non-synchronous

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Sliding-mesh/ non-synchronous

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Problems with sliding mesh gear box

• The sliding main shaft gearwheels and their corresponding lay-

shaft gearwheel clusters have to be of the spur straight-tooth
form, so that when engaged there is no side thrust unlike
helical-cut teeth.
• The major problem with this type of gear engagement is that,
while attempting a gear change, the speeds of the input and
output shafts are matched first, otherwise the sliding teeth of the
mashing gearwheels does not align and hence crashes into each
other.
• Due to these reasons, sliding mesh gear box are difficult to
operate, noisy and uncomfortable to the driver.

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Types of Manual transmission

Constant-mesh/ synchromesh
• The synchromesh transmission has gears in constant mesh.
• Gears can be selected without clashing or grinding by synchronizing the speeds
of the mating part before they engage. a synchronizer has been added.

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Constant-mesh/ synchromesh

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Transmission Construction

Transmission Case
• The transmission case provides support for the bearings and shafts, as well as
an enclosure for lubricating oil.
• A manual transmission case is cast from either iron or aluminum. Because
they are lighter in weight, aluminum cases are preferred.
• A drain plug and fill plug are provided for servicing.
• The drain plug is located on the bottom of the case, whereas the fill plug is
located on the side.

Transmission Shafts
• A manual transmission has four steel shafts mounted inside the
transmission case.
• These shafts are the. input shaft, the countershaft, the reverse
idler shaft, and the main shaft

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Transmission Construction

Input Shaft
• The input shaft, also known as the clutch shaft, transfers rotation from the
clutch disc to the countershaft gears
Countershaft
• The countershaft, also known as the cluster gear shaft, holds the
countershaft gear into mesh with the input shaft gear and other gears in the
transmission
Reverse Idler Shaft
• The reverse idler shaft is a short shaft that supports the reverse idle gear
Main Shaft
• The main shaft, also called the output shaft, holds the output gears and
synchronizers.
• The rear of the shaft extends to the rear of the extension housing where it
connects to the drive shaft to turn the wheel of the vehicle.
• Gears on the shaft are free to rotate, but the synchronizers are locked on
the shaft by splines.
• The synchronizers will only turn when the shaft itself turns.

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Transmission Construction

Synchronizers
• The synchronizer is a drum or sleeve that slides back and forth on the splined
main shaft by means of the shifting fork.
• It has a bronze cone on each side that engages with a tapered mating cone on
the second and high-speed gears. It has two main purposes:
1. Lock the main shaft gear to the main shaft.
2. Prevent the gear from clashing or grinding during shifting.
• When the synchronizer is moved along the main shaft, the cones act as a
clutch.
• the main shaft is accelerated or slowed down until the speeds of the main
shaft and gear are synchronized
• then slides the sleeve and gear into complete engagement.

“The hub of sleeve slides on the splines of the main

shaft to engage the cones; then the sleeve slides on
the hub to engage the gears”

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Synchronizers

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Synchronizers

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Synchronizers

Shift Forks
• Shift forks fit around the synchronizer sleeves to transfer movement to
the sleeves from the shift linkage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCu9W
9xNwtI&list=PLZhssMTCCBR_KAb0M2DsmQ_t
GcoL7MvBP&index=7&t=0s

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