Abdullah Mohammed Safwat

32020188

Automotive engineering department

Automatic Gearbox

Supervised under:

Dr/ Sayed Abbas

Eng/ Yousf Taha

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 Chapter1: Introduction
A torque converter is a type of fluid coupling that transfers rotating power
from a prime mover, like an internal combustion engine, to a rotating
driven load. In a vehicle with an automatic transmission, the torque
converter connects the power source to the load. It is usually located
between the engine's flexplate and the transmission. The equivalent
location in a manual transmission would be the mechanical clutch.

The main characteristic of a torque converter is its ability to increase torque

when the output rotational speed is so low that it allows the fluid coming
off the curved vanes of the turbine to be deflected off the stator while it is
locked against its one-way clutch, thus providing the equivalent of a
reduction gear. This is a feature beyond that of the simple fluid coupling,
which can match rotational speed but does not multiply torque and thus
reduces power.

Automatic Transmission

An automatic transmission is a multi-speed transmission used in motor

vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward
gears under normal driving conditions.

The most common type of automatic transmission is the hydraulic

automatic, which uses a planetary gearset, hydraulic controls, and a torque
converter.

Hydraulic controls

The aforementioned friction bands and clutches are controlled using

automatic transmission fluid (ATF), which is pressured by a pump and then
directed to the appropriate bands/clutches to obtain the required gear
ratio. The ATF provides lubrication, corrosion prevention, and a hydraulic
medium to transmit the power required to operate the transmission. Made
from petroleum with various refinements and additives, ATF is one of the
few parts of the automatic transmission that needs routine service as the

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vehicle ages. The main pump which pressurises the ATF is typically a gear
pump mounted between the torque converter and the planetary gear set.
The input for the main pump is connected to the torque converter housing,
which in turn is bolted to the engine's flexplate, so the pump provides
pressure whenever the engine is running. A disadvantage of this
arrangement is that there is no oil pressure to operate the transmission
when the engine is not running, therefore it is not possible to push start a
vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission with no rear pump (aside
from several automatics built prior to 1970, which also included a rear
pump for towing and push-starting purposes). The pressure of the ATF is
regulated by a governor connected to the output shaft, which varies the
pressure depending on the vehicle speed. The valve body inside the
transmission is responsible for directing hydraulic pressure to the
appropriate bands and clutches. It receives pressurized fluid from the main
pump and consists of several spring-loaded valves, check balls, and servo
pistons. In older automatic transmissions, the valves use the pump pressure
and the pressure from a centrifugal governor on the output side (as well as
other inputs, such as throttle position or the driver locking out the higher
gears) to control which ratio is selected. As the vehicle and engine change
speed, the difference between the pressures changes, causing different
sets of valves to open and close. In more recent automatic transmissions,
the valves are controlled by solenoids. These solenoids are computer-
controlled, with the gear selection decided by a dedicated transmission
control unit (TCU) or sometimes this function is integrated into the engine
control unit (ECU). Modern designs have replaced the centrifugal governor
with an electronic speed sensor that is used as an input to the TCU or ECU.
Modern transmissions also factor in the amount of load on an engine at any
given time, which is determined from either the throttle position or the
amount of intake manifold vacuum. The multitude of parts, along with the
complex design of the valve body, originally made hydraulic automatic
transmissions much more expensive and time-consuming to build and
repair than manual transmissions; however mass-production and
developments over time have reduced this cost gap.
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 Chapter2: Torque converter
Components

The torque converter has three main parts

1. Impeller

The impeller is connected to the housing and the housing connected to the
engine shaft. It has curved and angled vanes. It rotates with the engine
speed and consists of automatic transmission fluid. When it rotates with
the engine, the centrifugal force makes the fluid move outward. The blades
of the impeller are designed in such a way that it directs the fluid towards
the turbine blades. It acts as a centrifugal pump which sucks the fluid from
the automatic transmission and delivers it to the turbine.

2. Stator:

The stator is located in between the impeller and turbine. The main
function of the stator is to give direction to the returning fluid from the
turbine so that the fluid enters the impeller in the direction of its rotation.
As the fluid enters in the direction of the impeller, it multiplies the torque.
So stator helps in the torque multiplication by changing the direction of the
fluid and allows it to enter in the direction of the impeller rotation. The
stator changes the direction of fluid almost up to 90 degrees. The stator is
mounted with a one-way clutch that allows rotating it in one direction and
preventing its rotation in other direction. The turbine is connected to the
transmission system of the vehicle. And the stator is placed in between the
impeller and turbine.

3. Turbine

The turbine is connected to the input shaft of the automatic transmission. It

is present on the engine side. It also consists of curved and angled blades.
The blades of the turbine are designed in such a way that it can change the
direction of the fluid completely that strikes on its blades. It is the change in
the direction of the fluid that forces the blades to move in the direction of

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the impeller. As the turbine rotates the input shaft of the transmission also
rotates and made the vehicle to move. The turbine is also having a lock-up
clutch at its back. The lock-up clutch comes into play when the torque
converter achieves coupling point. the lockup eliminates the loses and
improves the efficiency of the converter.

Operational phases

A torque converter has three stages of operation:

• Stall. The prime mover is applying power to the impeller but the
turbine cannot rotate. For example, in an automobile, this stage of
operation would occur when the driver has placed the transmission in gear
but is preventing the vehicle from moving by continuing to apply the
brakes. At stall, the torque converter can produce maximum torque
multiplication if sufficient input power is applied (the resulting
multiplication is called the stall ratio). The stall phase actually lasts for a
brief period when the load (e.g., vehicle) initially starts to move, as there
will be a very large difference between pump and turbine speed.

• Acceleration. The load is accelerating but there still is a relatively

large difference between impeller and turbine speed. Under this condition,
the converter will produce torque multiplication that is less than what
could be achieved under stall conditions. The amount of multiplication will
depend upon the actual difference between pump and turbine speed, as
well as various other design factors.

• Coupling. The turbine has reached approximately 90 percent of the

speed of the impeller. Torque multiplication has essentially ceased and the
torque converter is behaving in a manner similar to a simple fluid coupling.
In modern automotive applications, it is usually at this stage of operation
where the lock-up clutch is applied, a procedure that tends to improve fuel
efficiency.

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FUNCTIONS OF TORQUE CONVERTER

Its main functions are:

1. It transfers the power from the engine to the transmission input shaft.

2. It drives the front pump of the transmission.

3. It isolates the engine from the load when the vehicle is stationary.

4. It multiplies the torque of the engine and transmits it to the

transmission. It almost doubles the output torque.

Figure 1: Torque converter

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 CHAPTER 4: GEAR RATIOS ON ALLISON’S 6- SPEED
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

Figure 2: first gear ratio

1st Gear:

Clutches on the sun gear will engage, thus the intermediate shaft is
connected and the clutches on the output ring gear in engaged to make it
stationary on the transmission case.

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 Figure 3 second gear ratio

2nd Gear:

Clutches on the sun gear(input shaft is engaged), thus the intermediate

shaft that is connected to a the carrier of the second set, and the ring gear
of the second set is held stationery by the clutches, thus the carrier rotates
the ring gear of the last set , therefore increase the speed.

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 Figure 4 third gear ratio

3rd Gear:

The input shaft is connected to a rotating clutch module that is connected

to a sun gear of the second set, the second clutch pack is engaged so the
ring gear of the third set is connected, thus the input is doubled and the
speed is increased further

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 Figure 5 fourth gear ration

4th Gear:

The rotating clutch module is engaged and thus all the unit rotates the
same speed , thus direct drive is obtained .

Figure 6 fifth gear ratio

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5th Gear:

Here, the input clutches aren’t engaged and the clutched of the rotating
clutch module is engaged along with the second clutch pack C2 and C3
which holds the ring gear of the second set and so rotating the sun gear to
rotate the carrier that is connected to the ring gear of the third set then to
the fourth set, thus achieving an overdrive ratio.

Figure 7: 6th gear ratio

6th Gear:

The clutches of the rotating clutch module is engaged along with the
clutches of the second set thus achieving an overdrive ratio.

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 Figure 8: reverse gear ratio

Reverse Gear:

The clutches of the second set is engaged along with the clutches of the last
set. So here, the carrier of the second set is stationary , thus its planet gears
will spin without revolving , thus makes the sun gear to spin in the opposite
direction, and so the sun gear of the last set will also rotate in the opposite
direction.

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 Figure 9 an illustration model

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