Digno Iglesias

ME 3760 Project
Professor Enrico Obst
 Table of Contents

Device and Applications pg. 1

Objective pg. 1
Procedure/Setup pg. 1
ANSYS/Analysis pg. 5
Results and Discussion pg. 6
References pg. 9
Appendix:
A pg. 10
B pg. 11
C pg. 13
D pg. 15
E pg. 17
F pg. 19
G pg. 21
H pg. 23
Device and Applications
The device selected to design is a four speed transmission. This particular design has no
reverse, resembling a transmission used in a drag racing car. The transmission in general is the
mechanism within a vehicle that controls the speed and torque output of the vehicle. Each gear
within the transmission is capable transmitting different levels of power, driving the vehicle in
different speeds. The transmission designed for this project was made in reference to the gear
ratios of a Scion tC 2.5L 6 speed manual.

Objective
The goal for this project was to gain a full understanding of the implications of designing a
transmission using computer aided design technology and analysis. The desired outcome after a
successful model is built, is to have knowledge of what necessitates a capable, safe, functioning
design. SolidWorks was used to create the original design made in this project and ANSYS is
used to determine the design’s factor of safety, deformation and stress. Since this design is
original to this project, ANSYS was used to evaluate the size parameters designed using
SolidWorks. This gearbox is designed to be a constant mesh transmission which creates
complex constraints.

Procedure/Setup
To understand the importance of each design component, it is necessary to understand the way
power transmissions work. Firstly, a transmission controls the application of the power
generated by the engine. Gearboxes do this throughout a series of gears trains and connecting
shafts. The power would enter the system through the input shaft and travel through a set of
gear trains which change the power transmission, as they are dimensionally different to create
ratios of power transmission. The power is then transferred to the main shaft and leaves the
system, where the power is applied to the wheels of the vehicle. This is important because each
major component such as the shafts and gears transfer high amounts of loads during the
process.

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In the automotive industry, standards for dimensions of shafts and gears exist to ensure proper
design. These standards were used as guidelines in the design of this transmission. For the
gears, a diametral pitch of 2.5 was use to mesh the power transmitting gears, as a
recommendation from a machine design text [1]. This value allows for the calculation of every
other dimension needed to build the gear. Face thickness of each gear was determined by an
average of researched current market products. Using a set of known gear ratios from the Scion
tC transmission, the dimensions for all 8 gears were calculated. The gear ratios are shown in the
table below.

Table 1: 2014 Scion tC 6-Speed Manual Transmission Gear Ratios [1]

Input 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
1 3.538 2.047 1.375 1.025 .875 .733

The gears were then drawn on SolidWorks, primarily using the equation driven curve tool. A
specific parametric equation was used for draw the involute curve of each tooth after extruding
the outer diameter to the corresponding face width. By creating a cutout of each tooth and
circular patterning the cut with the calculated teeth number, each gear was drawn to its
specific calculated dimensions. An example of this process can be seen in the figure below.

Figure 1: Tooth Drawing

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The shafts were designed keeping in mind the fact that all the parts must be able to slide into
one another. This constraint made the shaft thicker in the middle and thinner in the ends, as is
the industry standard. Gear teeth were drawn on the counter shaft in order to lock the motion
of the power transmitting gears to the counter shaft. For the main shaft, the driven gears were
pressed on to the shaft with bearings to allow for a constant mesh, in other words, the gears
are always engaged. The counter shaft and counter gear connection can be seen in the figure
below.

Figure 2: Counter Shaft and Counter Gear Connection

The connection of the input shaft and the main shaft was made by pressing the main shaft into
a needle bearing inside the bored out gear section of the input shaft. This design allows for the
input shaft to transmit power flow directly from the input shaft to the output. The main shaft
was supported with a ball bearing in the middle section connected to the casing of the
transmission. Similarly, the counter shaft was supported in the same location below the input
shaft. The input shaft and main shaft connection can be seen in the figure below.

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 Figure 2: Input and Main Shaft Assembly

The engagement of the driving gears was achieved with the industry standard method of using
a shifting collar that engages a second set of teeth on the power transmitting gears to an
engager that is pressed on the main shaft with a set of teeth. This locking action can be seen in
the figure below.

Figure 3: 1st Gear to Main Shaft Engagement

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Synchronizer rings are typically used to make this process smooth and allow for minimal
damage to the engaging teeth. Due to time constraints the synchronizer rings were not able to
be made, as they require complicated cuts.

Bearings were all made using SolidWorks, as there exists a very limited amount of dimensions in
the SolidWorks Toolbox. The bearings were made primarily with the revolve extrude tool.
Casings, cages, pins, roller, and needles were made separately and assembled using a circular
pattern in the assembly.

The transmission was assembled all together on one assembly to ensure the correct motions of
each part. Coincident mates along with concentric mates were made to ensure correct
placement of each part. Concentric mates were also used to lock motions of the gears and
shafts, gears and collars, and engagers to collars.

ANSYS/Analysis
The purpose of the ANSYS analysis was to determine if the designed transmission would
withstand a conventional 180hp transmission at 5000rmp. A structural analysis of a simplified
version of the transmission was done on ANSYS. The simplified model contained only the input
shaft, input counter gear, counter shaft, 1st counter gear, and 1st driven gear. An analysis of the
entire transmission was not possible as the computers were not able to fully complete and
solve the solutions due to their complexity.

The model was set up having frictionless supports at the outside vertical ends of each shaft.
This support prevented the parts in the model from shifting axially. The location where bearings
would be placed were also fixed with frictionless supports, as they are to not bend or move
perpendicular to their axis, only able to rotate. A fixed support was set up on the face of the 1st
driven gear where the gear would engage to the collar and shaft. This mimicked the resistance
of motion as if a vehicle was stopped and all power was transmitted, from the engine, at once
to the wheels. A moment was also applied on the input shaft where it would be engaged to the

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clutch. In this model, the assumption that there is no clutch involved in the process and all the
power is transferred directly from the engine.

The current and previous industry standard of material choice for transmission parts is steel.
This is primarily due to its high strength and heat resistance. Currently aluminum alloys are
becoming more common as the demand for lighter materials and faster vehicles increases. The
ANSYS analysis was conducted using both structural steel and aluminum alloy.

Results/Discussion
The torque applied on the shaft was calculated to be 190lb-ft, as to replicate the input power of
180hp at 5000rmp. The overall results of the transmission as a whole for structural steel from
the ANSYS analysis are shown in the table below.

Table 1: ANSYS Analysis of the Transmission all Structural Steel – Torque = 190lb-ft
Min Def. (in.) Max Def. (in.) Min Stress (psi) Max Stress (psi) Factor of Safety
0 6.591 ∗ 10−4 6.649 ∗ 10−4 7035.5 5.1626

Seeing as the transmission had a high factor of safety, minimal deformation, and minimal stress
a higher torque was then applied to the input shaft. The torque was then increased to 600lb-ft.
The locations of the load and supports remained the same for all analyses. The material of the
1st counter, input counter, and 1st driven gear was also varied from steel to aluminum alloy. The
table below demonstrates the ANSYS results of the applied torque.

Table 2: ANSYS Analysis of the Transmission – Torque = 600lb-ft

Material Min Def. (in.) Max Def. (in.) Min Stress Max Stress Factor of
(psi) (psi) Safety
Structural 0 1.3 ∗ 10−3 9.92 ∗ 10−4 11370 3.189
Steel
Aluminum 0 1.77 ∗ 10−3 1.2 ∗ 10−3 13415 2.7029
Alloy

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The ANSYS analysis supports a successful design of a transmission under the given power and
rpm of a commercial car. Realistically, the transmission is very large with respect to the
conventional transmissions manufactured for street cars.

For the analysis of the steel gears, the most deformation occurred on the end connecting
section of the input shaft and the engine. This is the location at which the torque was applied. It
can also be noted that the input counter gear, along with the counter gear, deformed a
significant amount with respect to the rest of the system. It can also be seen that the teeth
opposite to the contact point deformed the most of the input gear. The counter shaft
experienced significant deformation at a 45degree angle about the load axis. This can be seen
in the figure below.

Figure #: Steel Gear Deformation: 600lb-ft

The analysis of the aluminum gears resulted in a higher deformation of the gears. The input
shaft however, resulted in less deformation while the teeth experienced a significantly higher
deformation. This is important because the input shaft and teeth remained steel for both

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analyses. Since the aluminum gears deformed more, this caused the input teeth to experience a
higher deformation. Interestingly, the higher deformation occurred on the teeth opposite of
the meshed teeth. This also caused the counter shaft to deform more than with the steel gears.
This deformation can be seen in the diagram below.

Figure #: Aluminum Gear Deformation: 600lb-ft

These two analyses indicate that the steel gears would render as a better material for the
transmission design, as the less deformation occurs throughout the gear train, the more
directly the power is transmitted. This design will allow for a safer system, where the input
shaft failing will not damage the rest of the transmission.

In conclusion the design methods and theory behind creating this transmission proved
adequate for such load. The factor of safety for the analysis of the steel gears under a 190lb-ft
torque was 15. Such a high factor of safety is almost unrealistic and the part is “too safe.”
Design constraints such as weight, overall size, and cost would cause the factor of safety to be
lower, as the gears would be made smaller and thinner.

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References
[1] EB60: Toyota Transmission - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_E_transmission
[2] Gears – Mechanical Engineering Design; Budynas, Nisbett

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Appendix A: Assemblies

Full Transmission

Transmission

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Appendix B: Shafts

Main Shaft

Counter Shaft

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Input Shaft

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Appendix C: Driven Gears

1st Gear

2nd Gear

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3rd Gear

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Appendix D: Counter Gears

1st Counter

2nd Counter

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3rd Counter

4th Counter

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Appendix E: Casings

Casing Input

Casing Output

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Casing Body

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Appendix F: ANSYS Analysis – Equivalent Stress

Steel: 190lb-ft

Steel: 600lb-ft

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Aluminum: 600lb-ft

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Appendix G: ANSYS Analysis: Total Deformation

Steel: 190lb-ft

Steel: 600lb-ft

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Aluminum: 600lb-ft

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Appendix H: Assembly Drawings

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Appendix H: Part Drawings and Dimensions

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