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A design method of selecting gear ratios in manual transmissions of modern

passenger cars

Article  in  Mechanism and Machine Theory · November 2018

DOI: 10.1016/j.mechmachtheory.2018.10.013

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Piotr Bera
AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków
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 Mechanism and Machine Theory 132 (2019) 133–153

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Mechanism and Machine Theory

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/mechmachtheory

Research paper

A design method of selecting gear ratios in manual

transmissions of modern passenger cars
Piotr Bera
AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, Department of Machine Design and
Technology, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The objective of this paper is to present an algorithm of gear ratio calculation in the man-
Received 5 October 2018 ual transmissions of modern passenger cars. The paper presents all the necessary coeffi-
Accepted 15 October 2018
cients and formulas and thoroughly explains their influence on particular features of the
vehicle, which are closely connected with its expected exploitation. These formulas re-
Keywords: sult both from physical relationships and the performed analysis of vehicle dynamics, fuel
Gearbox design economy, ergonomics and road characteristics. Every type of combustion engine, SI natu-
Gear ratio selection rally aspirated, SI turbocharged or CI turbocharged, can be considered as vehicle propul-
Manual transmission sion. Particular emphasis is placed on a new method of gear spacing, which enables the
simple and precise adjustment of intermediate gears. To quantitatively assess the dynamics
and fuel economy of a specific construction, formulas for drawing the full throttle power
characteristic and the characteristic of specific fuel consumption are provided. Moreover, a
short and effective formula for calculating maximum vehicle speed has been developed. At
the end of the work, there is a calculation example, which is an integral part of the article,
showing the presented method on a particular vehicle.
© 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

The internal combustion engine is the most popular power source for motor vehicles and, despite the rapid development
of electric vehicles, it will remain the main source of propulsion for both traditional and hybrid cars for a long time. This is
due to the fact that it utilizes high energy-density petroleum fuels. Moreover, the tank can be refueled within a few minutes.
However, the combustion engine is far from ideal for vehicle propulsion. Thus, its power is transmitted to the driven wheels
through a clutch or torque converter, gearbox, differential and drive shafts. The gearbox supplies a few gear ratios from its
input shaft to its output shaft for the engine torque-speed profile to match the requirements of the load. The final drive
is a pair of gears that reduce engine speed and multiply torque. A vehicle drivetrain must provide both proper dynamics
from a standstill to maximum speed, as well as the lowest possible fuel consumption. This is ensured not only by a highly-
efficient engine, but also by a properly matched transmission with the right gear number and gear ratios. In multi-gear
transmissions, the clutch design and gear number are the key factors. In a modern automatic transmission, there are even
9 speeds which allow the engine to work in the field of its highest efficiency, thus reducing fuel consumption. However, in
the case of manual transmissions, the possibilities of designing dynamics and fuel consumption are smaller because all of
them are equipped with 5 or 6 speeds. Thus, proper calculation of gear ratios is an important issue, because it allows the
best possible compromise between these contradictory requirements to be achieved [1÷3].

E-mail address: pbera@agh.edu.pl

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mechmachtheory.2018.10.013
0094-114X/© 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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