GEARBOXES IN AUTOMOBILES

Introduction and Purpose

• Provides speed and torque conversions because of the limitations of
internal combustion engines.
• Also facilitates change of direction of output shaft for reversing
• Automotive gearboxes are used to reduce load on the engine by
manipulating torque and speed. They have the option to select one
of several different gear ratios.
• Once the engine has reached a number of revolutions per minute, it
is advisable to increase the gear to reduce the engine rpm to reduce
wear on the engine, allow more control, and greater speeds, better
acceleration, and better fuel economy.
• Most gearboxes are used to increase torque & reduce the speed of a
output shaft. This produces a mechanical advantage
• Automotive gearbox also have the provision to do the opposite ie
provide an increase in output shaft speed with a reduction of torque
(overdrive).
 Basic Principle

• The most basic type of gear is a
spur gear, and it has straight-cut
teeth, where the teeth are cut
parallel to the axis of the gear.
• Wider gears and those that
are cut for smoother
meshing are cut with the
teeth at an angle. These are
called helical gears.
 Basic Principle

• Because of the angle of cut, helical gear teeth have a much

more gradual engagement with each other, and they operate
more smoothly and quietly than spur gears.
• Helical gears can transmit more torque because at any time,
more number of teeth are in mesh
• Gearboxes for cars and motorbikes almost always use helical
gears.
• However, helical gears also exert undesirable axial thrust
• To prevent axial thrust, double helical gears are used which
cancel out the thrust. Double Helical gears are called
Herringbone gears.
 Principle
• Collection of helical gears in a gearbox gives the gearing down of
the speed of the engine crank to the final speed of the output
shaft from the gearbox.
Typical example of gear ratios for a 5-speed manual gearbox

RPM of gearbox shaft

Gear Ratio when the engine is at 3000rpm

1st 3.166:1 947

2nd 1.882:1 1594
3rd 1.296:1 2314
4th 0.972:1 3086
5th 0.738:1 4065
 Types of Gearboxes

• Sliding Mesh Gear box

• Constant Mesh Gear Box
• Synchromesh Gear Box
• Transaxle Gear Box
• Sequential gear box
• Automatic Gear Box
 Sliding Mesh Gearbox

1.main drive gear

2.counter shaft
3.main shaft
4.I gear
5.II gear
6.III gear
7.top speed
engaging dogs
• Normally 3 forward and 1 reverse gear ratios
• Spur gears are used
• Gear wheels on the main shaft engage with gear wheels on the
lay shaft (counter shaft) by sliding themselves.
• Not used in automobiles now
Sliding Mesh Gearbox
First gear position
Second gear position
Third gear position
Reverse gear position
 Constant Mesh Gearbox
• All the gears are always in mesh
• Gears on counter shaft are fixed to it
• Gears on main shaft are free to rotate
• Dog clutches can slide on the main shaft and rotate with it
• Dog clutches engage with gears on the main shaft to obtain
desired speed

Advantages over Sliding mesh Gearbox:

• Helical and herringbone gear can be used in these gearboxes and
therefore, constant mesh gearboxes are quieter.
• Since the gears are engaged by dog clutches, if any damage
occurs while engaging the gears, the dog unit members get
damaged and not the gear wheels.
Constant Mesh Gearbox
 Constant Mesh Gearbox

Double declutching
• Used for smooth downshifting
 Synchromesh Gearbox
• Sliding sunchronizing units are provided to equalize the speeds of
gear and dog before meshing
• The device works like a friction clutch
• Equal speeds ensure smooth meshing
• Normally not used in 1st and reverse gear
Working
• Output shaft is always rotating (because it is positively connected to
the wheels)
• Layshaft is connected to the engine, but it rotates freely when the
clutch is disengaged
• Because the gears are meshed all the time, the synchro brings the
layshaft to the right speed for the dog gear to mesh.
• The layshaft is now rotating at a different speed to the engine. Now,
the clutch gradually equalizes the speed of the engine and layshaft,
either bringing the engine to the same speed as the layshaft or vice
versa depending on engine torque and vehicle speed.
Synchromesh Gearbox
Synchromesh Gearbox
Gear Selector Mechanism
Gear Selector Rod
 Gear Selector Rod

Ball & plunger prevents two gears engaging simultaneously

 Transfer Case

• Normally used in 4 wheel drive vehicles

• Two speed transmission having ‘low’ and ‘high’ gear ratios
that can be engaged while in neutral position
• Fixed after the gearbox
• Enables engagement and disengagement of 4 wheel drive
 Transaxle Gear Box
• Has only 2 shafts
• Used in vehicles with engine and drive on same side
– Front engine front wheel drive
– Rear Engine Rear Wheel Drive
• Most commonly used
• Gear Box and Differential in same housing
 Transaxles
•Combination of
transmission and
differential in one unit is
called transaxle.
•Transaxles are both
automatic and manual.

Advantages include:
•Reduced drive train weight.
•Improved traction.
•Smoother ride.
•Quieter operation.
•Increased passenger compartment space.
Transaxle Gear Box
 Sequential Gearbox

Manual transmissions use the standard "H" pattern in the shifter.

The manual transmission in a motorcycle is different. In a
motorcycle, gears are shifted by clicking a lever up or down with
toe/heel. It is a much faster way to shift. This type of
transmission is called a sequential gearbox or a sequential
manual transmission.
The only difference is the way the control rods are manipulated.
The "H" pattern is eliminated and replaced with a different
motion.
Fool proof system – Impossible to select wrong gear
Race cars use sequential gearboxes
Sequential Gearbox
Sequential Gearbox
 Continuously Variable Transmission
The Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) is a transmission in
which the ratio of the rotational speeds of two shafts, as the input
shaft and output shaft of a vehicle or other machine, can be varied
continuously within a given range, providing an infinite number of
possible ratios.
Continuously variable transmission allows the relationship between
the speed of the engine and the speed of the wheels to be selected
within a continuous range rather than in steps.
This provides even better fuel economy if the engine is constantly
running at a single speed.
The transmission provides better user experience without much rise
and fall in speed of an engine, and eliminates the jerk felt when
changing gears.
Continuously Variable Transmission
 Epicyclic Gearbox
•Epicyclic gear trains are used
to get the various gear ratios.
•At least one wheel not only
rotates about its own axis but
also rotates about some
other axis
• Automatic gearboxes
typically use one or more
compound planetary gear
sets having two sun gears
and two sets of intermeshing
planet gears.
• There is still only one ring
gear.
Epicyclic Gearbox
 Automatic Transmission
Epicyclic Gearing or Planetary Gearing are as used in an automatic
transmission. An Automatic transmission will select an appropriate
gear ratio without any operator intervention.
They primarily use hydraulics to select gears, depending on pressure
exerted by fluid within the transmission assembly.
Rather than using a clutch to engage the transmission, a fluid
flywheel, or torque converter is placed in between the engine and
transmission.
It is possible for the driver to control the number of gears in use or
select reverse, though precise control of which gear is in use may or
may not be possible.
For certain applications, the slippage inherent in automatic
transmissions can be advantageous; for instance, in drag racing, the
automatic transmission allows the car to be stopped with the engine
at a high rpm (the "stall speed") to allow for a very quick launch
when the brakes are released
Automatic Transmission

Cutaway view of a typical 3-speed

automatic transmission
 Working
• If the car is in overdrive (on a four-speed transmission), the
transmission will automatically select the gear based on vehicle
speed and throttle pedal position.
• When we accelerate gently, shifts will occur at lower speeds than
if accelerate at full throttle.
• When we floor the pedal, the transmission will downshift to the
next lower gear.
• When we move the shift selector to a lower gear, the transmission
will downshift unless the car is going too fast for that gear. If the
car is going too fast, it will wait until the car slows down and then
downshift.
• When we put the transmission in second gear, it will never
downshift or upshift out of second, even from a complete stop,
unless we move the shift lever.
 Advantages

Advantages of Automatic Transmission over Manual

Transmission:
• Better fuel efficiency
• No loss of torque transmission from the engine to the driving
wheels during gear shifts
• Very smooth gear-shift operations
• Appeals to drivers due to overall fast shifts and rapid
responses, along with the latest technology
 Disadvantages

Disadvantages of Automatic Transmission over Manual

Transmission:
• Mechanical efficiency is less than that of a manual
transmission type.
• Its requires a specialized transmission fluid/lubricants which is
expensive and need to be changed regularly.
• It is expensive to manufacture.
• It is heavier than an conventional manual transmission
gearbox.
• It has much higher rate of failure due to complexity.
 You are intended to design Gearbox with the following specification.

SP.N Input Power SOURCE Type of 1st 2nd 3rd Revers P

RPM (kw) load (rpm) (rpm) (rpm) (rpm) Angle
1 4000 260 Electric motor Steady 1114 1/9 1875 2/7 2722 1/3 400 14.5
2 3700 240.5 Multi-cylinder engine Light shock 278 1/2 468 5/6 680 3/5 370 20
3 3400 85 Electric motor Steady 362 609 1/2 884 3/4 340 14.5
4 3100 201.5 Single cylinder engine Medium 445 2/3 750 1/8 1089 310 25
shock
5 2800 130 Multi-cylinder engine Light shock 529 1/5 890 3/4 1293 1/9 280 20
6 2500 162.5 Electric motor Steady 612 3/4 1031 2/5 1497 2/7 250 14.5
7 2200 130 Single cylinder engine Medium 696 1/3 1172 1701 1/2 220 25
shock
8 1900 150 Multi-cylinder engine Light shock 779 7/8 1312 5/7 1905 2/3 190 20
9 1600 170 Electric motor Steady 863 4/9 1453 1/3 2109 5/6 160 14.5
10 3100 170 Single cylinder engine Medium 863 4/9 1453 1/3 2109 5/6 310 25
shock
11 2800 225 Single cylinder engine Medium 947 1594 2314 280 25
shock
12 3400 225 Multi-cylinder engine Light shock 947 1594 2314 340 20
13 3100 230 Multi-cylinder engine Light shock 1030 5/9 1734 2/3 2518 1/6 310 20
14 3700 230 Electric motor Steady 1030 5/9 1734 2/3 2518 1/6 370 14.5
15 3400 150 Multi-cylinder engine Medium 1030 5/9 1734 2/3 2518 1/6 340 14.5
shock
16 3100 170 Electric motor Light shock 1030 5/9 1734 2/3 2518 1/6 310 20
17 2800 170 Single cylinder engine Light shock 1030 5/9 1734 2/3 2518 1/6 280 20
 You will assign one of the ‘specification no’ in the class
Document content;
Cover page
I. Acknowledgement IV. List of figures
II. Table of content V. Nomenclatures
III. List of tables VI. Abstract

Body
1. Chapter one 3.1. Design of gear
Introduction
3.2. Design shaft …etc
2. Chapter two
Literature review 4. Chapter four

3. Chapter three Conclusions and recommendations

Component design

Appendix

A. Part drawing (A3)

B. Assembly drawing sectional view (A1)
C. Table of factors …. etc.