MODULE II

M2.01: ILLUSTRATE THE TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS IN AUTOMOBILE

TRANSMISSION SYSTEM IN AUTOMOBILES

The transmission system consists of a clutch, a gear box (also called transmission) giving three, four or
even five different ra os of torque output to torque input, a propeller sha to transmit the torque
output from the gear box to the rear axle and a differen al gear to distribute the final torque equally
between the driving wheels. Fig. 1.4 shows a layout of the transmission system of an automobile.

The func ons of a transmission system are:

1. To disconnect the engine from the road wheels when desired.

2. To connect the engine to the driving wheels without shock.

3. To vary the leverage between the engine and the driving wheels.

4. To reduce the engine speed permanently in a fixed ra o.

5. To turn the drive through a right angle.

6. To make provision such that the driving wheels may rotate at different speeds while taking turns.

7. To make provision for the flexing of the road springs which causes a rela ve movement between the
engine and the driving wheels. The various components which perform these func ons are:

Clutch:

Its purpose is to enable the driver to disconnect the drive from the road wheels instantaneously and
to engage drive from the engine to the road wheels gradually while moving the vehicle from rest.

Gear box (Transmission):

The gear box or the transmission provides the necessary leverage varia on between the engine and
road wheels.
Bevel pinion and crown wheel:

They turn the drive round through 90° and also provide a permanent reduc on in speed. The
permanent reduc on is necessitated because of the fact that speed of the engine has to be maintained
at op mum level at all mes. yet a minimum value of torque has to be made available at the road
wheels.

Universal Joints:

They provide for the rela ve movement between the engine and the driving wheels due to flexing of
road springs.

Differen al:

While taking turns, the driving wheels must turn at different speeds. This is done with the help of
differen al.

M2.02 EXPLAIN THE WORKING OF CLUTCH AND GEAR BOX IN AUTOMOBILE WITH
SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM

CLUTCHES
Clutch is a mechanism which enables the rotary mo on of one sha to be transmi ed, when desired,
to a second sha the axis of which is coincident with that of the first.

REQUIREMENTS OF CLUTCH

(1) Torque transmission: The clutch should be able to transmit the maximum torque of the engine
under all condi ons. It is usually designed to transmit 125 to 150 per cent of the maximum engine
torque.

(2) Gradual engagement: The clutch should posi vely take the drive gradually without the occurrence
of sudden jerks.

(3) Heat dissipa on: During clutch applica on, large amounts of heat are generated. The rubbing
surfaces should have sufficient area and mass to absorb the heat generated. The proper design of the
clutch should ensure proper ven la on or cooling for adequate dissipa on of the heat.

(4) Dynamic balancing: This is necessary par cularly in the high-speed clutches.

(5) Vibra on damping: Suitable mechanism should be incorporated within the clutch, to eliminate
noise produced in the transmission.

(6) Size: The size of the clutch must be smallest possible so that it should occupy minimum amount of
space.

(7) Iner a: The clutch rota ng parts should have minimum iner a. Otherwise, when the clutch is
released for gear changing, the clutch plate will keep on spinning, causing hard shi ing and gear
clashing in spite of synchronizer.
(8) Clutch free pedal play: To reduce effec ve clamping load on the carbon thrust bearing and wear
thereof, sufficient clutch free pedal play must be provided in the clutch.

(9) Ease of opera on: For higher torque transmissions the opera on of disengaging the clutch must
not be resome to the driver.

TYPES OF CLUTCHES

The following are the main types of clutches:

1. Fric on clutches

2. Fluid flywheel

The fric on clutches work on the fact that fric on is caused when two rota ng discs come into contact
with each other.

On the other hand, the fluid flywheel works on the transfer of energy from one rotor to the other by
means of some fluid.

Fric on clutches may be dry or the wet type. In an overwhelming majority of vehicles, the dry type of
clutch is used because of mainly the lower coefficient of fric on in the wet type. However, the wet
type of clutches have also some definite advantage over the dry type because of which they are being
again increasingly put to use in modern vehicles.

Single Plate Clutch

A simplified sketch of a single plate clutch is given in Fig Fric on plate is held between the flywheel
and the pressure plate. There are springs (the number may vary, depending upon design) arranged
circumferen ally. which provide axial force to keep the clutch in engaged posi on. The fric on plate is
mounted on a hub which is splined from inside and is thus free to slide over the gear box sha . Fric on
facing is a ached to the fric on plate on both sides to provide two annular fric on surfaces for the
transmission of power. A pedal is provided to pull the pressure plate against the spring force whenever
it is required to be disengaged. Ordinarily it remains in engaged posi on as is

When the clutch pedal is pressed, the pressure plate is moved to the right against the force of the
springs. This is achieved by means of a suitable linkage (not shown in Fig. 3.4) and a thrust bearing.
With this movement of the pressure plate, the fric on plate is released and the clutch is disengaged.

Advantages

1. With the single plate clutch, gear changing is easier than with the cone clutch, because the pedal
movement is less in this case.

2. It does not suffer from disadvantages of cone clutch i.e., binding of cones etc. and hence it is more
reliable.

Disadvantage

As compared to cone clutch,the springs have to be more s ff and this means greater force required to
be applied by the driver while disengaging.

Diaphragm Spring Type Single Plate Clutch

The construc on of this type of clutch is similar to that of the single plate type of clutch described
above except that here diaphragm springs (also called Belleville springs) are used instead of the
ordinary coil springs. In the free condi on, the diaphragm spring is of conical form (Fig. 3.10), but when
assembled, it is constrained to an approximately flat condi on because of which it exerts a load upon
the pressure plate.
Mul plate Clutch

The mul plate clutch is an extension of single plate type where the number of fric onal and the metal
plates is increased. The increase in the number of fric on surfaces obviously increases capacity of the
clutch to transmit torque, the size remaining fixed. Alterna vely, the overall diameter

of the clutch is reduced for the same torque transmission as a single plate clutch. This type of clutch
is, therefore, used in some heavy transport vehicles and racing cars where high torque is to be
transmi ed. Besides, this finds applica on in case of scooters and motor cycles, where space available
is limited.
A simplified diagram of mul plate clutch is given (Fig. 3.19). The construc on is similar to that of single
plate type except that all the fric on plates in this case are in two sets, i.e., one set of plates slides in
grooves on the flywheel and the other one slides on splines on the pressure plate hub

Semi-centrifugal Clutch

For small torque transmission the clutch springs may be designed so that they have sufficient strength
for applying the required amount of force and at the same me are not so s ff as to cause any strain
to the driver while disengaging. However, for high powered engines, the clutch spring pressures

To obviate this trouble, the help is taken of the centrifugal force. The clutch springs are designed to
transmit the torque at normal speeds, while for higher speeds, centrifugal force assists in torque
transmission. Such type of clutches are called semi- centrifugal clutches.

Fig. 3.21 shows a semi- centrifugal clutch. Three hinged and weighted levers are arranged at equal
intervals. One of these is shown in Fig. 3.22 on enlarged at A and is hinged to pressure plate at B. The
upper end of the lever is weighted at C. D is the adjus ng screw, by means of which the maximum
centrifugal force on the pressure plate can adjusted. To reduce fric on, the levers are mounted on
needle roller bearings on the pressure plate. At moderate speeds the pressure of the springs is
sufficient to transmit the required torque. However at higher speeds, the weight C, due to the
centrifugal force moves about A as fulcrum thereby pressing the pressure plate. The centrifugal force
is propor onal to the square of the speed so that adequate pressure level is a ained.

Centrifugal Clutch

In the fully centrifugal type of clutches, the springs are eliminated altogether and only the centrifugal
force is used to apply the required pressure for keeping the clutch in engaged posi on.

The advantage of the centrifugal clutch is that no separate clutch pedal is required. The clutch is
operated automa cally depending upon the engine speed. This means that car can be stopped in gear
without stalling the engine.Similarly while star ng, the driver can first select the gear, put the car into
the gear and simply press the accelerator pedal. This makes the driving opera on very easy.

Fig. 3.24 shows a schema c diagram of a centrifugal clutch. As the speed increases, the weight A flies,
thereby opera ng the bell crank lever B which presses the plate C. This force is transmi ed to the plate
D by means of springs E. The plate D containing fric on lining is thus pressed against the flywheel F
thereby engaging the clutch.Spring G serves to keep the clutch disengaged at low speed say 500 rpm.
The stop H limits the amount of centrifugal force.

FLUID FLYWHEEL (Fluid Coupling)

The fluid flywheel or the hydraulic coupling as it is frequently called, has been used in cars employing
automa c transmissions

It consists of two members. the driving and the driven as shown in Fig. 3.48. The driving member is
a ached to the engine flywheel and the driven member, to the transmission sha . The two members
do not have any direct contact with each other. The driven member is free to slide on splines on the
transmission sha . The two rotors are always filled.
TRANSMISSION (GEAR BOX)
1. INTRODUCTION
The word 'transmission' is a mechanism which provides with suitable varia on of the engine torque
at the road wheels, whenever required. This may be a gear box (also called manual transmission) or
an automa c transmission.

2. FUNCTIONS OF TRANSMISSION (GEAR BOX)

The main func ons which are performed by the transmission are:

1. The torque or the trac ve effort produced by the engine varies with speed only within narrow limits.
But the prac cal considera ons for the running of automobile under different demands a large
varia on of torque available at the wheels.

The main purpose of the transmission is to provide a means to vary the leverage or torque ra o
between the engine and the road wheels as required.

2. The transmission also provides a neutral posi on so that the engine and the road wheels are
disconnected even with the clutch in the engaged posi on.

3. A means to back the car by reversing the direc on of rota on of the drive is also by the transmission.

3. NECESSITY OF TRANSMISSION
The ques on as to how far is the transmission necessary in a vehicle may be answered by considering:

(a) Varia on of resistance to the vehicle mo on at various speeds.

(b) Varia on of trac ve effort of the vehicle available at various speeds.

4. TYPES OF TRANSMISSION
The transmissions may be classified into the manual and the automa c types. The manual
transmissions are conven onally called gear boxes.

Their mechanical efficiency in direct drive is about 98,whereas in reduc on gears. it is slightly greater
than 90%. As most of the me the driving is done in direct drive, fric on losses in manual transmissions
are very small. That coupled with simplicity and lower ini al cost, is the reason these are s ll popular
par cularly in fuel-efficient automobiles. On the other hand the opera on of engaging and disengaging
the clutch alongwith changing of gears while driving over a crowded highway means a lot of fa gue to
the driver. Therefore, in luxury vehicles automa c transmissions are employed which simplify the
driving opera on considerably

5. MANUAL TRANSMISSION
Sliding mesh type of gear box is the oldest type of manual transmission used in automobiles. However,
in this type the mechanical efficiency was very low and the noise level was quite high. Moreover the
driver required considerable skill in changing the gears.
Constant mesh gear box

An improvement was achieved in the form of a constant mesh gear box, which resulted in higher
mechanical efficiencies and lower noise level due to the use of helical gears instead of straight spur
gears in case of sliding mesh type. S ll the driver had to adopt double declutching to change gears.

Synchromesh type of gear box

A further improvement with the help of synchromesh device solved this problem also and these days
a synchromesh type of gear box is the universally used type of automo ve manual transmission.

6. SLIDING MESH TYPE OF GEAR BOX

This is the simplest type of gear box. Fig 4.6 gives a simplified view of the gear box. The power comes
from the engine to the clutch sha and thence to the clutch gear which is always in mesh with a gear
on the laysha . All the gears on the lay sha are fixed to it and as such they are all the me rota ng
when the engine is running and the clutch is engaged. Three direct and one reverse speeds are a ained
on suitably moving the gear on the main sha by means of selector mechanism. These various
posi ons are shown in Fig. 4.7

7. CONSTANT MESH GEAR BOX

In this type of gear box, all the gears are in constant mesh with the Corresponding gears on the laysha .
The gears on the main sha which is splined, are free (Fig 4.9). The dog clutches are provided which
are free to dide on the main sha . The gears on the laysha are, however, fixed.

When the le dog clutch is slid to the le by means of the selector mechanism, its teeth are engaged
with those on the clutch gear and we get the direct gear. The same dog clutch, however, when slid to
right makes contact with the second gear and second gear is obtained. Similarly movement of the right
dog clutch to the le results in low gear and towards right in reverse gear.
7.2. Advantages
Compared to the sliding mesh type, the constant mesh gear box has the following advantages:

1. As the gears have to remain always in mesh, it is no longer necessary to use straight spur gears.
Instead, helical gears are used which are quieter running

2. Wear of dog teeth on account of engaging and disengaging is reduced because here all the teeth of
the dog clutches are involved compared to only two or three teeth in the case of sliding gears.

8. SYNCHROMESH GEAR BOX

This type of gear box is similar to the constant mesh type in that all the gears on the mainsha are in
constant mesh with the corresponding gears on the laysha . The gear on the laysha are fixed to it
while those on the mainsha are free to rotate on the same.

Its working is also similar to the constant mesh type, but in the former there is one definite
improvement over the la er. This is the provision of synchromesh device which avoids the necessity
of double declutching. The parts which ul mately are to be engaged, are first brought into fric onal
contact which equalizes their speed, a er which these may be engaged smoothly.

Fig. 4.10 shows the construc on and working of a synchromesh gear box. In most of the cars, however,
the synchromesh devices are not fi ed to all the gears as is shown in this figure. They are fi ed only
on the high gears and on the low and reverse gears ordinary dog clutches are only provided. This is
done to reduce the cost.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS
These are broadly of two types viz., the semi-automa c and fully-automa c ones. In the first type only
the clutch is operated automa cally, the driver s ll has to select the gears. In the later type which is
employed in modern cars, even the gears are changed automa cally by a control mechanism which is
actuated by the accelerator pedal only. In the fully automa c transmission, there are only two pedals,
viz. for braking and for accelera ng. In addi on there is a selector lever.

The present day automa c transmissions consist of mul plate clutches, torque converter and epicyclic
gear box.

EPICYCLIC BOX
An epicyclic gear box consists of two, three or even four epicyclic or planetary gear sets. A simple gear
set (Fig. 4.25) has a sun gear, about which planets turn round. These planet gears are carried by a
carrier and a sha and are also in mesh internally with a ring gear, which is also called annulus or
internal gearsome mes.

Different ra os i.e. speed ra os are obtained by making any one of the parts. viz the sun gear, the
planets and the annulus sta onary. Similarly by locking two parts with each other, a solid drive i.e.
direct gear is obtained.

TORQUE CONVERTER
The construc on of a torque converter is similar to that of the fluid flywheel, the only difference being
that it has an addi onal sta onary member called the stator or the reac on member.. The opera on
of the two, however is, not similar. Whereas the fluid. flywheel transmits the same torque as given to
it by the engine sha ,the torque converter increases the torque in a ra o of about 2: 1 to 3: 1. Thus it
serves the same purpose as that of a gear box and that too in a be er way.

Whereas in the gear box the torque varia on is only in finite number of steps, in the case of torque
converter torque output varia on is con nuous. However, the efficiency of a torque converter is high
only within narrow limits of speed.

A single stage torque converter is shown in Fig. 4.32. It consists of 3 main parts, viz (i) the impeller or
the driving member which is connected to the engine, (it) the turbine or the driven member which is
connected to the road wheels through the transmission gears and the drive line, and (iii) the stator
fixed to the frame through a free.
OVERDRIVE

Overdrive is a device to step up the gear ra o in the car. It is fi ed in between transmission and the
propeller sha .It enables a high cruising speed to be a ained with a compara vely low engine speed
(upto about 20-25% less) on long journeys. This results in less wear of the engine parts and decreases
vibra on and noise. As the fric on losses at lower speeds are less, there is a saving of fuel also with
the overdrive.

Overdrive is generally fi ed on top gear only. But in some sport cars, overdrives are also fi ed on gears
other than the top gear which increases the torque ra os available.

To understand the working of an overdrive consider Fig. 4.42. It consists of an epicyclic gear train in
which the sun gear is free to rotate on the input sha , while the carrier can move on splines on the
input sha . A freewheel clutch is also fi ed on the input sha splines. The output sha is connected
to the ring.

When the sun gear is locked with the casing, i.e., it becomes sta onary. the speed of the output sha
is increased i.e., overdrive is engaged. When, however, the sun gear is locked to the carrier or to the
ring, solid drive through the gear train is obtained. Thus depending on the locking of the sun gear-
with- casing or with carrier the overdrive or the normal direct drive is obtained.

PROPELLER SHAFT
This is the sha which transmits the drive from the transmission to the bevel pinion or worm of final
drive in front engine, rear drive vehicles. It is also called drive sha . It consists mainly of three parts:

(a) Sha -As this has to withstand mainly torsional loads, it is usually made of tubular cross-sec on. It
also has to be well balanced to avoid whirling at high speeds.

(b) One or two universal joints, depending upon the type of rear axle drive used. The universal joints
account for the up and down movements of the rear axle when the vehicle is running,

(c) Slip joint-Depending upon the type of drive, one slip joint may be there in sha . This serves to
adjust the length of the propeller sha when demanded by the rear axle movements.
Fig. 5.1. shows a propeller sha , with two universal joints at the ends and a slip or sliding joint. Slip
joint is formed by the internal splines on the sleeve a ached to the le universal joint and external
splines on the propeller sha as shown.

UNIVERSAL JOINTS

A universal joint is a par cular type of connec on between two sha s, whose axes are inclined
to each other. The most simple type of universal joint is the Hooke's joint (Fig. S.10) which is most
widely used because of the fact that it is simple and compact in construc on and reasonably efficient
at small angles of propeller sha movement up and down, say upto 180.

The axes of sha s A and B are intersec ng. Each of these sha s contains a yoke. The cross C has four
arms. The two opposite arms of the cross are supported in bushes in the yoke of sha A, while the
other two arms of the cross are supported in the yoke of sha B. Thus sha A can have angular rota on
about axis XX and the sha B. about the axis YY. It is thus seen that it will be possible with the Hooke's
joint for the sha s A and B to have posi ve drive while allowing angular movement between them.

FINAL DRIVE
The final drive is the last stage in transferring power from the engine to the road wheels. It provides a
fixed reduc on between the drive sha and the driving axles)

It brings down the speed of the propeller sha to that of the wheels.
It turns the drive of the propeller sha through a right angle to drive the wheels. Fig 7.46 shows a
simplified diagram of the final drive system.

The propeller sha has a small bevel pinion which is in mesh with the crown wheel. This crown wheel
rotates the rear axles. The axles are in half por ons. Since the pinion is bevel one, therefore, it rotates
the crown wheel at right angles. The crown wheel in turn rotates the rear axles. Thus the rota on of
the propeller sha is such that it in converted at right angles to the rear axle.-The crown wheel is larger
than the bevel pinion, therefore, the speed of the crown wheel is lower than the speed of the bevel
pinion.

DIFFERENTIAL
Differen al is the mechanism by means of which outer wheel runs faster than the inner wheel while
taking a turn or moving over upheaval road.
Differen al is a part of the inner axle housing assembly, which includes the differen al, rear axies,
wheels and bearings. The differen al consists of a system of gears arranged in such a way that connects
the propeller sha with the rear axles.

The purpose of the differen al is to provide the rela ve movement to the two rear wheels when the
car is taking a turn. The torque transmi ed to each wheel is, however, always equal.

Differen als are used in rear drive axle of front-engine, rear-wheel drive vehicles. Differen als are also
used in the trans axles on front-engine, front-wheel drive wheels. Also, four-wheel-drive vehicles have
differen al at both the front and rear wheels. In addi on, some four-wheel-drive vehicles have a third
differen al in the transfer case.

Construc on of differen al:

Fig. 7.49 shows the various parts of a differen al unit. The bevel pinion is fixed to the propel ler sha
which rotates the crown wheel. The crown-wheel has another unit called the differen al unit. It
consists of two bevel gears (sun gears) and two bevel pinions (planet pinions). The bevel gears are in
contact with the half sha s of the rear axle. bevel (sun) gears of the When the crown wheel is rota ng,
it rotates the differen al unit. The differen al rotate the two half sha s.

Opera on of differen al:

When the car is on a straight road, the ring gear, differen al case, differen al pinion gears, and two
differen al wide gears all turn as a unit. The two differen al pinion gears do not rotate on the pinion
sha . This is because they exert equal force on the two differen al side gears. As a result, the side
gears turn at the same speed as the ring gear, which causes both drive wheels to turn at the same
speed also. However, when the car begins to round a curve, the differen al pinion gears rotate on the
pinion sha . This permits the outer wheel to turn faster than the inner wheel.

REAR AXLES

A rear axle lies in between the differen al and the driving wheels and transmits power from the
differen al to the driving wheels.

The rear axles perform the following two func ons:

(1) Carry the weight of the vehicle.

(ii) To rotate and transmit the power from the engine to the wheels. In rear wheel drive vehicles, the
rear wheels are the driving wheels, whereas in front wheel drive vehicles, the front wheels are the
driving wheels.

Depending upon the arrangement of the bearings the rear axle or the axle casing must support

i.The total rear weight of the vehicle, causing both bending and shearing ac on.

ii) Side thrust on the wheels when cornering, which imposes bending load and an end thrust or a pull.

(ii) Driving torque.

Types of Rear Axles

Depending upon the methods of suppor ng the rear axles and moun ng the rear wheels, the axles
are of following three types:

1. Half floa ng rear axle.

2. Three-quarter floa ng rear axle.

3. Fully floa ng rear axle.

1. Half floa ng rear axle: Fig. 7.52 shows the half floa ng rear axle.

The bearings are inside the axle casing. The axle of the wheel is at the centre of the de casing. The
wheels are fi ed at the two ends of the axle by means of a key, bolt and nut

The whole weight of the vehicle is first transmi ed to the suspension spring then to the axle case, rear
axle, wheel and finally to the ground.

2. Three-quarter floa ng rear axle: Fig. 7.53 shows a three-quarter floa ng rear axle.

The axle is fi ed inside the axle casing. The bearings are on the outer side between the wheel and the
axle casing. The wheel is fi ed with the axle by means of a key, bolt and nut The weight of the vehicle
is supported partly by the axle case and partly by the axle. The axle only takes care of the rota on and
transmission of power. Power is transmi ed from the engine to the wheel. The main advantage of this
type of axle over the half-floa ng axle is that the major part of the load is taken by the axle casing and
not by the axle.

3. Fully-floa ng rear axle: Fig 7.54 shows the various parts of a fully-floa ng rear axle with flange. The
bearings are between the wheel and axle case. The axle is introduced inside the axle case. The axle
end is fi ed with the wheel by means of a flange, bolt and nut. The en re weight of the vehicle is
supported by the wheel and axle case. The axle is not supported by bearings at either end, and its
posi on is maintained by the way that it is supported at both ends. Thus the axle is relieved of all strain
caused by the weight of the vehicle on end thrust. It transmits only the driving torque, for this reason
it is called full-floa ng.
This type of axle is very strong and is used for heavy duty vehicles. If an axle sha breaks, there would
be no danger of the wheel coming off and the sha can be removed and replaced easily. But this is the
costliest type of drive,