The Gearbox (Transmission)
Types of gearing:
Various types of gearing are used on a motor vehicle. The gearboxes employ one or more of the following:
1- Spur, teeth parallel to axis, used on sliding mesh.
2- Helical, teeth inclined to axis to form helix.
3- Double helical, two sets of opposing helical teeth.
4- Epicyclic or planetary, spur or helical gears rotating about centers which are not stationary.
Gear ratio (single gear train):
The gear ratio, or velocity ratio, between a pair of gear wheels is in inverse ratio
to the number of teeth on each. Thus:
NB/NA = DA/DB= nA/nB
NB = NA (nA/nB)
Where:
NA= rev per min of gear A, nA = number of teeth on A
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com
NB = rev per min of gear B, nB = number of teeth on B
DA = Diameter of gear A
DB = Diameter of gear B
Power, Speed and Torque:
The power transmitted by a shaft is directly proportional to the speed of
revolution and the torque acting on it
Power [kW] = 2 p N T / (60 x 1000) [N.m/s]
Then
TA NA = TB NB
For a given power, therefore, the torque is inversely proportional to the speed
of revolution and if the re min is reduced the torque will be increased in the same ratio (assuming 100%
gear efficiency).
TB/TA = nB/nA
Where:
TA = torque transmitted by A
TB = torque transmitted by B
Velocity or gear ratio (ig) = number of teeth on driven gear/number of teeth on driver gear.
TB = TA (nB/nA) = TA/ ig
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com
Compound gear train:
If the number of teeth on each wheel is known, the relationship between the speed of wheels A and D can
be determined as follows
For wheels A and B: NB/NA = nA/nB, i.e. NB= NA (nA/nB)
Wheel B and C are fixed on the same shaft, so NC=NB
For wheels C and D: ND/NC = nC/nD, i.e. ND = NC (nC/nD)
Substituting NC = NB = NA (nA/nB) from above, we get
ND = NA (nA/nB) (nC/nD)
Or ND/NA =
By inspection of the layout of the figure, it will be observed that wheels
A and C are driver gears while B and D are driven gears. Hence, from
the above equation
Velocity or gear ratio (ig) = product of teeth on driven gears/ product of teeth on driver gears
ND = NA (nA/nB) (nC/nD) = NA (nA nC / nB nD) = NA/ig
Example:
A double reduction set of gearing is as shown in the above figure. Wheel A is the driver gear, wheels B
and C fixed to the same shaft and wheel D is the final gear in the train. The number of teeth on each
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com
wheel is A=20, B=50, C=40, D=30 teeth.
a- Determine the velocity ratio of the gearing system.
b- Calculate the speed of rotation of wheel D when wheel A rotates at 1800 rev/min.
c- Calculate the torque of wheel D when the torque of A is 100 N.m and the efficiency of the gear train
is 90% .
a- Velocity ratio = product of teeth of driven gears/ product of teeth on driver gears
i.e. velocity ratio (ig) = (nD nB / nC nA) = (30 x 50) / (20 x 40) = 1.875
b- ND = NA / ig = 1800 / 1.875 = 960 rev/min
c- TD = TA ig hg = 100 x 1.875 x 0.9 = 168.75 N.m
Types of Drives and gearboxes
There are many types of the car drives, usually classified accordance with number of driving axles (4x2,
4x4, 4WD, AWD) and each type has a different gearing arrangement. Also, gearbox (transmission) has
different types (sliding-mesh, constant-mesh, synchro-mesh) some of them are old-fashion and had been
replaced, and some are in use in modern cars.
SLIDING-MESH GEARBOX:
The sliding gearbox was popular on cars up to about 1930, but it is rarely used. The basic layout of a 4-
speed and reverse gearbox is shown in the figure. The various spur-type gears are mounted on three shafts.
o Primary shaft (alternative names – clutch or first motion shaft)
o Layshaft (countershaft)
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com
o Mainshaft (third motion shaft).
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com
Primary shaft
This shaft transmits the drive from the clutch to the gearbox. At the end, the shaft is supported by a spigot
bearing positioned close to the splines on to which the clutch driven plate is connected. The main load on
this shaft is taken by a bearing; normally a sealed radial ball type, positioned close to an input gear called a
constant mesh pinion. The gear is so named because it is always in mesh with a larger gear, a c constant
mesh wheel, that I part of the layshaft gear cluster. Note that a small driving gear is called a pinion and a
large gear a wheel.
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com
Lay shaft
This shaft, which is normally fixed to the gearbox casing, supports the various-sized driving pinions of the
layshaft gear cluster.
Main shaft
This splined output shaft carries spur gearwheels that slide along the shaft to engage with the appropriate
lay shaft gears. At the ‘front’ end, the main shaft is supported by a spigot bearing situated in the centre of
the constant mesh pinion. A heavy duty radial ball bearing is fitted at the other end to take the force of the
gears as the attempt to move apart.
Gear positions
Neutral
All main shaft gearwheels are positioned so that they do not touch the layshaft gears. A drive is taken to the
layshaft, but the mainshaft will not be turned in neutral position.
First gear
The firs-speed gearwheel A on the mainshaft is lid backwards to engage with pinion B on the layshaft; all
other gears are positioned in neutral. In this gear, the reduction in speed that occurs as the drive passes
through the constant-mesh gears, E and F, is reduced further by the firs-speed gears, A and B.
The gear ratio (also called the movement ratio or velocity ratio) is given by
Ratio = (Driven/driver) x (driven/driver)
Ig1 = (F/E) x (A/B)
Noutput 1 = Ninput / ig1
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com
Toutput 1 = Tinput x ig1 x hg1
Second gear
The second-speed gearwheel C is slid forward to engage with the layshaft gear D; all the other gear are set
in the non-driving position.
Ig2 = (F/E) x (C/D)
Third gear
In this gear position, gearwheel G is slid in to mesh with gear H.
Ig3 = (F/E) x (H/G)
Top gear
In this layout, fourth gear is a direct drive; namely a gear that gives a ratio 1:1. It is obtained by sliding gear
G to engage its dog teeth with the corresponding teeth formed on the end of the constant mesh pinion E.
Engagement of the dog clutch locks the primary to the main shaft and this gives a ‘straight-through’ drive.
Reverse gear
Sliding a reverse gear between any two gears on the layshaft and main shaft is
the method used to change the direction of rotation of the output shaft.
The simplest arrangement uses a single reverse gear, which is mounted on a
short shaft. This shaft is positioned so that the reverse can slide and mesh
with the two first-speed gears as shown in the figure. The gear ratio is
igr = (Driven/Driver) x (Driven/Driver) x (Driven/Driver)
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com
= (F/E) x (J/B) x (A/J)
= (F/E) x (A/B)
This is the same ratio as for first gear, and irrespectively of the size of gear J, it will be seen that the ratio
always remains the same. For this reason it is called an idler – it changes the direction, but does not alter
the ratio.
With the idler arrangement, some drivers persistently slip the clutch to maintain a low reversing speed.
Excessive clutch wear resulting from this practice is minimized when the reverse ratio is set lower than first
gear. This achieved by using a reverse gear arrangement as shown in the figure. Instead of single idler, the
compound reverse gear has two gear pinions joined together. The reverse shaft is positioned so that the
reverse pinions are able to mesh simultaneously with the appropriate layshaft and mainshaft gears.
Gear Changing
When one gear is moved to engage with another gear noise will result if the peripheral (outside) speeds are
not the same to avoid this, the driver of the vehicle having a sliding-mesh gearbox performs an operation
called double declutching.
Select mechanism
A fork of the type shown in figure is used to slide a gearwheel along the main shaft in order to select the
appropriate gear. It is mounted on its own rod and links the driver’s gear stick to the sliding gearbox.
Every gearbox must be fitted with the following:
1- Selector detent-
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com
Holds the gears and selectors in position and so prevent gear engagement or disengagement due to
vibration. The figure shows a typical arrangement suitable for a layout having the selector fork locked to the
rod.
2-Interlock mechanism-
Prevents two gears engaging simultaneously; if this occurs the gearbox will lock up and shaft rotation will
be impossible. Although the interlock device takes a number of different forms, the arrangement shown in
the figure is one of the most common.
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com
Power take-off arrangement
In addition to the mechanism use for driving a vehicle along a
road, a power supply is often required for operating external
items of auxiliary equipment.
A light truck having a tipping mechanism is one example, but
the most varied application of power take-off units is associated
with specialized off-road vehicles.
The figure shows a typical power take-off arrangement that is
driven from the gearbox layshaft.
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com
Disadvantages of the sliding mesh
Although the mechanical efficiency of the sliding mesh gearbox was high, it suffered from two great
disadvantages:
1- Gear noise due to the type of gear.
2- The difficulty of obtaining a smooth, quit and quick change of gear without the great skill and judgment.
CONSTANT-MESH GEARBOX
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com
The main feature is the use of the stronger helical of double helical gears which lead to quieter operation.
In this design, the mainshaft pinions revolves freely on bushes or needle-roller bearings and are all in
constant engagement with the corresponding layshaft wheels. The gear operation is obtained by locking
the respective gear to the main shaft by means of a dog clutch. The layout of the box is shown in the
figure.
With this arrangement the quieter-running helical gears can be employed, and during gear changing the
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com
noise and wear are reduced by the simultaneous engagement of all the dogs instead of only a pair of gear
teeth as on the sliding-mesh gearbox.
With single helical pinions (double helical is economically impractical), the driving loads on the teeth
cause an axial thrust which must be resisted by thrust washers, or shoulders, on the mainshaft.
CONSTANT-LOAD SYNCHRO-MESH
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com
The figure shows unite main details of. Fundamentally the box is laid out in same manner as a constant-
mesh, with the exception that a cone clutch is fitted between the dog and gear members. The initial
movement of the selector a sleeve carries the hub towards the gear and allows the cones adjusts the speed
of the gearwheel to suit the hub and mainshaft. Extra pressure on the lever will allow the sleeve to override
the spring-loaded balls, and positively engage with the dogs on the gear.
BAULK RING SYNCHRO-MESH
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com
This system is designed to overcome the main disadvantage of the earlier design- noise or crashing of the
gears due to a quick change, by adding baulking ring to do the job as shown in the figure.
ADDISIONAL GEAR RATIOS
Commercial vehicles having a relatively low power/weight ratio, and operating under unladen to fully loaded
conditions, require additional gears for efficient operation.
ALTERNATIVE RATIO GEARBOX:
A- One arrangement is to provide two pairs of alternative-ratio constant mesh gears between the clutch
shaft and layshaft. This doubles the number of indirect gear ratios available.
B- Another system is to use an auxiliary gearbox behind the main gearbox with a choice of direct drive or
a reduction to split the ratios in the main gearbox. This enables all the available gears to be used in
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com
sequence. The auxiliary gearbox may be a layshaft type with constant-mesh gears, or epicyclic, and the
gear change may be power-operated electrically or by compressed air.
OVERDRIVE GEAR:
Sometimes, and particularly, for cars where economy with a lowered cursing engine speed is desired, the
epicyclic unit may provide an overdrive of approximately 0.75:1. More recent practice is to incorporate
fifth speed an indirect ratio of some 0.75:1 to 0.85:1. A typical arrangement is an extra pinion on the
layshaft in constant mesh with a mineshaft pinion turning on needle-roller bearings. This is engaged by a
synchromesh unit splined to the mainshaft and operated from the reverse selector.
THE ALL-INDERCT GEARBOX (TRANSAXLE):
The layshaft two-stage gearbox is used in both longitudinal- and transverse-engined front-wheel-drive case.
However, many of the former employ a single-stage, all-indirect gearbox. There is no direct drive and
consequently no particular advantage in 1:1 gearbox ratio.
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com
TWO-SPEED TRNASFER GEARBOX:
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com
A range of vehicles uses optional four-wheel drive- with additional ‘emergency’ low ratios- to provide a
cross-country facility. This is usually accomplished by a two-speed transfer gearbox. With layshaft and
two pairs of constant-mesh helical gears, attached to the end of the main gearbox are driven via short
coupling shaft from the gearbox mainshaft.
Four- and All-Wheel Drive:
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com
Four-wheel-drive (4WD) and all-wheel-drive (AWD) systems can dramatically increase vehicle’s traction
and handling ability in rain, snow, and off-road driving. The improved traction of 4WD and AWD systems
allows the use of tires narrower than those used on similar 2WD vehicles. These narrow tires are less
expensive. They also tend to cut through snow and water rather than hydroplane over it. Both 4WD and
AWD systems add initial cost and weight.
4WD versus AWD:
4WD systems are those having a separate transfer case. They also give the driver the choice of operating
in either 2WD or 4WD through the use of a shift lever or shift button.
AWD systems do not have a separate transfer case. They use a front-wheel-drive transaxle equipped with
a viscous clutch, center differential, or transfer clutch. All-Wheel-drive system does not give the driver the
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com
option of selecting 2WD or 4WD modes. The system operates in continuous 4WD. All-wheel-drive vehicle
are usually passenger cars that are not designed for off-road operation. They are designed to increase
vehicle performance in poor traction situations, such as icy snowy roads, and in emergencies.
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com
