Chapter one: Introduction to Automatic Transmission

Automatic transmission:- Automatic transmission system is the most advanced system in which
drives mechanical efforts are reduced very much and different speeds are obtained automatically.
This system is generally also called hydramatic transmission. It contains epicyclic gear
arrangement, fluid coupling and torque converter. In this planetary gears sets are placed in series
to provide transmission. This type of transmission are used by Skoda, Toyota, Lexus, etc

Epicyclic gearing (planetry gearing): - it is a gear system consisting of one or more outer gears,
or planet gears, revolving about a central gear. By using epicyclic gear, different torque speed
ratio can be obtained. It also compacts the size of gear box.
An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in
motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under
normal driving conditions. Vehicles with internal combustion engines, unlike electric vehicles,
require the engine to operate in a narrow range of rates of rotation, requiring a gearbox, operated
manually or automatically, to drive the wheels over a wide range of speeds.
The most common type of automatic transmission is the
1, hydraulic automatic, which uses a planetary gearset, hydraulic controls, and a torque
converter.
Other types of automatic transmissions include
2, continuously variable transmissions (CVT),
3, automated manual transmissions (AMT), and
4, dual-clutch transmissions (DCT).

Comparison between manual transmission and automatic transmission:

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 Advantages over manual transmission
• Ease. Simply put, many people prefer to drive an automatic because it's easy to drive.
• Power. Despite the fact that they are easier to drive, automatic transmissions are more
powerful than manual transmissions. ...
• Torque.
• Acceleration Speed.
Advantages of automatic transmission system:
• This system gives great driving pleasure.
• The reduced effort of the driver and more features available to the driver to handle
the car.
• Better for hilly areas.
• Greatly reduced the risk of stalling.
• Easier to use especially in heavy traffic.
• Accurate and effortless shifting of gears.
• No clutch replacement cost.
• To help accelerate quickly.

Disadvantages of automatic transmissions system:

• Expensive gearbox thus not equipped with low car price and the initial cost is high.
• A fully automatic gearbox means complexity.
• Less fuel-efficient because of a lack of control on the torque converter.
• Maintenance is costly.
• The additional gear train is required for the reverse condition.
• Fuel consumption is also higher than a manual transmission. Automatic
transmission consumes 10% more than a manual transmission.
• Take a longer time to change gear between high and low.
• Compromise with the mileage.
• Mechanical efficiency is less.
• Limited torque capacity.
• It may not be best suited for off-road driving.
• Transmission fluid must be transferred every 50,000 km on average.

Basic distinctions of automatic transmissions.

The automatic transmission allows the vehicle to change to different gears on its own rather than
the drivers making the adjustments. Manual is where that transmission relies on the drivers to use
the clutch to accelerate.
Gearsets and shifting mechanism
A hydraulic automatic transmission uses planetary (epicyclic) gearsets instead of the manual
transmission's design of gears lined up along input, output and intermediate shafts. To change
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gears, the hydraulic automatic uses a combination of internal clutches, friction bands or brake
packs. These devices are used to lock certain gears, thus setting which gear ratio is in use at the
time.
A sprag clutch (a ratchet-like device which can freewheel and transmits torque in only one
direction) is often used for routine gear shifts.
The advantage of a sprag clutch is that it eliminates the sensitivity of timing a simultaneous
clutch release/apply on two planetary gearsets, simply "taking up" the drivetrain load when
actuated, and releasing automatically when the next gear's sprag clutch assumes the torque
transfer.
The friction bands are often used for manually selected gears (such as low range or reverse) and
operate on the planetary drum's circumference. Bands are not applied when the drive/overdrive
range is selected, the torque being transmitted by the sprag clutches instead.

Hydraulic controls
The aforementioned friction bands and clutches are controlled using automatic transmission
fluid (ATF), which is pressured by a pump and then directed to the appropriate bands/clutches to
obtain the required gear ratio.
The ATF provides lubrication, corrosion prevention, and a hydraulic medium to transmit the
power required to operate the transmission. Made from petroleum with various refinements and
additives, ATF is one of the few parts of the automatic transmission that needs routine service as
the vehicle ages.
The main pump which pressurises the ATF is typically a gear pump mounted between the torque
converter and the planetary gear set.
The input for the main pump is connected to the torque converter housing, which in turn is bolted
to the engine's flexplate, so the pump provides pressure whenever the engine is running.
A disadvantage of this arrangement is that there is no oil pressure to operate the transmission
when the engine is not running, therefore it is not possible to push start a vehicle equipped with
an automatic transmission with no rear pump (aside from several automatics built prior to 1970,
which also included a rear pump for towing and push-starting purposes). The pressure of the
ATF is regulated by a governor connected to the output shaft, which varies the pressure
depending on the vehicle speed.
The valve body inside the transmission is responsible for directing hydraulic pressure to the
appropriate bands and clutches.
It receives pressurized fluid from the main pump and consists of several spring-loaded valves,
check balls, and servo pistons.
In older automatic transmissions, the valves use the pump pressure and the pressure from
a centrifugal governor on the output side (as well as other inputs, such as throttle position or the
driver locking out the higher gears) to control which ratio is selected.

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 As the vehicle and engine change speed, the difference between the pressure’s changes, causing
different sets of valves to open and close. In more recent automatic transmissions, the valves are
controlled by solenoids.
These solenoids are computer-controlled, with the gear selection decided by a
dedicated transmission control unit (TCU) or sometimes this function is integrated into
the engine control unit (ECU).
Modern designs have replaced the centrifugal governor with an electronic speed sensor that is
used as an input to the TCU or ECU.
Modern transmissions also factor in the amount of load on an engine at any given time, which is
determined from either the throttle position or the amount of intake manifold vacuum.
The multitude of parts, along with the complex design of the valve body, originally made
hydraulic automatic transmissions much more expensive and time-consuming to build and repair
than manual transmissions; however, mass-production and developments over time have reduced
this cost gap.

Torque converter

Torque converter–cutaway view

To provide coupling and decoupling of the engine, a modern automatic transmission uses a
torque converter instead of the friction clutch used in a manual transmission.

Gear selectors
Main article: Gear stick #Automatic transmission

The gear selector is the input by which the driver selects the operating mode of an automatic
transmission. Traditionally the gear selector is located between the two front seats or on the
steering column, however electronic rotary dials and push-buttons have also been occasionally
used since the 1980s, as well as push buttons having been used in the 1950s and 1960s
by Rambler (automobile), Edsel, and most famously, by Chrysler.
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A few automobiles employed a lever on the instrument panel, such as the 1955 Chrysler
Corporation cars, and notably, the Corvair.
P-R-N-D-L positions
Most cars use a "P-R-N-D-L" layout for the gear selector, which consists of the following
positions.

• Park (P): This position disengages the transmission from the engine (as with the
Neutral position), and a parking pawl mechanically locks the output shaft of the
transmission. This prevents the driven wheels from rotating to prevent the vehicle
from moving.

The use of the hand brake (parking brake) is also recommended when parking on
slopes, since this provides greater protection from the vehicle moving. The Park
position is omitted on buses/coaches/tractors, which must instead be placed in neutral
with the air-operated parking brakes set. Some early passenger car automatics, such
as the pre-1960 Chrysler cars and the Corvair Powerglide, did not have the Park
feature. These cars were started in Neutral, and required the driver to apply a parking
brake when parked.

The park position usually includes a lockout function (such as a button on the side of
the gear selector or requiring that the brake pedal be pressed) which prevents the
transmission from being accidentally shifted from Park into other gear selector
positions. Many cars also prevent the engine from being started when the selector is
in any position other than Park or Neutral (often in combination with requiring the
brake pedal to be pressed).

• Reverse (R): This position engages reverse gear, so that the vehicle drives in a
backwards direction. It also operates the reversing lights and on some vehicles can
activate other functions including parking sensors, backup cameras and reversing
beepers (to warn pedestrians).

Some modern transmissions have a mechanism that will prevent shifting into the
Reverse position when the vehicle is moving forward, often using a switch on the
brake pedal or electronic transmission controls that monitor the vehicle speed.
• Neutral (N): This position disengages the transmission from the engine, allowing the
vehicle to move regardless of the engine's speed. Prolonged movement of the vehicle
in Neutral with the engine off at significant speeds ("coasting") can damage some
automatic transmissions, since the lubrication pump is often powered by the input
side of the transmission and is therefore not running when the transmission is in
Neutral. The vehicle may be started in Neutral as well as Park.
• Drive (D): This position is the normal mode for driving forwards. It allows the
transmission to engage the full range of available forward gear ratios.
• Low (L): This position, required by U.S. law, provides for engine braking on steep
hills. It also provides for a lower gear ratio for starting out when heavily loaded.
•

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Continuously variable transmission (CVT)
Operating principle for a pulley-based CVT

A continuously variable transmission (CVT) can change seamlessly through a continuous

(infinite) range of gear ratios, compared with other automatic transmissions that provide a
limited number of gear ratios in fixed steps. The flexibility of a CVT with suitable control may
allow the engine to operate at a constant angular velocity while the vehicle moves at varying
speeds.
CVTs are used in cars, tractors, UTVs, motor scooters, snowmobiles, and earthmoving
equipment.
The most common type of CVT uses two pulleys connected by a belt or chain, however, several
other designs have also been used at times.

Dual-clutch transmission (DCT)

A dual-clutch transmission (DCT, sometimes referred to as a twin-clutch transmission,
or double-clutch transmission) uses two separate clutches for odd and even gear sets,
The design is often similar to two separate manual transmissions with their respective clutches
contained within one housing, and working as one unit.
In most car and truck applications, the DCT functions as an automatic transmission, requiring no
driver input to change gears.
The first DCT to reach production was the Easidrive automatic transmission introduced on the
1961 Hillman Minx mid-size car.
This was followed by various eastern European tractors through the 1970s (using manual
operation via a single clutch pedal), then the Porsche 962 C racing car in 1985.
The first DCT of the modern era was used in the 2003 Volkswagen Golf R32. Since the late
2000s, DCTs have become increasingly widespread, and have supplanted hydraulic automatic
transmissions in various models of cars.

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 Main article: Dual-clutch transmission

Automated manual transmission (AMT)

Automated manual transmission (AMT), sometimes referred to as a clutchless manual, is a type

of multi-speed automobile transmission system that is closely based on the mechanical design of
a conventional manual transmission, and automates either the clutch system, the gear shifting, or
both simultaneously, requiring partial, or no driver input or involvement.
Earlier versions of these transmissions that are semi-automatic in operation, such as Autostick,
control only the clutch system automatically — and use different forms of actuation (usually via
an actuator or servo) to automate the clutch, but still require the driver's input and full control to
manually actuate gear changes by hand.
Modern versions of these systems that are fully-automatic in operation, such
as Selespeed and Easytronic, require no driver input over gear changes or clutch operation. Semi-
automatic versions require only partial driver input (i.e., the driver must change gears manually),
while fully-automatic versions require no manual driver input, whatsoever
(TCU or ECU operates both the clutch system and gear shifts automatically).
Modern automated manual transmissions (AMT) have their roots and origins in older clutchless
manual transmissions that began to appear on mass-production automobiles in the early-1930s
and 1940s, prior to the introduction of hydraulic automatic transmissions.
These systems were designed to reduce the amount of clutch or gear shifter usage required by the
driver. These devices were intended to reduce the difficulty of operating
conventional unsynchronised manual transmissions ("crash gearboxes") that were commonly
used at the time, especially in stop-start driving. An early example of this transmission was
introduced with the Hudson Commodore in 1942, called Drive-Master.
This unit was an early semi-automatic transmission, based on the design of a conventional
manual transmission, which used a servo-controlled vacuum-operated clutch system, with three
different gear shifting modes, at the touch of a button; manual shifting and manual clutch
operation (fully-manual), manual shifting with automated clutch operation (semi-automatic), and
automatic shifting with automatic clutch operation (fully-automatic).
Another early example of this transmission system was introduced in the 1955 Citroën DS,
which used a 4-speed BVH transmission. This semi-automatic transmission used an automated
clutch, which was actuated using hydraulics.

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Gear selection also used hydraulics, however, the gear ratio needs to be manually selected by the
driver. This system was nicknamed Citro-Matic in the U.S.
The first modern AMTs were introduced by BMW and Ferrari in 1997, with
their SMG and F1 transmissions, respectively.
Both systems used hydraulic actuators and electrical solenoids, and a designated transmission
control unit (TCU) for the clutch and shifting, plus steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters, if the
driver wanted to change gear manually.
Modern fully-automatic AMTs, such as Selespeed and Easytronic, have now been largely
superseded and replaced by the increasingly widespread dual-clutch transmission design.

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