Abstract

This paper introduces a new design for the synchromesh gear

boxes, which serves dual purpose of economizing the
production cost and time of the gears manufacturing and
enhancing the shift experience by reducing the shift effort.
This is achieved by making changes in the Entry chamfers
which are the angles placed on the shift sleeve and gear dog
teeth, and the Back Taper Angle also placed on the shift
sleeve and gear dog teeth. In the new design the Entry
chamfer angles is reduced from 120 (in the existing design)
to 90 and is made Un-symmetric from Symmetric. This help
in reducing the shift effort, hence enhancing the shift
experience by making it smooth.
Another change is the Back Taper Angle, which is eliminated
from the sleeve and the gear dog teeth and is repositioned on
the hub, keeping all other important design parameters like
strut / insert design, gear cone angle, gear cone fnish, number
of cones, cone friction material the same.
The new design ensures that the change in back taper angle
position does not compromise its function of avoiding the Gear
jump out. As per existing design for making the back taper
angle on the sleeve and gear dog teeth special machining
operations are required which increase the production cost and
time. But according in new design for making the same angle
(back taper angle) on the hub, only simple machining
operations are enough. There is no need of any special
machining operation, so this helps in reducing the production
cost and time in making gears.
Introduction
Today almost all the manual transmissions used in automobiles
are ftted with the synchronizers for smooth gear shift. The
function of a synchronizer is to provide friction clutch inside the
transmission. These synchronizers are activated when the
driver shifts the gear. The function of the synchronizer is to
bring the relative speed of gear, clutch and output shaft to zero
during the shift period.
Various types of synchronizers are used in manual
transmissions but Strut / Insert type are most commonly used
ones, because of their high torque capacity for relatively small
size and their extreme durability. Synchronizers are
differentiated by the number of cones used which are the
single, double and triple cone synchronizers. The
synchronization process always follows the same sequence
irrespective of the number of cones used. Shift force moves the
sleeve towards the gear dog teeth to get engaged. As long as
there is a speed difference between sleeve and gear, the
sleeve is blocked by a blocker ring. When the relative speed is
zero, the sleeve moves further and engages with the dog teeth
of the gear.
Shift Effort and Synchronization Time are the most
important design considerations after the basic functional
relationships are satisfed. To achieve this, equal entry
chamfers are provided on both the sleeve teeth and the gear
dog teeth. These angles play an important role in the shift
force calculation.
Until disengagement force is not applied, the gear and the
sleeve will remain engaged and avoid the gear jump out. This
is achieved with a locking angle provided on both gear dog
teeth and sleeve internal spline. This locking angle is known as
Back Taper Angle which is manufactured with the help of
special machines.
Nowadays, the cost of the raw materials and machining
operations is increasing because of the infation. So it becomes
a necessity to bring out new innovative designs which can help
in economizing the use of valuable resources and time.
New Gear Locking Design in Synchromesh Gearbox
Which Reduces Gear Shift Effort
2014-01-2328
Published 09/30/2014
Jagjeet Singh
New Holland FIAT (India) Pvt. Ltd.
Gagandeep Singh
University Of Technology, Sydney
CITATION: Singh, J. and Singh, G., "New Gear Locking Design in Synchromesh Gearbox Which Reduces Gear Shift
Effort," SAE Technical Paper 2014-01-2328, 2014, doi:10.4271/2014-01-2328.
Copyright 2014 SAE International
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In this paper a new design is presented which will provide the
following benefts: 1) Reduction in the Shift Effort. 2)
Reduction in the manufacturing cost. 3) Reduction in the
production time, without compromising with the effcacy of the
function of gear locking.
Synchronizer Working Phases
The working of a synchronizer from Neutral Phase to Full
Engagement Phase consists of steps mentioned below:
Neutral: Synchronizer sleeve is in the center position.
Figure 1. Showing the neutral phase of synchronizer working phases
and the main parameters of gear geometry in existing design.
Where:
N1- Speed of synchronizer sleeve and blocker ring - RPM
N2 - Speed of gear - RPM
Neutral detent: When the fork applies force, the sleeve
starts to move from its neutral position, energizes strut/
insert and starts the oil wipe.
Figure 2. Showing the neutral detent phase of synchronizer working
phases in existing design.
Pre-Synchronization: Strut / Insert force causes the blocker
ring to index and a cone torque is generated. The sleeve
teeth come in contact with blocker ring teeth. Cone torque
builds up with Strut / Inert axial force resulting in to the
reduction of relative speed between input and output gear.
Figure 3. Showing the pre-synchronization phase of synchronizer
working phases in existing design.
Synchronizing: The sleeve remains stationary while the
speed difference between input and output gear continues
to reduce.
Synchronization: The speed difference reaches zero
(N1=N2), no more cone torque is generated and now the
sleeve begins to move forward.
Blocker ring release: As the sleeve moves forward, the
blocker ring move circumferentially with the gear and the
sleeve moves past the blocker ring.
Figure 4. Showing the blocker ring release phase of synchronizer
working phases in existing design.
Tooth contact engagement: The sleeve continues to move
axially until contact is made with the gear dog teeth.
Figure 5. Showing the tooth contact engagement phase of
synchronizer working phases in existing design.
Full engagement: The sleeve moves through gear's dog
teeth to the fnal position.
Figure 6. Showing the tooth full engagement phase of synchronizer
working phases in existing design.
Existing Design
In order to understand the new design it is important to give an
overview of the existing design. In the existing design:
1. The entry chamfer is symmetric and is in the range of 120
to 125 (Fig - 7a).
2. To avoid the gear jump out equal back taper angle () is
provided on both the shifting sleeve and gear dog teeth.
3. The Cone Angle on gear and blocker ring is generally
kept in the range of 5 to 7.
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Fig - 7 a.
Fig - 7 b.
Fig - 7 c.
Fig - 7 d.
Figure 7 (a, b, c, d). Showing the gear dog teeth, blocker ring, hub and
shifting sleeve in the existing design respectively.
New Design
The new design aims to reduce the shift effort, manufacturing
time and cost. This is achieved by making the following
changes in the existing design:
1. The entry chamfer is changed from 120 to 90and also from
symmetric to unsymmetric, thereby reducing the shift effort.
2. Back taper angle () is eliminated from both the sleeve
and gear dog teeth. Instead of generating this angle on
the sleeve and gear dog teeth it is machined on the hub
() (See Fig - 12). This taper angle is generated on the
hub by simple machining operation of hobbing, hence
saving the valuable time and cost factors.
Fig - 8 a.
Fig - 8 b.
Fig - 8 c.
Fig - 8 d.
Figure 8 (a, b, c, d). Showing the gear dog teeth, blocker ring, hub and
shifting sleeve in the new design respectively.
Figure 9. Showing the main parameters of the sleeve, hub, blocker ring
and gear dog teeth in both existing and new design
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Following fgure gives the comparison between the
engagement status of the sleeve with gear dog teeth between
the existing and the new design. In existing design, the entry
chamfer on the sleeve and gear dog teeth helps in
engagement and back taper angle avoids gear jump out. In the
new design, the modifed entry chamfer helps in reducing shift
effort during engagement and the taper angle on the hub
avoids gear jump out.
Figure 10. Showing the engagement status of the sleeve and gear dog
teeth in both existing and new design
Increase in the trend of the use of bigger engines results in
higher shift effort as bigger is the engine the higher is the shift
effort required, but the driver still demands for smooth
shiftability. This new design helps in reducing the shift effort
hence providing a smooth shift experience as compared to the
existing design.
Shift Effort
Shift force required to do an upshift or downshift is one of the
frst parameter which the driver observes about the vehicle's
performance. Hard shifting provides a bad shifting experience
to the driver. In the new design, modifcation of the entry
chamfer on sleeve and gear dog teeth and repositioning of the
back taper angle not only gives gear locking but also helps in
reducing shift effort. Shift effort depends upon the combination
of various factors which are listed below:
Coeffcient of friction between the blocker ring and cone
Cone angle
Mean cone radius
Cone torque
Contact pattern at entry chamfers
In this new design all factors mentioned above remain the
same except entry chamfer angle and this is one of the
parameters which affects shift effort / shift force. Shift force in
terms of W and is given by the expression
(1)
Where:
= Entry chamfer angle at pitch circle diameter
W = Normal force generated by shift force (F)
B = Static coeffcient of friction between chamfers
W Sin /2 = Axial component of the normal force
B W Cos /2 = Axial component of friction force
Figure 11. Showing force diagram at pitch circle diameter of entry
chamfer - Free body diagram
From equation (1), it is clear that for any fxed value of shift
force (F) and coeffcient of friction (B), normal force (W)
depends upon entry chamfer (). The following graph gives a
comparison between normal forces generated with different
entry chamfer angle values assuming coeffcient of friction to
be 0.17 and axial force to be 10kg.
Graph 1. Showing effect of change in entry chamfer angle on normal
force
With the same axial force (Shift force - F), the normal force (W)
increases which results in the reduction of shift effort. In other
words to generate same the normal force (W) less axial force (F)
is required with reduced entry chamfer angle, hence reducing
the shift effort. As shown in Graph-1 there is reduction of 12.9%
in the shift force when angle is changed from 120 to 90.
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Disengagement Force
Disengagement force (F
D
) is the force required to disengage
the gear or bring back the gear to neutral position. In this new
design the back taper angle () on gear dog teeth is removed
and is repositioned on the hub (). Back taper angle on hub ()
is of same value as back taper angle on gear dog teeth () in
the previous existing design ( = ). So, by replacing with
in equation 1, there is no change in disengagement force.
Figure 12. Showing the back taper angle () on sleeve and the taper
angle () on the hub.
Coeffcient of friction is independent of the amount of surface in
contact, so B is same in both the cases.
Stress on Sleeve and the Gear Dog Teeth
As gear dog teeth profle gets modifed according to the new
design, it results in change of stress on the teeth surface. For
comparison of the change in stress on the teeth between
existing and new design following gear geometry and material
properties are taken:
Gear Geometry
Table 1. Showing gear geometry taken for comparison
Material Properties
The material of the gear is low carbon, hot rolled alloy steel
with lower hardenability and good machinability.
Table 2. Showing chemical properties of the gear material
Table 3. Showing mechanical properties of the gear material
Input Parameters
Table 4. Showing the input parameters taken for stress calculation on
gear dog teeth
Engine power will generate torque which is given by
expression:
(2)
Stress on teeth is
(3)
Where:
T = Engine torque, Kg-mm
P= Engine power, HP
Nrpm = Engine RPM
A = Teeth length in contact per teeth, mm
D1 = Spline major Diameter, mm
D2 = Spline Minor Diameter, mm
Since all the parameters of the gear dog teeth are same except
engagement length, so the surface stress increases. In the
existing design there is an overlap area between the external
and internal spline of gear dog teeth, and in new design it is a
line contact. Substituting the values of engagement length (A)
for both existing and new designs in Equation (3) will give
following values:
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Table 5. Showing stress comparison between existing and new design
with the change in engagement length
Stress on gear dog teeth in the new design increases by 4
times but this value is still well below the yield and ultimate
tensile stress of the selected material (See table-3).
Significant Parameters
Following are the signifcant parameters satisfed by the new
design, which are important for proper functioning of the
synchronizer.
Cone Torque
When shift force is applied, friction develops between the gear
cone and blocker ring cone in the direction of cone angle. This
friction force gives rise to a torque between clutch cones at
cone mean radius and is known as Cone torque. For single
cone synchronizer cone torque would be:
(4)
Where:
Tc = Cone torque, Kg-mm
F = Shift force applied in synchro ring, Kg
c = Coeffcient of friction between ring and cone
Rc = Mean cone radius, mm
= Cone angle, Degree
Figure 13. Showing Cone torque - Free body diagram
Index Torque
When the sleeve's entry chamfer comes in contact with the
blocker ring, entry chamfer angle torque is generated which
known as Index torque is given by the expression:
(5)
Where:
TI = Index torque, Kg-mm
RB = Blocking chamfer pitch radius, mm
B = Static coeffcient of friction between chamfers
Ft = Tangential indexing force, Kg
= Included angle of chamfers at the pitch radius, degree
For proper working of a synchronizer, the lowest cone torque
must be greater than the highest index torque. If this condition
is not satisfed then there will be a relative speed between gear
and sleeve which will result in to malfunction called clash.
Clash is a sound which comes when the sleeve teeth hit the
gear dog teeth which are still rotating.
Following graph shows that in new design for all entry chamfer
angles, cone torque is greater than index torque, taking cone
angle as 7.
Graph 2. Showing the effect of change in entry chamfer angle on Cone
and Index torque
Comparing the Manufacturing Processes
Involved for the Making Gear Dog Teeth in
Existing and New Design
According to the existing design, the manufacturing
processes involved in gear making are Turning, Hobbing (for
making external teeth), Shaping (for generating back taper angle
on the gear dog teeth where hobbing is not possible due to
space constraint), Roofng (for generating entry chamfer on both
the internal and external teeth), Broaching (for making internal
teeth), Swaging (for generating back taper angle on internal
spline), Shaving, Grinding, Honing (for gear fnishing).
In the existing design, Taper Shaping is done to generate back
taper angle on gear dog teeth and Swaging is done to generate
back taper angle on sleeves internal teeth.
In the new design, back taper angle has been repositioned
from the gear dog teeth to the hub. The process involved in
generating the back taper angle on the hub is just simple
hobbing on CNC machine, which is an easier manufacturing
process as compared to shaping and swaging. Also the
numbers of processes involved have been reduced to half in
the manufacturing of back taper angle.
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Figure 14. Showing machining operations for back taper angle (locking
angle) and entry chamfer according to existing design on sleeve and
gear dog teeth.
Figure 15. Showing the machining operations used for making taper
angle on the hub according to the new design. Swaging and taper
shaping operations have been eliminated from the sleeve and gear.
Comparison of the Machining Cost & Time as
per the Existing and New Design
As the new design reduces the number of manufacturing
processes, it economizes the manufacturing by reducing the
cost and time involved in the production of gears, thereby
improving the productivity. The following table gives us a
rough estimate of the cost of swaging process involved in
production of gear as per the existing design. The gear
considered for production cost comparison has the
parameters mentioned in Table-1.
As the swaging operation has been omitted as per the new
design hence all the cost and time involved in doing this
operation is saved, hence improving the production.
Table 6. Showing process cost for swaging operation
There is a saving of INR 10.8 per piece. In mass production
this small amount can lead to huge saving in terms of
production time and manufacturing cost. In the above
mentioned saving, savings due to machine tool wear, proft
and other over heads have not been considered. Taking these
factors into consideration there will be a further increase in
the savings.
Conclusion
In this paper the new design describes the repositioning of
back taper angle from gear dog teeth and sleeve () to the
hub () (See Fig. 12). The repositioned angle () still
performs its function of gear locking hence avoiding gear
jump out in new design also. Apart from avoiding gear jump
out this new design has other advantages also like:
Shift force reduction (See Graph. 1)
Saving in terms of production time and manufacturing
cost (See Table. 6)
No need for any special machine.
Since there is a reduction in shift effort so other
components like shifting forks can be reduced in size
and weight.
References
1. Socin, R. and Walters, L., Manual Transmission
Synchronizers, SAE Technical Paper 680008, 1968,
doi:10.4271/680008.
2. Razzacki, S., Synchronizer Design: A Mathematical and
Dimensional Treatise, SAE Technical Paper 2004-01-
1230, 2004, doi:10.4271/2004-01-1230.
3. Gear Design, Manufacturing and Inspection Manual,
Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc., Warrendale, PA,
ISBN 978-15609-1006-0, 1990.
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