The Secret is in a Gear-Box. Gear World. Part 1
Transmission. What is it for? And what kinds of transmission there exist? And in your car what that stick with a comfortable knob between the front seats is attached on the other end?
Instead of a rubber belt, the modern devices are equipped with a chain. The force is transmitted through steel in special oil.
The conditions of work of the modern transmissions are so diverse that sometimes there are more than one kind of grease inside a single aggregate.
The smallest and the most reliable were and are simple mechanic transmissions.
Everything is so simple, you say. Transmission can be either mechanic or automatic. Accordingly, there are three or two pedals in the car. And you will be correct, but only partly. Due to the modern technologies these two “branches” of transmission that seem to be different in the essence, nowadays are almost molded into one single device. Automatic, by the way of controlling, but, at the same time, mechanic by construction. Moreover, there appear new types of mechanisms where there is no actual shifting process as there are no usual gears. They are replaced by a belt or a variation chain.
But the real opponent of a gear-box are the cars with alternative energy source. Electromobiles don’t need transmission, but even hybrid schemes that transmit the power of the engine with electro-power don’t need additional speed changers (which is a gear-box). It is obvious.
Does it mean that transmission is on its way out? And the entire struggle to create such masterpieces as DSG, SMG and CVT are in vain? No way! It just means that each car for a definite market niche (in strict accordance to the demand) has its own transmissions line.
Simple mechanics
In mechanic transmission, besides the moments of fully pressed clutch and “neutral” there is strict and “naturally steel” connection of the transmission from the engine to the tires. To cut the long story short, there is only a primitive gear shifting mechanism and all the work of shifting gears is laid upon your shoulders. Nevertheless, such a simple construction has 3 obvious advantages. They are:
- Reliability
- Cheapness
- Fuel Economy
Simple Automatic
In this type of transmission there is no steel connection. Instead of clutching from your foot there have appeared hydraulic coupling. All the procedures are carried out there. Moreover, the car got not that vulnerable to accelerating teaching its owner to “tap” on the pedal. At the same time, an automatic transmission has always meant less “liveliness” of the car and higher cost and weight. The more powerful the car was, the more these features were obvious.
What’s Going on in the Automotive Word
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