Component Inertial Effects on Transmission Design

The placement of components within a manual transmission influences gear rattle and shiftability. This is due to changes in the effective inertia of the transmission. Gear rattle can be reduced and shiftability can be improved by positioning components to optimize the transmission's effective inertia.

In this report, the effect of inertia on shiftability is discussed. The causes and types of gear rattle are then discussed. A theory is developed for the threshold of rattle within a transmission. A transmission arrangement is then presented that reduces gear rattle and improves shiftability by optimizing the placement of components by taking into account component inertial effects.