Design, Analysis and Optimization of Parking Pawl Mechanism using ADAMS

A vehicle with automatic transmission is fitted with a parking pawl mechanism to avoid the risk posed by unintended vehicle movement. The system has to be robust enough to function safely even in poor tolerance situations, under extreme temperatures and rigorous durability tests. Thorough study is required in the design and approval of a parking mechanism. Because of the limited research publications in this area, general design practice has been based on heuristic understanding and a build-and-test approach. The combination of physical tests and virtual modeling holds great potential for accelerating and enhancing vehicle development processes.

In this paper, an ADAMS model capable of designing, predicting, and optimizing the dynamic characteristics of the parking pawl mechanism is presented. Axiomatic design theory is used to synthesize design solutions in order to satisfy the key requirement of the system. The virtual model is correlated to the test data to establish accurate loads for structural analysis, and provide insight into various design parameters relevant to the durability of the parking mechanism.