Improving the Gearbox Efficiency by Reducing Drag Loss IN Automotive Manual Transmission

Internal combustion engine vehicles are major contributors to many environmental and health hazardous emissions and sometimes consume more fuel. New regulations like Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFÉ) norms are coming up and demand lower emissions. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are committed to bringing various technological advancements in Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)powered vehicles to maximize their efficiency. Hence it is important to reduce the loss and improve the fuel economy. This paper explains a new approach methodology used for reducing the gearbox drag by 5- 10 %. This improvement can significantly contribute to the overall efficiency improvement thus carbon footprints of vehicle getting reduced. The following optimization areas are considered for such improvements,

1. 1
   Deflector @ various locations
2. 2
   Lubrication oil viscosity change
3. 3
   Preload optimized for the benefit of the power/drag loss,
4. 4
   Oil quantity changes to improve the power loss
5. 5
   Top cover introduction helped warm up behavior to reduce the friction loss

Based on the results, it was found that all changes helped to reduce the power loss by 0.7 kW and in addition to that each gear efficiency improved by 2 to 5 %.