THIS paper was the first of a group presented as a symposium on automatic transmissions and torque converters. The other papers by W. B. Herndon, A. H. Deimel, P. R. Youngs, 0. K. Kelley, F. R. McFarland, R. M. Schaefer, and D. T. Sicklesteel are also printed in this issue, following the paper by Mr. Bugbee.
After defining the terms used, Mr. Bugbee discusses the basic mechanisms and how they have been combined in different ways to make the many modem automatic transmissions that are discussed in more detail by the other authors.