GEAR BOX

Constant Mesh Gearbox

In this gearbox, all the gears are always in mesh. The gear remains fixed and not
slide like the sliding mesh gearbox.
In this gearbox, the sliding mesh was replaced with constantly meshed pairs of
gears and the new shifting devices named dog clutches were introduced.
A constant mesh gearbox usually comes with 4-speed 1-reverse manual
transmission configuration. This gearbox has different parts like counter shaft,
main shaft, clutch shaft, gears and dog clutch.
Gears on the counter shaft are fixed to it and the gears on the main shaft are free
to rotate. Helical and herringbone gears are usually used in this gearbox, so it is
quiter than sliding mesh gearbox which uses spur gears.
 In this gearbox all the gears in the main shaft and the counter shaft are
always engaged with each other . Different transmission ratio or speed ratio
are obtained by using the dog cluth . Dog clutches engage with gears on
the main shaft to obtain desired speed or torque.
Main Parts of Constant Mesh Gearbox:
The main parts of Constant Mesh Gearbox are :

There are 3 shafts present in this gearbox which are :

i) Main Shaft:
It is also known as output shaft. It is the splined shaft over which the dog
clutches along with gears are mounted. Gears on this shaft are free to rotate.

ii) Lay Shaft or Counter Shaft

It is an intermediate shaft between the Main Shaft and Clutch Shaft. The gears
of counter shaft are in constant mesh with gears of main shaft. Also the gears of
counter are shaft are not free to rotate as they are directly connected to the
Counter Shaft.

iii) Clutch Shaft:

The clutch shaft carries the engine output to the gearbox but act as input for the
gearbox. It is also known as input shaft.

2). Dog Clutch:

The dog clutch couples the lay shaft and main shaft by interference and not by
friction. Dog clutches are used to transmit appropriate gear ratio to the main
shaft or output shaft by coming in interference with pair of gears with suitable
gear ratio.
There are usually two dog clutches in a Constant Mesh Gear Box.

3) Gears:
Gears of constant mesh gearbox come in pairs. All gears of lay shaft or counter
shaft are always paired with gears of main shaft or output shaft.
This paired gears of counter shaft and main shaft provide different gear ratio
which can be transmitted to main shaft by engaging dog clutch with appropriate
gear ratio required.

Two type of gears are used in constant mesh gearbox:-

i) Helical Gears:
These gears have angular cut teeth over cylindrical cross-section metal body.
ii) Bevel Gears:
These gears have angular cut teeth over conical cross-section metal body.
Construction of Constant Mesh Gearbox:
 The output of the engine is carried by clutch shaft. The gear in clutch shaft is in
constant mesh with the gear of lay shaft.
 There are 5 gears in lay shaft, one of which is connected to gear of clutch shaft
and the other 4 are connected with gears of main shaft.
 All four gears are of different sizes to obtain different gear ratios.
 An idler gear is present between the gear of lay shaft and gear of main shaft to
form reverse gear.
 Working of Constant Mesh Gearbox:
 When the dog clutch is engaged with different gears of main shaft different gear
ratios are obtained as gears of main shaft are always paired with gears of counter
shaft to form different gear ratios.
 If the dog clutch is not in contact with any gear of main shaft the gears of main
shaft rotates freely and does not rotates the main shaft as they are connected with
main shaft using bearings.
 The main shaft rotates only when one of the dog clutch is engaged with any of
the gear of the main shaft.
 Reverse gear is obtained in this gearbox using the same technique that was in
sliding gearbox i.e using the idle gear between main shaft gear and counter shaft
gear.
Different gear ratios in Constant Mesh Gearbox:
First Gear:
First gear is obtained in constant mesh gearbox when dog clutch gets engage by
interference with the largest gear of main shaft which is in constant mesh with
smallest gear of main shaft. This gear provides maximum torque and minimum
speed to the main shaft.
Second Gear:
Second Gear is obtained when dog clutch gets engage with second largest gear
of main shaft which is in a constant mesh with second smallest gear of lay shaft.
This gear provides higher speed and lower torque than first gear.
Third Gear:
Third gear is obtained when dog clutch engages with second smallest gear of
main shaft which is in constant mesh with second largest gear of lay shaft. This
gear more speed and less torque than second gear.
Fourth Gear:
This gear provides the highest or maximum speed in a vechile using constant
mesh gearbox. This gear is obtained when dog clutch engages with smallest
gear of main shaft which is in constant mesh with largest gear of lay shaft.

Reverse Gear:
In this gear the vehicle goes in reverse direction. Like sliding mesh gearbox, an
 idler gear is also used in constant mesh gearbox between the main shaft gear
and lay shaft gear to form reverse gear. Reverse gear is obtained when dog
clutch engages with gear in main shaft which is paired with idler gear.

Advantages of Constant Mesh Gearbox:

 Constant Mesh Gearbox are quiter because helical or herringbone gears can be
used in this gearbox instead of spur gears.
 Since the gears are engaged by dog clutches, if any damage occurs while engaging
the gears, the dog unit members get damaged and not the gear wheels.
Application:
 Constant mesh gearbox was mainly used in farm trucks, motor bikes and heavy
machinery.
 It is also used in cars like Ford Model T.
 Constant Mesh Box was used in motor bikes before the introduction of
synchromesh gearbox in 1928 by General Motors.
problems of Sliding Mesh Gearbox were solved by Constant Mesh Gearbox
Sliding Mesh Gearbox

The Sliding Mesh Gearbox was a great success for the automobile industry as
now there was a system which can provide different speed and torque needs by
the vehicle to face different road conditions.
But there were some limitations and problems of Sliding Mesh Gearbox which
were solved by Constant Mesh Gearbox. These problems are:-
1) The shifting of gears was very noisy process as spur gears were used but in
constant mesh gearbox the gear shifting process becomes very less noisy as
helical gears and bevel gears are used.

2) In sliding mesh gearbox, gears to be messed were in continuous rotation, so

the meshing of gears can cause breakage of gear teeth's or wear and tear of
gears. This problems was solved by constant mesh gearbox by introducing dog
clutches.

3) Shifting was not an easy task for drivers and requires special skill to change
gears using double-de-clutching technique. But changing gears become easy for
drivers after introduction of constant mesh gearbox.

This type of transmission offered multiple gear ratios. The gears were engaged
by sliding them on their shafts. Shifting of gears was not an easy task, it can only
be done by a skilled person. While shifting gears, the gears which are needed to
be meshed with each other should be almost at same speed while meshing with
each other.

Now the sliding mesh gearbox is superseded by constant mesh gearbox in which
all gears mesh at all times with its pair and synchronous mesh gearbox is a further
refinement of constant mesh gearbox.
Parts of Sliding Mesh Gearbox:
The main parts of sliding mesh gearbox are:

i) Shafts :- There are 3 shafts present in Sliding Mesh Gearbox:

a) Clutch Shaft –
It is input shaft in the sliding mesh gear box. The clutch shaft carries the engine
output to the gearbox with the help of engaging and disengaging clutch which is
mounted at the engine end. A gear is mounted over this shaft known as clutch
gear which is used to transmit rotational motion to lay shaft.

b) Lay Shaft or Counter Shaft –

After the input shaft comes the Lay Shaft. Lay shaft is an intermediate shaft
between the Clutch Shaft and Main Shaft. In the lay shaft, the gears are rigidly
fixed and rotates with the lay shaft. One of the gear of this shaft is always in
contact with the gear of the clutch shaft. So when the clutch shaft rotates, the
lay shaft also rotates.
Lay shaft rotates in a direction counter to the engine rotation. So, it is also
known as Counter Shaft. Other gears of lay shaft meshes with different gears of
main shaft to obtain different gear ratios. Also, lay shaft has reverse gear which
has idler gear attached to it.

c) Main Shaft:
This shaft is used as an output shaft in sliding mesh gearbox. In this shaft the
gears are not rigidly fixed. The gears of this shaft have internally splined
grooves and the outer surface of this shaft is made splined so that the gears can
easily slide over the shaft.
The gears of main shaft slides over the shaft to mesh with appropriate gears of
lay shaft so that required gear ratio is obtained.

ii) Gears:
Usually two types of gears were used in sliding mesh gearbox. They are:-
a) Spur gear
 Spur gears have straight teeth that are produced parallel to the axis of gear.
These gears are most economical types of gear but tend to vibrate and become
noisy at high speed.

b) Helical gear
The teeth of helical gears are not parallel to gear axis. The teeth of this gear type
are at angle to the gear axis. These gears are less noisy and have a smoother
operation than spur gear. Also these gears have higher tooth strength and a
higher load carrying capacity.

iii) Gear Lever :-

It is used slide the gears in the main shaft to obtain appropriate gear ratio. It is
operated by the driver.
Construction of Sliding Mesh Gearbox:
 The clutch shaft is connected to the engine output and rotates when the engine
rotates. A gear is mounted on the clutch shaft which is connected with a gear of
lay shaft.
 The lay shaft has several gears, one of which is connected to gear of clutch shaft
and others gears connect with different gear of main shaft to obtain different gear
ratio. Also, one gear in lay shaft is reverse gear and has and idler gear which is
placed between the lay shaft gear and main shaft gear when operated.
 The main shaft has several gears and these gears can slide over the main shaft to
mesh with different gears of main shaft.
Working of Sliding Mesh Gearbox:
 At first, the clutch shaft is driven by engine. It carries the engine output and
rotates in the same direction as that of engine. The gear connected to the clutch
shaft also rotates.
 As gear of clutch shaft rotates, the lay shaft gear which is connected to the clutch
shaft gear also rotates but in opposite direction.
 So the lay shaft rotates due to rotation of lay shaft gear that is rigidly fixed in the
lay shaft. Due to rotation of lay shaft other gears of lay shaft also rotates as all the
gears in lay shaft are rigidly fixed including the reverse gear.
 The gears of main shaft are internally splined and the main shaft is also splined,
so the gears of main shaft can slide over it. The gear of main shaft are shifted and
meshed with different gears of lay shaft to obtain different gear ratios required to
face different road problems.
Different gears of Sliding Mesh Gearbox:
Different gears of Sliding Mesh Gearbox is obtained in the following ways:-

1. First Gear :
First Gear is used at the time when vehicle starts its movement in forward
direction. First Gear provide maximum torque and minimum speed and this gear
is obtained when the smallest gear on the lay shaft meshes with the biggest gear
in the main shaft.

2. Second Gear:
Second Gear is obtained when second largest gear of second smallest gear of
lay shaft meshes with middle size gear of main shaft. Second Gear provides
lower torque and higher speed than First Gear.

3. Third Gear:
Third gear is last gear or top gear of Sliding Mesh Gearbox. This gear is
obtained when biggest gear of lay shaft meshes with smallest gear of main shaft.
This gear provides maximum speed and minimum power.

4. Reverse Gear:
Reverse Gear is used when the vehicle needs to move in the opposite direction.
In this gear the rotation of the output shaft or main shaft is reversed by placing
an idler gear between the lay shaft gear and the main shaft gear which changes
the direction of rotation of output shaft.
Advantages of Sliding Mesh Gearbox:
1 Since only one gear is in mess in sliding mesh gearbox so less fluctuating loads
on shafts causing less vibration and noise
unlike the constant mesh gearbox in which all gears are in constant mesh.
2. Its efficiency is more than constant gearbox as only one gear is in mess unlike
the constant mesh gearbox in which all gears are in constant mesh.
2. Its manufacturing is easy as compared to constant mesh gearbox.
3. Its mechanism is simple.

Disadvantages of Sliding Mesh Gearbox:

1 Only spur gears can be used as gears are not in constant mesh like constant
mesh gearbox in which helical or herringbone gears can be used.
2. More effort is required to engage the gear as the gear has to be sliced in
sliding mesh gearbox unlike constant mesh gearbox where only dog clutch has
to be slides for engagements of different gears.
3. Less life of gear as more wear and tear of gear is caused in sliding mesh
gearbox due to friction.
4. It takes more time and money to replace the gears if the gearbox fails but in
constant mesh gearbox only dog clutches are to be replaced at failure which
takes less time and money.
Applications:
1. Sliding Mesh Gearbox is used in Alfa 12HP with 4-speed manual transmission.
2. It is also used in Fiat 6HP with 3-speed manual transmission.
3. It is also used in Mercedes 35 HP and Renault Voilturette.

Synchromesh Gearbox:
Synchromesh gearbox is the latest version of Constant mesh type. It is a manually
operated transmission in which,
Change of gears takes place between gears that are already revolving at the same
speed. In this type of gearbox, gears can rotate freely or it is locked on layout
shaft. Synchromesh is an improvement on dog clutch. The synchronizer is the
main part of this gearbox that stabilizes the speed. A synchronizer is a kind of
clutch which lets
Components turning at different speeds. To synchronize the speeds cone friction
is used.
Principle:

In a gearbox, there is always a difficulty in engaging the

Stationary gear with the gears already rotating at a high speed. The principle states
that
”Before engaging the gears they are brought in frictional contact with
Each other and after equalizing the speed the engagement is done.”

Construction:

The synchronizer is placed between two gears. So, we can use one unit for two
gears. G1 and G2 are the ring-shaped members who are having the Internal tooth
that fits onto the external teeth. F1 and F2 are the sliding members of the main
shaft. H1, H2, N1, N2, P1, P2, R1, R2 are the friction surface.

1. Main shaft Gears:

A spline shaft is used as the output shaft over which the synchronizers and Gears
are mounted. According to Fig. B, C, D, E are the gears that can freely rotate on
the main shaft in mesh with corresponding gears in the lay shaft. As long as shaft
A is rotating all the gears in the main shaft and Lay shaft rotates continuously.

2. Lay Shaft Gears:

It is the intermediate shaft over which gears with

Suitable size are mounted and is used to transmit the rotational motion
From clutch shaft to the final output shaft. According to Fig. U1, U2, U3, U4 are
the fixed gears on the countershaft (lay shaft).

3. Clutch Shaft:

It is the shaft used as an input shaft in the gearbox as it

Carries the engine output to the gearbox.

4. Cone Synchromesh:

The side of the gear to be engaged has two features. One is hollow-cone, and the
other is cone surrounded by the ring of dog teeth. The gear is made the cone and
teeth that the synchromesh mechanism contacts.

5. Synchronizers:

They are the special shifting devices used in the

Synchromesh gearbox which has conical grooves cutover
It’s surface that provide frictional contact with the gears which is to
Mesh to equalize the speed of the main shaft,
Layshaft and clutch shaft which in turn provides smoother shifting of gears.

6. Gear lever:

It is the shifting lever operated by the driver and is used to

Select the appropriate gear i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or reverse gear.

Working:
In synchromesh gearbox Layshaft is connected to the engine directly,
But it rotates freely when the clutch is disengaged.
Because the gears have meshed all the time,
The synchro brings the layshaft to the right speed for the dog teeth to
Mesh to achieve the desired speed of output shaft.

1. Working of First Gear:

For first gear, the ring shaft member and the sliding members i.e., G2 and F2
moves towards left till the cones P1 and P2 rub each other. Then friction makes
their speed equal.
Once their speeds are equal G2 is further pushed towards
Left and it engages with the teeth L2. A motion is carried from clutch gear B to
the layshaft gear U1. Then it goes to layshaft U3, and the motion is moved to the
main shaft gear D. From there the motion is transferred to F2 which is the sliding,
Member and then to the main shaft for the final drive.

2. Working of Second Gear:

For second gear the ring shaft and the sliding members i.e., G1 and F1 moves
towards the right till the cones N1 and N2 rub each other. Then the friction makes
their speed equal. G1 is further pushed towards the right so that it meshes with
the gear. The motion is transferred from clutch gear B to the layshaft gear U1.
From U1 the motion is transferred to U2. From U2 it is shifted to the main shaft
gear C. Then the motion is transferred to the sliding member F1. Then it goes to
the main shaft for the final drive.

3. Working of Top Gear:

For top gear or direct gear,

The motion is shifted directly from clutch gear B to the sliding member F1. Then
from F1 to the main shaft. This is done by moving G1 and F1 to the left.
4. Working of Reverse Gear:

For reverse gear, the motion is transferred from clutch gear A to the layshaft gear
U1. From there it is transferred to layshaft gear U4 and then to the intermediate
gear U5. From there to the main shaft gear E and then to the sliding member, F2
and then to the main shaft for the final drive. This is done by moving G2 towards
the right. Intermediate gear helps to achieve the reverse gear.
Advantages:

 Smooth and Noise-free shifting of gears which is most suitable for cars.
 No loss of torque transmission from the engine to the driving wheels during
gear shifts.
 Double clutching is not required.
 Less vibration.
 Quick shifting of gears without the risk of damaging the gears.

Disadvantages:

 It is extortionate due to its high manufacturing cost and the number of

moving parts.
 When teeth make contact with the gear, the teeth will fail to engage as they
are spinning at different speeds which causes a loud grinding sound as they
clatter together.
 Improper handling of gear may easily prone to damage.
 It cannot handle higher loads.

Epicyclic Gear Box

Automatic transmission :-

Automatic transmission system is the most advanced system in which

drives mechanical efforts are reduced very much and different speeds are
obtained automatically. This system is generally also called Hydromatic
transmission. It contain Epicyclic gear arrangement, fluid coupling and torque
converter. In this planetary gears sets are placed in series to provide
transmission. This type of transmission are used by Skoda ,Toyota , Lexus , etc

Epicyclic gearing (planetary gearing) :- it is a gear system consisting of one or

more outer gears, or planet gears, revolving about a central gear .By using
Epicyclic gear , different torque speed ratio can be obtained . It also compact
the size of gear box.

Stages of automatic transmission :-

 Park(P) :- selecting the park mode will lock the transmission, thus
restricting thevehicle
from moving.
 Reverse( R) :- selecting the reverse mode puts the car into
 reverse gear, allowingthe vehicle to move backward.
 Neutral (N) :- selecting neutral mode disconnects the
transmission fromthewheel.
 Low (L) :- selecting the low mode will allow you to lower
the speed tomove on hillyand
middy areas.
 Drive (D) :- selecting drive mode allows the vehicle to move
andaccelerate through arange of gears.

Comparison between manual transmission and

automatictransmission

Manual transmission Automatic transmission

Vehicles with manual transmission are Vehicles with automatic

usually cheaper. transmission are costlier than those of
manual transmission.
Manual transmission has better fuel Automatic transmission has not
economy. This is because manual better fuel economy. This is because
transmission has better mechanical and automatic transmission has not better
gear train efficiency. mechanical and gear train efficiency
as compare to those of automatic
transmission.
Manual transmission offers Automatic transmission does not
offer the driver more control of the
the driver more control of the vehicle as compare to that of
vehicle. automatic transmission system.