Gearhead 101: Understanding Automatic Transmission

The Purpose of a Transmission:

Your car’s engine generates rotational power for the wheels. We must transmit the turning energy to the wheels for the vehicle to move. But here’s the catch: there’s a sweet spot within which an engine may spin for optimal performance. Know more about Dorman 200 transmission

We need a technique to boost the engine’s output precisely when it’s required while simultaneously cutting down when it isn’t. The gearbox optimizes engine speed and powers the wheels to drive and stop the automobile in any scenario. It works as a power switchboard between the engine and the drivetrain.Pressing the clutch and changing gears controls a manual gearbox.

Brilliant engineering decides which gear is engaged on an automatic gearbox.

Parts of an Automatic Transmission

1. Transmission Casing

Transmission components are in a casing. It is commonly called a “bell casing” because it resembles a bell. Transmission casings are aluminum. Modern automobiles’ bell casings monitor engine rotational speed and car rotational speed.

2. Torque Converter

Why can you start your vehicle but not move it? The engine-to-transmission power flow is disconnected. The engine may operate without electricity from the drivetrain due to this separation.

Torque converters separate power from the engine to the drivetrain on automatic transmissions without clutches.

Automatic transmissions start here.

Torque converters are between the engine and the gearbox.

Two main torque transmission functions:

• Power transmission input shaft from the engine.
• Increases engine torque

Torque Converter Parts

Most current cars have four torque converter parts:

1) the pump

2) the stator

3) the turbine

4) the torque converter clutch.

3. Planetary Gears

To alter the gear ratios on a manual gearbox, the shifter must be physically moved.

The gear ratios of an automatic gearbox change automatically. The planetary gear is responsible for this amazing feat of engineering.

Planetary gears have three parts:

1. Sun gear: at the Center of the planetary gear set.
2. The planet gears: The carrier supports planet gears. The carrier’s shafts rotate each planet’s gear.
3. Ring gear: Internally toothed outer gear. The planet gears mesh with the ring gear, which surrounds the gear set.

4. Brake Bands and Clutches

Brake bands are composed of metal and covered with a biological material that makes contact. The brake bands can be tightened to stop the ring gear or sun gear from spinning, or they can be loosened to let them spin. A hydraulic system controls how tight a brake band gets or how loose it gets.

How automatic transmissions work.

1. Explore power flow in automatic transmission.
2. Engine powers the torque converter pump.
3. Transmission fluid powers the torque converter turbine.
4. Fluid returns to the pump via the stator.
5. The stator boosts transmission fluid power for more turbine power. The torque converter generates a vortex rotation.
6. The shaft connects to the turbine via the transmission. Turbine rotation spins the shaft, transferring energy to a planetary gear set in transmission.
7. The torque converter moves gears based on clutch or brake band engagement.
8. The gear ratio is set by planetary gear movement. Planetary gears determine the power sent to drive the train.

This is how an automatic transmission operates.