The variety of transmissions available in the market today is continuing to grow exponentially within the last 15 years, all while increasing in complexity. The result is that we are now coping with a varied quantity of transmission types including manual, conventional automatic, automatic manual, dual clutch, consistently variable, split power and genuine EV.
Until very recently, automotive vehicle producers largely had two types of transmitting to pick from: planetary automated with torque converter or conventional manual. Today, nevertheless, the volume of options avaiable demonstrates the adjustments seen over the industry.
This is also illustrated by the countless different types of vehicles now being produced for the marketplace. And not only conventional vehicles, but also all electrical and hybrid vehicles, with each type needing different driveline architectures.
The traditional development process involved designing a transmission in isolation from the engine and the rest of the powertrain and vehicle. Nevertheless, this is changing, with the limitations and complications of this method becoming more more popular, and the constant drive among manufacturers and designers to provide optimal efficiency at decreased weight and cost.
New powertrains feature close integration of components like the primary mover, recovery systems and the gearbox, and in addition rely on highly sophisticated control systems. That is to make certain that the best amount of efficiency and functionality is delivered at all times. Manufacturers are under increased pressure to create powertrains that are completely new, different from and much better than the last version-a proposition that’s made more technical by the necessity to integrate brand components, differentiate within the market and do everything on a shorter timescale. Engineering groups are on deadline, and the advancement process must be better and fast-paced than previously.
Until now, the usage of computer-aided engineering (CAE) has been the most common way to build up drivelines. This process involves parts and subsystems designed in isolation by silos within the organization that lean toward verified component-level analysis equipment. While they are highly advanced equipment that enable users to extract very reliable and accurate data, they remain presenting data that’s collected without account of the whole system.
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