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Automatic Transmission Clutches and Bands, Multiple
Disc Clutch, Bands and Servos, Accumulators and
Modulators, Planetary Gear Sets and Power Flow
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CLUTCHES AND BANDS
In this section, we will review the construction,
application and operating principles of
hydraulically applied clutches and bands. In most
applications, clutches will be used to drive gear
train components while band will be used to hold
gear train components. The automatic transmission
clutch gets its name from the fact that it can be
connected and disconnected from the engine, which is
similar in operation to a manually operated clutch.
In fact, if you turn the input shaft on an automatic
transmission, the output shaft will not turn. But,
if a clutch is applied and you again turn the input
shaft, the output shaft will also turn. The output
shaft turns because the clutch has formed a
mechanical link between the two separate shafts. A
band works just the opposite. Instead of being a
drive member, it will hold a component and prevent
its rotation.
When hydraulically applied, the band will close and
form a clamping action around a drum. The band is
anchored to the case and its clamping force is
strong enough to prevent any rotation of the drum.
Its operation is similar to the action of the brakes
used to stop a vehicle. But instead of expanding
brake shoes outward against the drum, the band
contracts around the drum. Both are hydraulically
applied and both are intended to stop rotation.
THE MULTIPLE DISC CLUTCH - CONSTRUCTION
The clutch is going to be hydraulically applied, so
the first things we will need are a piston and
cylinder. Before we put the piston into the
cylinder, we are going to add seals that will
provide leak-proof surfaces between the cylinder and
the piston. With the sealed piston in the cylinder,
a snap ring will be added to limit the amount of
piston travel. Without the ring, the fluid would
"blow" the piston completely out of the cylinder.
To provide hydraulic flow to the cylinder, line
pressure can be tapped at the valve body and a
passage can be connected to the clutch cylinder.
Between the valve body and cylinder, we can open the
circuit and add a flow control valve. With the
engine running, fluid from the pump will flow
through the circuit to the clutch cylinder. Once
inside, the fluid pressure will push on the piston
and move it outward against the snap ring.
When the flow control valve is moved to cut off pump
flow, the piston remains against the snap ring. It
did not move back into the cylinder and the fluid
did not exhaust. A spring is needed to push the
piston back into the cylinder. The spring
arrangement can take many forms as long as spring
pressure is exerted on the piston. When pump flow is
cut off, the piston will be pushed into the cylinder
and the fluid will exhaust back through the circuit.
The piston can now be applied and released at will,
by moving the flow control valve.
To make the clutch functional, it needs something
for the piston to push against. If a clutch pack is
added, we can use the assembly as a hydromechanical
drive. To form the clutch pack, two sets of plates
are required. One set of plates will be steel with
tabs on their outer diameter. The other set of
plates will have splines on their inside diameter
and will be covered with a friction material similar
to brake lining. When the plain steel plates are
installed in the cylinder, the tabs will fit into
grooves machined into the inside diameter of the
cylinder. If the cylinder were to be rotated, the
steel plates would also have to rotate with the
cylinder. The friction plates, on the other hand,
have internal splines and will not rotate with the
cylinder unless they are pressed against the steel
plates with great force.
To assemble the clutch pack, the first thing to do is
install a tabbed steel plate and then install an
internal spline friction disc. Alternate the
installation of steel and friction plates. The last
plate installed is the pressure plate. Its thickness
will strengthen the clutch pack and prevent
distortion when the piston force is applied.
Finally, to hold the clutch pack in the cylinder, a
snap ring will be installed in the inside diameter
of the cylinder.
At the beginning of this description, you will
remember we covered a transmission input shaft in an
oil filled torque converter. We are now going to use
this input shaft to spin the clutch cylinder. With
matching splines on the input shaft and clutch
cylinder, the assembly can be mounted on the input
shaft and will rotate whenever the engine is
running.
To describe the function of our clutch, we're going
to install a splined hub in the clutch cylinder. The
splines on the hub will engage the friction plate
internal splines. Before we begin, make sure the
control valve to the clutch circuit is closed. Now,
with the engine running, we will observe that the
input shaft, clutch cylinder and steel plates are
rotating and that the splined hub is stationary. The
friction plates, to which the hub is splined, do not
have a mechanical connection to the rotating clutch
cylinder, so, they remain stationary.
The hub can be made to rotate by locking the
friction plates to the steel plates. It is the
piston that will start this connection. To move the
piston to the apply position, open the control
valve. Fluid will enter the clutch cylinder and the
pressure applied to the piston will force it into
the cylinder. The piston movement will jam the steel
and friction plates together causing the cylinder,
clutch plates and the hub to rotate as an assembly.
The ability of the plates to lock the clutch and hub
into a single unit is the result of the frictional
qualities of the material applied to the clutch
discs. The grip of this material is strong enough to
transmit engine torque from the steel plates to the
clutch and hub, even though the hub may be driving
the vehicle through the transmission gear train.
This clutch is similar in operation and gripping
ability to the frictional clutch used in a manual
transmission. The friction material on a clutch disc
grips the steel flywheel while the multiple clutch
friction plates grip the steel plates connected to
the clutch cylinder. The most important difference
between the two clutches is the method of
disengagement. A manual transmission requires driver
involvement to disengage the transmission from the
engine before shifts can be made from gear to gear.
The multiple disc clutch will be applied and
released automatically as the transmission selects
gear ratio to meet driver demands.
BANDS AND SERVOS
We will see later that multiple forward ratios,
overdrive and reverse are possible because engine
torque is transmitted through a planetary gear set.
In this type of gear set, the gears are in constant
mesh and will be used in combinations to provide the
different drive ranges. These gear combinations are
selected by the hydraulic system to meet range
selection position and driver demand. The hydraulic
system will hold or drive elements of the planetary
gear set; thus providing the different gear
combinations required in an automatic transmission.
The held member of the planetary gear set is
mechanically connected to a drum, which in turn is
surrounded by a band. One end of the band is firmly
anchored to the case, while the other is linked to a
hydraulic actuator called a servo. The band surface,
facing the drum, is covered with a friction material
and when the servo applies the band, this material
will grip the drum surface and prevent its rotation.
Because the planetary element is mechanically
connected to the drum, it will also be prevented
from turning.
The servo, which is nothing more than a
hydraulically applied piston, is installed in a case
bore with the necessary seals, springs and hydraulic
passages.
To squeeze the ends of the band together in a
gripping action, a rod extends from the servo piston
to the free end of the band. The hydraulic action of
the piston is similar to our demonstration circuit,
which used fluid to move the piston forward and
backward in the cylinder. When hydraulic pressure is
applied to the piston surface, its force will push
the piston through the bore. This motion will be
transferred through the rod to the band, which will
close around the drum. In certain applications, when
an extremely tight grip on the band is required, the
hydraulic system will open an additional passage to
the apply side of the piston. This additional force,
or boost pressure, is needed to hold the drum
against the turning power of low gear torque as
would be expected in manual low. When the hydraulic
pressure is released, the piston springs will move
the piston back into the bore and the band will
release.
The spring is not always used to move the piston to
the released position. Sometimes hydraulic passages
will be opened and fluid will enter the bore on the
release side of the piston; and, although apply
pressure may be present and pushing the piston, it
will move to the release position. The release
pressure is not stronger than the apply pressure,
but it has a larger area against which to push, and
has the help of the return spring pressure.
ACCUMULATORS AND MODULATORS
If you look at the flow schematic for various
transmissions, you will find accumulator pistons,
modulator valves and accumulator valves connected to
the band and clutch circuits. As part of the
circuit, these hydraulic controls will affect the
pressure and fluid flow occurring in these circuits.
Shift feel, as bands and clutches apply, along with
the durability of these units, depends on the apply
pressure in the circuit. At minimum or light
throttle operation, a small amount of torque is
directed through the transmission; and, as a result,
the application pressures can be lower. At heavy
throttle, the engine torque is greatly increased and
a much higher apply pressure will be required.
Failure of the hydraulic system to match an apply
pressure to an engine torque can severely affect the
operation of the transmission. High pressures at low
torque will cause aggressive engagement and harsh
shifts. Low pressure with high torque demands can
cause slow engagement and slippage when the
frictional material grips. Excessive slippage can
cause excessive heat and possible burning of the
frictional material. Heat is extremely destructive
to automatic transmission friction material.
Apply pressures can be controlled in three ways.
First, by controlling, or modulating line pressure.
Second, by using an accumulator valve train to
cushion application. And, third, by joining a servo
piston and accumulator piston which is also used to
cushion application. Accumulator and modulator
valves are located in the valve body while
accumulator pistons are either installed in a case
bore or are incorporated as part of the servo apply
piston.
PLANETARY GEAR SETS AND POWER FLOW
Up to this point, we have everything we need to make
a hydraulically functional transmission. All that is
required is a gear train to provide the necessary
gear ratios and reverse. In this part of the program
we will examine the planetary gear train and its
application in the automatic transmission.
And then we will look at how engine torque is
transmitted through the gear train to the output
shaft. What we will be doing is forming links
between the turbine driven input shaft and the gear
driven output shaft.
PLANETARY GEAR SETS
The term Planetary Gear Set is derived from the fact
that, in this arrangement, the gears in their
carrier revolve around a central gear in the same
way the planets in our solar system revolve around
our sun. The revolving gears are called the planet
gears or pinions and the central gear is called the
sun gear. Around this sun gear we will place a ring
with gear teeth cut into its inside diameter. This
is the internal (ring) gear. To interconnect the sun
and internal gear, we can add additional gears
called the planetary pinions. The teeth on these
gears will mesh with both the sun gear and the
internal gear. As one final step, the planetary
gears are mounted on shafts and these shafts are
interconnected through the planet carrier. The
carrier can cause the individual planet gears to act
as a single element, or as idlers between the sun
and internal gears.
Because planetary gears are in constant mesh, they
are never shifted to achieve a drive ratio and
therefore never "clash". The arrangement of the
gears allows several gear teeth to be in contact at
once. Torque loads are distributed over a wider
area, resulting in a stronger gear set. Another
advantage of the planetary gear set is the resulting
compactness of the gear train. Shafts are mounted on
a common center line, unlike a manual transmission,
where a cluster gear and separate shaft are
required.
In this outline, we will concern ourselves with two
different types of Planetary Gear Train
Arrangements:
1. The Simple or "Simpson" Design Planetary Gear
Train
2. The Compound or "Ravenaux" Design Planetary Gear
Train
THE SIMPLE OR "SIMPSON" GEAR TRAIN
This is an arrangement of two separate planet
assemblies. Both planet assemblies engage one common
sun gear.
The Simple or "Simpson" Design Gear Train will
produce the following ranges:
- Neutral
- Reduction (First and Second Gears)
- Direct Drive
- Reverse
At this point it is too complex to go into detailed
descriptions of how each gearset operates without
visual schematics or actual parts. We hope this
description helps you to see just how complex
automatic transmission are and why a
premium quality synthetic
ATF will keep your
transmission operating properly under all extremes
of operating conditions.
Automatic Transmission
Principles of Hydraulics Page 1- Torque Converter
Transmission
Operation Page 2- Hydraulic and Mechanical Coupling,
Torque Lock Up Converter, Torque Splitter Gear Converter,
Torque Related Problem, Fluid Flow
Transmission
Operation Page 3: Principles of Hydraulics and Fluid Flow.
Pump Description, Pump Operation, Pressure
Regulation, Three Stages, Valve Body.
Transmission
Operation Page 4 : Fluid Flow_Governor Circuit, Throttle
Valve Circuit, Shift Related Problems, Pressure Test
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last year to purchase my mother-in-law's 1987 Cadillac DeVille, I jumped
at the chance. A true low mileage survivor, it was in near pristine
condition. I was proudly showing it off to a mechanic friend when he
said, "Uh-oh, you bought an HT-4100? Good luck buddy."
After much research I understood what he meant. The HT-4100 was rumored
to be one of the most troublesome engines Cadillac ever built. The
problems are numerous: an aluminum block with cast iron heads that
expand and contract at different rates causing premature head and intake
gasket failure, coolant loss into the oil, and finally main and rod
bearing failure. They also have a heavily loaded distributor gear, weak
timing gears, and sludging issues.
My first thought was, if ever an engine needed AMSOIL, it's this one. I
first heard about AMSOIL at the old Brohman Dragway in the late 1970s
from a fellow racer who swore by it. For the past 10 years, I've used
various synthetic oils with favorable results, but never AMSOIL. Then I
talked with Dave Mann, the AMSOIL Dealer in my home town, and told him
my story. Having spent 19 years as a lubrication specialist with Ford,
Dave knows his stuff. He made several recommendations, and shared with
me his excellent e-book on motor oils.
I also asked around at the Cadillac owners group I belong to, and almost
every one of them said, "Don't buy AMSOIL! It's too expensive and won't
do you any good. You need this or that oil with this or that additive,"
and so on. So who was I to believe?
Having spent over 25 years in advertising and marketing, I have a strong
skepticism for extravagant claims made by manufacturers. Usually, when
you hear impressive adjectives like "advanced" and "superior," someone
just wants your money or your vote (or both). So I read the science;
from AMSOIL and from several independent studies. I came to the
conclusion that it really is an excellent product. It also intrigued me
that one of the primary sales points made by AMSOIL is to convince you
to buy LESS of their product. That kind of marketing is contrary to
anything I've experienced, and elevates AMSOIL's credibility level
exponentially.
I switched the Cadillac over to AMSOIL 5W-30 (ASL) last fall, then put
in AMSOIL 10W-30 (ATM) this spring (even though it's not a turbo, I like
the extra wear protection offered by this formula). Rather than letting
the oil go a full year, I change it every six months, during which time
it accumulates about 6,000 miles. My dad was an auto mechanic and taught
the 3,000-mile oil change rule like it was the 11th commandment - that
kind of conditioning is hard to overcome. With this frequency, I still
spend less money than if I changed the oil on a three-month/3,000-mile
schedule. I use the money I save to have drain samples tested by an
independent lab each time.
The Deville now has 50,000 miles and runs like a fine Swiss watch. I
have not had a single problem with the 'troublesome' HT-4100 engine. It
runs roughly 10 degrees cooler than with regular oil, and my gas mileage
has increased by 10%. It has become my mission to get 200,000 miles from
this car. With AMSOIL, I might just make it.
As an addendum, I also recently switched my wife's 2003 Oldsmobile
Silhouette minivan to AMSOIL. Since we've owned it, this car has had a
lifter clatter for the first 10 seconds on cold starts. Literally, on
the first start after putting in AMSOIL, the clatter was gone.
Thanks AMSOIL. By making a superb product that truly does what you say
it will do, you've given new life to a sweet old Cadillac, and made a
believer out of this devout skeptic. (see
photos of car and engine)
Steve Cook
Traverse City, Michigan
HDT Sets AMA Land Speed Record
with AMSOIL
Hayes Diversified Technologies (HDT), located in
Hesperia, California, produces diesel powered tactical military
motorcycles for the U.S. armed services as well as the UK and EU NATO
countries. Founded in 1961, the company originally manufactured
electro-mechanical switches and relays to the military & aerospace
industries.
The new HDT motorcycles are diesel machines combining both power and
environmentally friendly performance efficiency. We are talking about a
bike that gets 100 miles to the gallon AND can do 100 mph.
The HDT team was out on the Bonneville Salt Flats
earlier this month, striving to establish new national and world
records. Displaying the AMSOIL colors while going through the paces at
Bonneville, they offered up quite a number of very strong endorsements
with virtually no prompting. We noticed an increase in horsepower right
away when compared to Delvac 1,¯ said Fred Hayes, founder/CEO of HDT.
What was quite surprising was the condition of the engine after a
50-mile run-in and over 120 full-throttle dyno runs. The camshaft
bearings, the small and large end rod bearings, didn't even look like
they had been run. During that series of dyno runs, we registered the
highest horse-power and torque readings ever.¯
Dave Anderson, AMSOIL Technical Product Manager, had flown to Bonneville
to witness and participate in the pursuit of new land speed records.
Hayes said to Anderson, "Our testing proved that AMSOIL Series 3000
5W-30 Heavy Duty Diesel Oil provided better cam bearing lubrication,
better transmission operation and less blow-by than our previous oil. We
picked up just over one horse power at the rear well." This is a 3.7%
increase and worth a 1 tooth higher gear ratio. In addition, it appears
that overall coolant temperature was down about five degrees. That is
roughly a 2.5% decrease in operating temperatures.
Very few bikers would be opposed to increased horsepower with lower
operating temps, simply by switching over the lubricants.
With over a year of testing, we have found that AMSOIL products
continually outperform all other lubricants. AMSOIL provides improved
performance, increased fuel economy, lower oil consumption, and
significantly reduced engine wear in all operating conditions.
AMSOIL Boosts Bottom Line for
Grain Hauler
Burnell Keller of Castroville, Texas hauls a lot of
corn. Saving downtime and maintenance costs boost
his bottom line.
Since the 1960s, Keller Grain, Inc., at Castroville
has bought high quality white and yellow corn from
local farmers and trucked it to processing plants
across the state of Texas. "These trucks put on
about 12,000 miles a month," said Keller, the
company's owner.
He was running Exxon XD3-30 motor oil in his
Freightliner and changing it every 10,000 miles. He
heard AMSOIL products could cut his operating and
maintenance costs in half, provide better fuel
economy, easier starts and extended oil drains at
least three times longer than he was getting.
"We were fixing to extend the drain to 15,000
miles," Keller said. "But a sample of the Exxon
motor oil analyzed at 10,000 miles came back saying
the oil needed to be changed. I said, let's give
AMSOIL a whirl."
After an engine flush, Keller installed
AMSOIL
15W-40 Heavy Duty Diesel and Marine Oil in his
Freightliner, with more than 400,000 miles on the
engine.
"We did this procedure three times at a 15,000-mile
analysis and filter change only," Keller said. "Each
time the oil sample report came back saying the oil
was good for continued use."
After the third round of analysis, the oil was
changed. Keller plans to continue with 15,000-mile
analysis and filter changes and to continue to use
the same oil for an interval of 50,000 miles.
"That's about five times longer than before," Keller
said. "It's very good. Keller Grain is now convinced
that AMSOIL is a superior product and that anybody
can save money using AMSOIL products."
New Life for Dodge Ram
Preferred Customer Lyle Reinier from Mesa, Ariz. has
been using AMSOIL products for four years with complete satisfaction. He
said that when he started using them in his 2001 Dodge Ram they “changed
the way it ran.”
Now Reinier drives a 2004 Dodge Ram. He uses AMSOIL Synthetic 5W-30 in
the engine, AMSOIL Synthetic Universal Automatic Transmission Fluid
in
the transmission and 80W-140 Long Life Gear Lube.
“AMSOIL has given this truck life that it was hiding before,” said
Reinier. Reinier said the Ram now pulls stronger and runs smoother than
it did before. He made the switch to AMSOIL when the truck hit the
3,000-mile mark. “What comes as a surprise to me is that my Dodge dealer
had no problem doing a complete drain and fill with AMSOIL,” said
Reinier.
Reinier said the dealer removed all the Dodge transmission fluid and
refilled the truck with AMSOIL ATF. “Within a mile or two I could feel
the transmission was smoother and showed a difference in how it
performed,” said Reinier.
Reinier also uses AMSOIL in his dirt bikes. He and his wife have been
using AMSOIL 0W-40 Formula 4-Stroke since it was introduced. Within the
last year, Reinier performed a big bore and a valve job on their bikes
in search of more power.
“The insides of the cases, transmission gears and crank shafts were all
like brand-new,” said Reinier.
Reinier said the cylinder walls of each bike still
showed some cross hatching from the original bore. He also said the
bikes run quieter, smoother and cooler than they did before the switch
to AMSOIL. Both bikes have their original clutches and have logged over
4,000 trail miles.
Customer
Discovers a Burning Desire For AMSOIL
Dealer Mark Licht of Andover, N.J., was on a follow-up visit at Jimmy's
Service, Inc., of Hackettstown, N.J., when the integrity of AMSOIL ATF
was put to a new, on-the-spot test.
Licht showed shop owner Jimmy Naranjo several pieces of literature on
oil and ATF testing results. After listening to Licht talk about the
benefits of AMSOIL ATF, Naranjo turned to him and said, "You're full of
it."
Licht continued to explain all the features and benefits that
AMSOIL ATF
has to offer, but Naranjo interrupted and told him, "There is only one
way to prove this ATF is any good."
Naranjo went to his shelf and opened two brands of transmission fluid he
uses and poured some of each onto his metal workbench. The shop owner
than poured some AMSOIL ATF next to the other two brands. "I had no idea
what this guy was about to do," said Licht.
Naranjo then took out his torch and put the flame directly on the first
brand of transmission fluid he commonly used. After about 30 seconds the
little puddle of transmission fluid started smoking. Naranjo proceeded
to the second brand he stocked in his service shop and repeated the
process. After another 30 seconds, that brand of transmission fluid
began smoking badly.
"Now it's AMSOIL's turn and I must admit I thought my fluid was going to
smoke out just like the others with that direct flame," said Licht.
Naranjo held the flame on the AMSOIL ATF for over two and a half minutes
and there was absolutely no smoke.
"He quickly turned to me and said he'd take a 30-gallon and a 55-gallon
drum of the ATF," said Licht. "We couldn't believe our eyes!"
Now Jimmy's Service stocks the entire XL line of oils, all of the AMSOIL
25,000-mile oils, AMSOIL diesel oils and all of the AMSOIL diesel
additives. The shop also carries AMSOIL filters, 2-cycle oils, Power
Foam Engine Cleaner and Home Heating Fuel Extender.
CROSS COUNTRY TRIP PROVES AMSOIL PERFORMS
Owners of motorhomes, who often travel long distances, are particularly
concerned with finding ways to save on fuel costs.
A Texas man discovered AMSOIL motor oils and lubricants lived up to all
of his expectations in a journey from Texas to Alaska and back in 2004.
"I have a 1998 Dutch Star by Newmar 38-foot motorhome with a 300 horse
power Cat engine," said Shelby Rash, Richardson, Texas. "I also tow a
car behind." Throughout 2003,
Rash averaged 7.1 miles per gallon.
"I use AMSOIL products and believe in them," Rash said.
He took AMSOIL 15W-40 Heavy Duty Diesel and Marine Oil,
an AMSOIL oil
filter, Torque-Drive Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid,
AMSOIL
75W-90 Synthetic Gear Lube, AMSOIL Universal Automatic Transmission
Fluid, for power steering/hydraulics, and the AMSOIL Synthetic
Multi-Purpose Grease to a shop in Dallas in January 2004.
"They installed AMSOIL in everything, including the grease fittings,"
Rash said. "I installed a new AMSOIL air filter and oiled the front wet
axles myself. I filled up with diesel and added AMSOIL Cetane Boost and
Diesel Fuel Additive to the tank, as well."
Then Rash took his four-month, 11,000-mile trip.
"I used the two additives each time I filled," he said. "I also attended
two RV rallies where I 'dry-camped with a generator' for a total of 10
days during this time." The only thing he did was change the oil filter
during that time.
"I averaged 8.6 mpg since January 2004 for these 11,000 miles," Rash
said. "This sure helped with the high fuel prices. Just by changing to
AMSOIL I averaged 1.5 mpg better.
"Is AMSOIL worth a try? I think so."
Performance Oil Technology, L.L.C. 888-879-1362
Distribution Centers Throughout North America
Largest
AMSOIL
Group in the U.S.
Dave Mann Makes AMSOIL History
View the Action News article, Dave Mann Makes AMSOIL History
Again with 7th Star
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