What is the principle of a transmission?
2 Answers
The principle of a transmission is as follows: 1. It mainly consists of gears and shafts, achieving speed and torque variation through different gear combinations. An automatic transmission (AT) is composed of a torque converter, planetary gears, and a hydraulic control system, achieving speed and torque variation via hydraulic power transmission and gear combinations. 2. It changes the transmission ratio to expand the range of torque and speed variations of the driving wheels, adapting to frequently changing driving conditions while keeping the engine operating under favorable conditions (higher power and lower fuel consumption). It allows the vehicle to reverse while maintaining the engine's rotation direction. By using neutral gear, it interrupts power transmission, enabling the engine to start, idle, and facilitating gear shifting or power output.
I've always been a car enthusiast, and the working principle of a transmission is actually simple yet ingenious. Essentially, the power from the engine comes with high RPM but low torque. If directly connected to the wheels, the car would struggle to start and be noisy at high speeds. Therefore, the transmission acts like a bicycle's gear system, using different gear combinations to adjust the ratio. In a manual transmission, there's a set of gears of varying sizes. When shifting gears, different pairs are selected: lower gears (like first gear) have a high gear ratio, amplifying torque to make it easier for the car to accelerate from a standstill; higher gears (like fifth gear) have a low gear ratio, reducing RPM for efficient high-speed cruising and fuel economy. The core principle is mechanical leverage—large gears driving small ones for acceleration, and small gears driving large ones for deceleration. Synchronizers help smooth the transition, reducing gear shift shock. Automatic transmissions are more advanced, using hydraulic systems and planetary gears to automatically switch ratios. I've always thought this design is brilliant—it both protects the engine and adapts to different road conditions.
