If it spins too low, you wouldn’t be able to get the car moving from a standstill; if it spins too fast, the engine can self-destruct.What we need is some way to multiply the power produced by the engine when it’s needed (starting from a standstill, going up a hill, etc.
Will we change our manual transmission vehicle into automatic transmission without changing the gearbox?
When the ring gear is released, it is free to move in consequence to the rotation of planet gears which rotate around their axis. When the car reaches a certain speed (usually 45-50 mph), the torque converter clutch engages and causes the turbine to spin at the same speed as the pump. The normal transmission temp is 175 degrees but with overheating, it could rise to over 240 degrees. The ring gear is now the output gear.As the planet carrier rotates, the planetary gears are forced to walk around the held sun gear, which drives the ring gear faster. It sort of looks like a bell, so you’ll often hear it referred to as a “bell casing.” The transmission casing is typically made of aluminum. A vortex power rotation is created inside the torque converter.The turbine is connected to a central shaft that connects to the transmission. In the automatic transmission the engine shaft is connected to the clutch and the further connected to the turbine of the torque converter. An automatic transmission is a type of vehicle transmission that can automatically shift gear ratios while the vehicle is in motion, eliminating the need for the driver to shift gears manually. The planet gears are forced to climb over it. ), but also decrease the amount of power sent from the engine when it isn’t needed (going downhill, going really fast, slamming on the brakes).The transmission ensures that your engine spins at an optimal rate (neither too slow nor too fast) while simultaneously providing your wheels with the right amount of power they need to move and stop the car, no matter the situation you find yourself in. When the fluid heads back to the turbine, it does so with more torque, causing the turbine to deliver more torque to the transmission. And this is able to happen thanks to the ingenious design of a planetary gear.A single planetary gear set can achieve reverse drive and five levels of forward drive. That is, both are spinning at the same speed and in the same direction. If the ring gear and the sun gear are the input members, the internal teeth of the ring gear will try to rotate the planetary gears in one direction, while the external teeth of the sun gear will try to drive them in the opposite direction.
A computer controls when the converter clutch is engaged.Let’s bring it all together and take a look at what the action of the torque converter would look like as you go from a dead stop to a cruising speed:You turn on the car, and it’s idling. I highly recommend watching the following video. The torque converter clutch engages and causes the turbine to spin at the same speed as the pump and the engine.Alright, so the torque converter is what allows or prevents power from the engine to be transmitted to the transmission and what multiples torque to the transmission to get the car going from a dead stop.
The ring gear contains teeth on it inner circumference and it surrounded by a brake band. The automatic transmission is pretty dang amazing.Now as you feel the car shift gears as you cruise down the freeway, you’ll have a good idea of what’s going on under the hood.Want to start taking action on the content you read on AoM?Get 1% Better Every Day: The Kaizen Way to Self-ImprovementCool Uncle Tricks: How to Spin a Basketball on Your FingerPodcast #631: How to Prevent and Survive a Home InvasionPreventing Swamp Crotch: 10 Products “Scientifically” TestedWe use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website.
Time to take a look at the parts of the transmission that allow the car to shift automatically.As your vehicle reaches higher speeds, it needs less torque to keep the car going. This is a high gear ratio and provides more output speed but less torque. Why? Transmissions can increase or decrease the amount of torque sent to the car’s wheels thanks to gear ratios. The pump is spinning at the same speed as the engine and is sending transmission fluid towards the turbine, but because the engine isn’t spinning very fast at a dead stop, the turbine doesn’t spin that fast, so it can’t deliver torque to the transmission.You step on the gas. The background we went through will make it much easier to understand:What did I tell you?
A clutch can cause a planetary gear part to become an input gear or it could cause it to become stationary. The brake bands can tighten to hold the ring or sun gear stationary or loosen to let them spin. When you reach cruising speed, the transmission fluid reaches a pressure that causes the reactor blades to finally spin. I highly recommend checking out this video that walks you through it:As you can see, there are a lot of moving parts inside an automatic transmission.