One of the more impressive components in any automobile is the gearbox or “gearbox”. While most cars don’t benefit from the technology, the synchromesh is what the single-clutch manual gearbox is aiming for. At least for now.
A synchromesh is almost like a small clutch that sits on the output shaft between gears, slowing or increasing the required gear’s relative speed to perform a perfect meshing of teeth within the transmission.
Synchromesh transmissions are a further refined version of the constant mesh system, although less common. How it improves the system is by adding another stage to the process of connecting the gears to the drive shaft through the dog clutch.
It divides the dog clutch into two parts, a gear attached to the drive shaft called the synchromesh hub and a collar around the outside that can slide back and forth and is called the shift sleeve. A new component was added to the gears themselves, the synchronizer cone, and another moving part called the synchronizer ring was introduced to surround the cone.
This is where things get a little complicated. The collars or shift sleeves are now the components controlled by the gear stick and they can slide halfway on the synchronizer rings in either direction.
This presses the rings against the synchronizer cones attached to the gears and, due to the increased friction caused by the widening cone, can either accelerate or decelerate the gear to match the speed of the shift sleeve and synchronizer hub.
As soon as the speeds are matched precisely enough, the sleeve can slide further over the locking ring and come into direct engagement with the cone and the gear wheel, whereby everything is connected and the power is transmitted to the drive shaft.
Incredibly, it all happens in the fraction of a second it takes to shift gears, giving you an even smoother gear change.
Since, the introduction of the transmission system from sliding mesh to constant mesh various modifications is made in both the systems to make them smooth, less noisy and to make the shifting response quick, though the constant mesh overcame the important limitations of sliding mesh gearbox like double-de-clutching, wear and tear but still has its own limitations, let’s discuss them:
These problems lead General Motors to develop a synchromesh gearbox which is still used in almost 52% of the automobile vehicles on the road today.
The job of the synchromesh is to synchronize the rotational speeds of the gear and main shaft before locking them together. Friction from the contact of the cones synchronizes their speed and the dog teeth slide into a mesh to lock the gear and shaft.
The synchronization action consists of three main parts: the bulk ring and a synchronization unit. The bulk ring has outer teeth that mesh with the Synchromesh teeth, but it also has an inner groove pattern that meshes with the gear that needs to be engaged.
The synchronizer has an inner key that coincides with the output shaft and then an outer spline that allows an inner ring to move within the gear. This outer ring is designed so that it will not engage the bulk ring until its speeds are adjusted and the teeth mesh.
So, when you begin selecting a gear with the gear linkage, the shift forks apply pressure to the bulk ring, which then begins to approach the selected main gear.
Fortunately, the gear has a tapered shoulder that creates friction with the bulk ring, which also contains a sleeve that is perfectly shaped to accommodate the shoulder, which slows the gear down. Soon the bulk ring and gear are moving at the same speed and in perfect harmony.
With additional force applied when the physical displacement is carried out by the linkage, the synchronization unit is pushed over the bulk ring, both rotating at the same speed.
The inner ring of the synchronizer then allows the outer radius of the synchronizer to fully meet with the main gear, synchronizing their movement with one another and completing the gear change smoothly.
A synchronization effectively enables a gear change to be completed with an actuation of the clutch via the clutch pedal, as a result of which the speed adaptation is essentially forced by the efficient engagement of the teeth.
Instead of having to adjust the speed of the clutch disc and flywheel, the sync does all of the work a little further down and has made manual shifting a lot easier than it used to be.
We take it for granted how well auto transmissions do their job these days, especially given the engine power that is now being enforced by modern transmissions. But synchro meshes are like the ligaments on a car, seamlessly connecting the transmission of power from one muscle to the rest of the body.
A synchromesh gearbox is a usually manually operated transmission in which a change of gears takes place between gears that are already revolving at the same speed. It is often claimed that a synchromesh gearbox requires less effort to change gears.
Advantages of Synchromesh Gearbox: Smooth and noise-free gear shifting that is best suited for cars no loss of torque transmission from engine to driving wheels during a gear shift. Double clutching is not required. Low vibration. Quick shifting of gears without risk of gear being damaged.
A synchromesh is almost like a small clutch that sits on the output shaft between gears, slowing or increasing the required gear’s relative speed to perform a perfect meshing of teeth within the transmission.
The job of the synchromesh is to synchronize the rotational speeds of the gear and main shaft before locking them together. Friction from the contact of the cones synchronizes their speed and the dog teeth slide into a mesh to lock the gear and shaft.
The synchromesh gearbox is used to engage also to disengage gear but in constant mesh, the gearbox is used to engage and disengage gears.
Synchromesh Transmission Fluid is designed to offer optimal protection for moderately loaded gears in manual transmissions. Containing a high detergent additive system, it helps cope with water, dust, dirt, and any other small deposits you might encounter on or off-road.
Synchromesh Manual Transmission Fluid is a high-performance manual transmission lubricant designed to meet the extreme demands of passenger car manual transmission gearbox applications in certain General Motors and Chrysler vehicles with synchronizers.
Modern cars use synchronizers in order to avoid the need for double-clutching. A synchronizer, or “synchro,” lets the collar and gear synchronize their speeds while they’re already in contact but before the dog teeth engage.
The job of the synchromesh is to synchronize the rotational speeds of the gear and main shaft before locking them together. Friction from the contact of the cones synchronizes their speed and the dog teeth slide into a mesh to lock the gear and shaft.
A synchromesh gearbox does not require the driver to double-clutch as the gearbox has synchro rings that match the road speed and the engine revs which allows the gear to be selected.
A synchromesh is almost like a small clutch that sits on the output shaft between gears, slowing or increasing the required gear’s relative speed to perform a perfect meshing of teeth within the transmission.
A non-synchronous transmission, also called a crash gearbox, is a form of manual transmission based on gears that do not use synchronizing mechanisms. They require the driver to manually synchronize the transmission’s input speed (engine RPM) and output speed (driveshaft speed).
Earl Thompson. Earl A. Thompson, who as a youth in Portland invented the synchromesh transmission and later led the development of the Hydra-Matic transmission will be honored in Detroit Wednesday by receipt of the Elmer A. Sperry Award.
Two gear mostly use in synchromesh gearbox:
The first car to use a manual transmission with synchromesh was the 1929 Cadillac, however, most cars continued to use non-synchronous transmissions until at least the 1950s. In 1947, Porsche patented the split ring synchromesh system, which went on the become the most common design for passenger cars.
By using the accelerator pedal you can up or downshift without using… When upshifting, it’s just the same as with a normal gearbox, but you have to wait a bit in neutral while shifting up. You declutch, shift out of gear into neutral, wait a second there, then shift into the next gear.
Float shifting or floating gears, also called “slip shifting”, “dead sticking” or “bang shifting”, is the process of changing gears, typically in a non-synchronous transmission, without depressing the clutch.
Disadvantages of Synchromesh Gearbox: It is expensive compared to the other gearbox due to the usage of Synchronizers. Where cost is the consideration, synchronizers can only be used to higher gears whereas dog clutches are used for lower gears and Reverse gears.
The synchromesh gearbox is used to engage also to disengage gear but in constant mesh, the gearbox is used to engage and disengage gears.
