Gear rattle modelling and analysis for automotive manual transmissions

Abstract

This paper describes a model for torsional vibration of automotive manual transmissions and its subsequent analysis. The model is developed for the purpose of analysis and prediction of gear rattles. Efforts have been made to include as many components of power train as possible and to study the rattle responses of all the speeds. Elements of the model include engine, clutch, flywheel, laden and unladen gears, and shafts. Numerical methods available in MATLAB for solving the ordinary differential equations are employed for the dynamic analysis. Results are presented to show the effectiveness of the modelling and analysis scheme. A software package has also been developed to build and analyse any power train model. The package was used to analyse the Daimler-Chrysler T350 transmission and the results are presented in the paper. It is shown that the gear rattle may exhibit three major modes of double-sided, single-sided or irregular impacts. A rattle index has been used to compare the rattle levels produced by different gear pairs. This could be very useful for the purpose of tuning the clutch for the best rattle noise reduction.