Wet clutch load modeling for powershift transmission bench tests.

Abstract: In this thesis a model is developed for calculating the loads on the wetclutches in apowershift transmission. This thesis was done at Volvo CE in Eskilstuna and is focusedon their 4-speed countershaft transmissions. The goal of the project is to be able tocalculate the loads automatically during the transmission tests and thus acquire increasedknowledge about what occurs during operation.The model was developed by first generating a number of concepts and then evalu-ating them to decide which one should be developed further. The chosen concept wasthen developed further and implemented into the test equipment as a calculation script.The chosen loads to model were the energy absorbed in each clutch, the coefficient offriction (COF) and the slip distance. The COF was later found to give too unreliableresults to be used in any other way than as a benchmark for how well the model wasconfigured and to see any large changes in COF.The model was validated by calculating the energy absorbed in a HTE-200 seriestransmission and comparing it to a reference calculation model. It was seen that theresults from the new model are very close to the reference result. The energy lostcalculated by the new model will be equal to 94 % of the energy lost calculated by thereference model, but only when measuring the inertia phase. The energy lost is equalto 135 % when the torque phase is included. The increasing difference is believed tobe because of an error in the reference model that means it does not cover the torquephase.