Unsynchronized transmission:

The earliest form of the manual transmission is thought to have been invented by
Louis-René Panhard and Emile Levassor in the late 19th century. This type of
transmission offered multiple gear ratios and, in most cases, reverse. The gears
were engaged by sliding them (or dog clutches) on their shafts—hence the term
"shifting gears," which required a lot of careful timing and throttle manipulation
when shifting, so that the gears would be spinning at roughly the same speed
when engaged; otherwise, the teeth would refuse to mesh.

When upshifting, the speed of the gear driven by the engine had to drop to match
the speed of the next gear; as this happened naturally when the clutch was
depressed or disengaged, it was just a matter of skill and experience to hear and
feel when the gears managed to mesh. However, when downshifting, the gear
driven by the engine had to be sped up to mesh with the output gear, requiring
letting the clutch up (engagement) for the engine to speed up the gears. Double-
clutching, that is, shifting once to neutral to speed up the gears and again to the
lower gear, is sometimes needed. In fact, such transmissions are often easier to
shift without using the clutch at all. When using this method, the driver has to
time the shift with relative precision to avoid grinding the gears. The clutch, in
these cases, is only used for starting from a standstill. This procedure is common
in racing vehicles and most production motorcycles.

Even though automotive transmissions are now almost universally synchronised,

heavy trucks and machinery as well as dedicated racing transmissions are
usually not; such transmissions are colloquially referred to as "crashboxes." Non-
synchronized designs are used for several reasons. The friction material, such as
brass, in synchronizers is more prone to wear and breakage than gears, which
are forged steel, and the simplicity of the mechanism improves reliability and
reduces cost. In addition, the process of shifting a synchromesh transmission is
slower than that of shifting a non-synchromesh transmission. For racing of
production-based transmissions, sometimes half the teeth (or "dogs") on the
synchros are removed to speed the shifting process, at the expense of greater
wear.

Heavy duty trucks utilize unsynchronized transmissions in the interest of saving

weight. Military edition trucks, which do not have to obey weight laws, usually
have a synchronized transmission.
Highway use heavy-duty trucks in the United States are limited to 80,000 pounds
GVWR, and the lighter the curb weight for the truck, the more cargo can be
carried, and with a synchronizer adding weight to a truck that could otherwise be
used to carry cargo, most drivers are simply taught how to double clutch, initially,
and then most eventually gravitate to shifting without the clutch.

Similarly, most modern motorcycles still utilize unsynchronized transmissions as

synchronizers are generally not necessary or desirable. Their low gear inertias
and higher strengths mean that forcing the gears to alter speed is not damaging,
and the selector method on modern motorcycles (pedal operated) is not
conducive to having the long shift time of a synchronized gearbox. Because of
this, it is still necessary to synchronize gear speeds by blipping the throttle when
shifting into a lower gear on a motorcycle.

Synchronized transmission:

Modern gearboxes are constant mesh, i.e., all input and drive gears are always
in mesh. Only one of these meshed pairs of gears is locked to the shaft on which
it is mounted at any one time, while the others are allowed to rotate freely. This
greatly reduces the skill required to shift gears.

Most modern cars are fitted with a synchronized gear box, although it is entirely
possible to construct a constant mesh gearbox without a synchromesh, as found
in a motorcycle, for example. In a constant mesh gearbox, the transmission
gears are always in mesh and rotating, but the gears are not rigidly connected to
the shafts on which they rotate. Instead, the gears can freely rotate or be locked
to the shaft on which they are carried. The locking mechanism for any individual
gear consists of a collar (or "dog collar") on the shaft which is able to slide
sideways so that teeth (or "dogs") on its inner surface bridge two circular rings
with teeth on their outer circumference: one attached to the gear, one to the shaft
(one collar typically serves for two gears; sliding in one direction selects one
transmission speed, in the other direction selects the other). When the rings are
bridged by the collar, that particular gear is rotationally locked to the shaft and
determines the output speed of the transmission.
In a synchromesh gearbox, to correctly match the speed of the gear to that of the
shaft as the gear is engaged, the collar initially applies a force to a cone-shaped
brass clutch attached to the gear, which brings the speeds to match prior to the
collar locking into place. The collar is prevented from bridging the locking rings
when the speeds are mismatched by synchro rings (also called blocker rings or
balk rings, the latter being spelled "baulk" in the UK). The gearshift lever
manipulates the collars using a set of linkages, so arranged so that one collar
may be permitted to lock only one gear at any one time; when "shifting gears,"
the locking collar from one gear is disengaged and that of another engaged. In a
modern gearbox, the action of all of these components is so smooth and fast it is
hardly noticed.

The modern cone system was developed by Porsche and introduced in the 1952
Porsche 356; cone synchronizers were called "Porsche-type" for many years
after this. In the early 1950s only the second-third shift was synchromesh in most
cars, requiring only a single synchro and a simple linkage; drivers' manuals in
cars suggested that if the driver needed to shift from second to first, it was best to
come to a complete stop then shift into first and start up again. With continuing
sophistication of mechanical development, however, fully synchromesh
transmissions with three speeds, then four speeds, and then five speeds,
became universal by the 1980s. Many modern manual transmission cars,
especially sports cars, now offer six speeds.

Reverse gear, however, is usually not synchromesh, as there is only one reverse
gear in the normal automotive transmission and changing gears while moving
into reverse is not required. (The obvious exception to this is in cars made by
Lamborghini, almost all of whose models have synchromesh on reverse gear)
Another car that has synchromesh in reverse is the Mercedes 190 2.3-16.
Synchronizers :
Manual transmissions in modern passenger cars use synchronizers to eliminate
the need for double-clutching. A synchro's purpose is to allow the collar and the
gear to make frictional contact before the dog teeth make contact. This lets the
collar and the gear synchronize their speeds before the teeth need to engage,
like this:

The cone on the blue gear fits into the cone-shaped area in the collar, and friction
between the cone and the collar synchronize the collar and the gear. The outer
portion of the collar then slides so that the dog teeth can engage .
UnsynchroSynchromesh:

If the teeth, the so-called dog teeth, make contact with the gear, but the two parts
are spinning at different speeds, the teeth will fail to engage and a loud grinding
sound will be heard as they clatter together. For this reason, a modern dog clutch
in an automobile has a synchronizer mechanism or synchromesh. Thanks to this
mechanism, before the teeth can engage, a frictional contact is made which
brings the selector and gear to two parts to rotate at the same speed. Moreover,
until synchronization occurs, the teeth are prevented from making contact,
because further motion of the selector is prevented by a blocker ring. When
synchronization occurs, friction on the blocker ring is relieved and it twists
slightly, bringing into alignment certain grooves and notches that allow further
passage of the selector which brings the teeth together. Of course, the exact
design of the synchronizer varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.

The synchronizer has to change the momentum of the entire input shaft and
clutch disk. Additionally, it can be abused by exposure to the momentum and
power of the engine itself, which is what happens when attempts are made to
select a gear without fully disengaging the clutch. This causes extra wear on the
rings and sleeves, reducing their service life. When an experimenting driver tries
to "match the revs" on a synchronized transmission and force it into gear without
using the clutch, it is actually the synchronizer that makes up for any discrepancy
in RPM, deceiving the driver into an exaggerated sense of how much human skill
was involved
SSP-180 Manual Transmission Synchronizer
Testing
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) can assist lubricant manufacturers in deter-
mining the performance of lubricants or synchronizers for use in light- to medium-
duty manual transmissions. The SSP-180 test stand, developed in the Gear
Research Institute at the Technical University of Munich, allows mounting and
testing of a complete synchronizer device (up to 180 mm in diameter) from a
manual transmission of choice. Load conditions associated with normal
transmission use are simulated during the test.

Installation of the ZF SSP-180 synchronizer test stand

expands the Institute's ability to determine the performance
of lubricants and hardware for use in light- and medium-
duty manual transmissions.

Use of a hardware set of known performance (such as the Audi B-80, New
Venture Gear, or Daimler Benz synchronizers) allows determination of the effects
of different lubricants on synchronizer endurance. As fluid formulations change to
address new or greater performance requirements in other areas of the manual
transmission, information provided by the test procedures run in this stand will
allow lubricant formulators to determine if synchronizer performance will remain
acceptable.
 Typical synchronizer engagement
traces show individual shift
performance data. By plotting data
from the engagements over the course
of the test, trend data shows whether
or not performance is degrading.

The test stand consists of an electric motor, two flywheels, actuating hydraulics,
an oil heating and circulation system, and a test box. The large main flywheel is
connected to the electric motor via a belt-and-pulley combination to ensure a
constant and stable speed source. The small flywheel is the load that the
synchronizers either bring to zero speed (shift to "A" position) or accelerate to a
constant speed (shift to "B" position). This is accomplished by the two ring-and-
cone synchronizers mounted in the test box. The rear unit accelerates the load
flywheel to synchronous speed, while the forward unit decelerates the flywheel to
zero speed. The actuating hydraulics move a shift fork that engages one unit and
disengages the other. During shifting, heated lubricant is sprayed onto both
synchronizer units. Subjecting these units to thousands of engagements serves
to test synchronizer durability.
Claims:
A transmission synchronizer, comprisinga coupling sleeve;a synchro hub;a balk
ring;a clutch gear; anda synchronizing support force generating
mechanism;wherein a relative rotation is generated between the synchro
hub and the balk ring during a shift by a minute synchronizing torque
generated between a balk ring cone surface and a clutch gear cone
surface, the relative rotation inducing a circumferential force;wherein the
synchronizing support force generating mechanism is adapted to convert
the circumferential force to an axially applied synchronizing support force,
the axially applied synchronizing support force pressing the balk ring
against the clutch gear and a relative rotation regulating structure, where
the relative rotation regulating structure is located between the balk ring and
the synchro hub;wherein the synchronizing support force generating
mechanism, while in neutral, is adapted to regulate the relative rotation
between the balk ring and the synchro hub so that the synchronizing
support force is not generated.

The transmission synchronizer of claim 1, wherein the synchronizing support

force generating mechanism is installed in a position that faces the synchro
hub and the balk ring along the axial direction and consists of a synchro
hub concave portion and a balk ring convex portion that generates a
synchronizing support force by coming into contact with a cam surface due
to the indexed relative rotation between the synchro hub and the balk ring,
and where the relative rotation regulating structure is installed in a position
that faces the synchro hub and the balk ring along the axial direction and
consists of a relative rotation positioning concave portion and a relative
rotation positioning convex portion that regulate the amount of relative
rotation between the synchro hub and the balk ring by means of the
concave-convex contact.

The transmission synchronizer of claim 2, wherein a circumferential gap between

the inclined surface of the synchro hub concave portion and the inclined
surface of the balk ring convex portion is L1, and a circumferential gap
between the relative rotation positioning concave portion and the relative
rotation positioning convex portion is L2, such that L1 is larger than L2.

The transmission synchronizer of claim 2, wherein the relative rotation

positioning concave portion is adapted to engage with the relative rotation
positioning convex portion when in neutral, and release engagement during
the synchronizing operation.

The transmission synchronizer of claim 4, wherein an axial distance of the

relative rotation positioning convex portion is L4, and an axial moving
 distance of the balk ring for synchronization is L3, such that L3 is larger
than L4.

The transmission synchronizer of claim 2, wherein the relative rotation

positioning concave portion are one or more rectangular grooves, and the
relative rotation positioning convex portion are one or more rectangular
projections.

The transmission synchronizer of claim 2, wherein the relative rotation

positioning concave portion is a trapezoidal groove with a narrower
circumferential length at the opening than the circumferential length at the
bottom, and the relative rotation positioning convex portion is a trapezoidal
projection with a wider circumferential length at the top than the
circumferential length at the base.

. The transmission synchronizer of claim 7, wherein the circumferential length of

the relative rotation positioning concave portion at the opening is L5 and the
circumferential length of the relative rotation positioning convex portion at
the top is L6, such that L5 larger than L6.

The transmission synchronizer of claim 2, wherein the relative rotation

positioning concave portions are rectangular grooves, and the relative
rotation positioning convex portions are two rectangular projections.

A method of operating a transmission synchronizer, comprising generating a

relative rotation between a synchro hub and a balk ring during a shift by a
minute synchronizing torque generated between a balk ring cone surface
and a cone surface of a clutch gear, the relative rotation inducing a
circumferential force; andconverting the circumferential force to an axially
applied synchronizing support force, the axially applied synchronizing
support force pressing the balk ring against the clutch gear.

The method of claim 10, further comprising regulating the relative rotation
between the balk ring and the synchro hub so that the synchronizing
support force is not generated.

The method of claim 10, wherein converting the circumferential force to an axially
applied synchronizing support force, the axially applied synchronizing
support force pressing the balk ring against the clutch gear further
comprises converting the circumferential force to an axially applied
synchronizing support force, the axially applied synchronizing support force
pressing the balk ring against the clutch gear and a relative rotation
regulating structure, where the relative rotation regulating structure is
 located between the balk ring and the synchro hub.

The method of claim 12, wherein converting the circumferential force to an

axially applied synchronizing support force, the axially applied
synchronizing support force pressing the balk ring against the clutch gear
and a relative rotation regulating structure, where the relative rotation
regulating structure is located between the balk ring and the synchro hub
for comprises generating a synchronizing support force by a synchronizing
support force generating mechanism that is installed in a position that faces
the synchro hub and the balk ring along the axial direction and consists of a
synchro hub concave portion and a balk ring convex portion where the
synchronizing support force is generated by the balk ring convex portion
coming into contact with a cam surface due to the indexed relative rotation
between the synchro hub and the balk ring, and where the relative rotation
regulating structure is installed in a position that faces the synchro hub and
the balk ring along the axial direction and consists of a relative rotation
positioning concave portion and a relative rotation positioning convex
portion that regulates the amount of relative rotation between the synchro
hub and the balk ring by means of the concave-convex contact.

A transmission with a synchronizer, the synchronizer generating a synchronizing

torque when changing speeds between an input shaft connected to an
engine via a clutch and an output shaft, the transmission comprising:a
synchro hub that is affixed to a transmission rotation shaft;a coupling sleeve
that is connected to the synchro hub, the coupling sleeve being axially-
movable toward the transmission rotation shaft to change between a neutral
position and a shift change position;a main gear that is rotatably disposed
around the transmission rotation shaft, the main gear being engaged to
rotate with the output shaft;a clutch gear that is integrated with main gear,
the clutch gear forming a gear cone surface; anda balk ring that is
positioned between the coupling sleeve and the clutch gear to be axially-
movable, the balk ring being formed a balk ring cone surface which is taper-
fitted into the gear cone surface;wherein the synchro hub and the balk ring
form a synchronizing support force generating mechanism between the
synchro hub and the balk ring to convert a circumferential force to an axially
applied synchronizing support force, andwherein the synchro hub and the
balk ring form a relative rotation regulating structure to regulate the relative
rotation between the synchro hub and the balk ring, while in the neutral
position.