B5865 - Power Transmission for Off Highway Vehicles

Learning outcomes

Students will gain a basic knowledge of vehicle dynamics and different transmission architectures, their functionality and their application to Off-Road Vehicles. They will learn the theoretical fundamentals and the practical design guidelines of both main sub-systems and components starting from the concept to the final design. They will understand the challenges of the various applications, that drive selection and design of specific transmission components, layout and suspension system. Students will also understand how the transmission development process is embedded into the vehicle development.

Course contents

• Introduction: rigid body dynamics, power absorption, constant speed operation, transients, equivalent mass and inertia.
• Transmission architectures: mechanical transmission, power shift, dual clutch, variable-speed drives (CVT), electro-hydraulic control systems and software.
• Couplers: classification, solid couplings, Hooke's joint, constant velocity joints, flexible joints, dynamic modelling, torque converters.
• Clutches: classification, friction clutches, transients, wet-clutches for off-road application.
• Brakes: classification, transients, braking torque, braking energy, trailer braking, wet-brakes for off-road application.
• Gear trains: ordinary gearings, epyciclic trains, differential trains, change gears, synchronizers.
• Lubrification and cooling systems
• Drivetrain design, dimensioning and simulation
• Testing and failure analysis
• Product development

Readings/Bibliography

Suggested book (not mandatory):

Renius, K. T. (2020) Fundamentals of Tractor Design. Springer, Cham.

 

Teaching methods

The course includes:

1. Theoretical lectures conducted on the blackboard and with the aid of multimedia systems.
2. A complete cycle of exercises and illustration of industrial applications that combines and integrates theoretical lessons.

Assessment methods

The assessment of student learning is carried out at the end of the course by an oral examination on the main topics of the course.
The interview is based on a number of questions (typically two to four), including both theory questions and practical problems.

The final score is computed as the arithmetic mean of the single scores obtained for each question. The positive evaluation of at least two single questions is mandatory to consider the examination successfully passed.

In compliance with the Art. 16 of the University Didactic Regulations, after a positive final grade has been assigned, the student can decide to retake the exam only once.

Teaching tools

Slides are used as a support for the lesson presentations. Pdf files of the presentations (along with suggested readings, lesson notes and additional supplementary material) are available at https://virtuale.unibo.it [https://virtuale.unibo.it/]

Office hours

See the website of Alberto Martini

See the website of Alberto Frulli