Can You Say ‘Derailleur’? - Transmission Digest

Can You Say ‘Derailleur’?

A newly designed type of automated manual transmission (AMT) that is touted as the world’s fastest-shifting AMT has been developed by Zeroshift Ltd. in Milton Keynes, England, by a man named Bill Martin.

Can You Say ‘Derailleur’?

Shift Pointers

Subject: Design and operation
Unit: Zeroshift automated manual transmission
Essential Reading: Rebuilder, Diagnostician
Author: Pete Luban, ATSG, Transmission Digest Contributing Editor

Shift Pointers

  • Subject: Design and operation
  • Unit: Zeroshift automated manual transmission
  • Essential Reading: Rebuilder, Diagnostician
  • Author: Pete Luban, ATSG, Transmission Digest Contributing Editor

I recently managed to finally pronounce “Lepelletier” correctly; it took a while because I’m not very good with the French language. (Is “language” French?)

Now I have to learn how to say “derailleur.” I’m going to need some help with that one.

I have to learn to say it because in this article I’m going to discuss a new transmission design that is fashioned after a bicycle part. If you’ve ever owned a bicycle with more than one speed, it used a device called a derailleur for shifting. As you switched gears the bicycle chain would move seamlessly between different-diameter sprockets, an arrangement that could be capable of 15 forward speeds.

A newly designed type of automated manual transmission (AMT) that is touted as the world’s fastest-shifting AMT has been developed by Zeroshift Ltd. in Milton Keynes, England, by a man named Bill Martin. The interesting thing about this transmission is that it works similarly to a bicycle derailleur. It also has the advantages over other designs of being cost effective to produce and being adaptable to any driveline: motorcycles; front- and rear-wheel-drive cars, including hybrids; and heavy trucks and buses. It also can weigh less than other transmissions.

By this time most of you are probably familiar with the dual-clutch Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) transmission found in VWs and Audis here in the states. The concept of the DSG is to engage the oncoming speed gears while it’s still in the previous gear, and in milliseconds a wet clutch applies and the DSG is in the next gear.

What if an AMT could make that shift in zero seconds and do it seamlessly? The Zeroshift transmission can do exactly that by using electronically controlled actuators and an automated single dry clutch. These actuators also can be powered by either air or hydraulic pressure, which greatly expands the type of vehicle applications.

The secret behind the Zeroshift concept is the elimination of synchro rings, which are replaced by “dog clutches.” These dog clutches automatically upshift and downshift the transmission (Figure 1).

For example, when the transmission is in neutral, the first ring is engaged to prepare for forward movement while ring two takes up the backlash. Upshifts are made by ring two taking up forward movement while ring one takes up the backlash. In other words, this transmission design allows power on shifting because there is very little load on the shifting components.

The dog-clutch “bullets” operate in sets of two opposing torque directions (figures 2 and 3). During a shift from one gear to another, the two bullet sets are both automatically engaged in the same direction as the torque that’s being applied, eliminating that loss of engine speed that occurs in other types of transmissions. This increases fuel economy, because no fuel is wasted; the engine continues to drive the wheels of the vehicle during shifting.

To better understand how the Zeroshift mechanism operates, go to www.atsg.com/zeroshift, where you will see an animation illustrating how the Zeroshift functions.

The company says that beginning with the 2012 model year the Zeroshift system will be used in motorcycles sold in the U.S., and for the 2013 model year it will be used in the states for front-wheel-drive cars, including hybrids; trucks; buses; and off-highway and military vehicles. By the 2014 model year the Zeroshift system will be used in all vehicle segments.

We kept saying that modern technicians would become skilled in many different vehicle systems because of integrated controls, but bicycles – who would have thought?

Well, I just thought you might like to know what’s comin’ at ya in the near future, but that’s it for now. I’m gonna hop on my bicycle and give my derailleur a workout.

Many thanks to Bill Martin and Chris Newport for the information and illustrations used in this article.

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