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Journal of Beiji ng Instit ute of Technology , 2000 , Vol. 9 , No . 4
Article ID : 100420579 (2000) 0420362208

Influence of Buffering Pressure Characteristics on

Shif t Clutch Engagement Process
MA Biao
( School of Vehicle and Transportation Engineering , Beijing Institute of Technology , Beijing 100081)
Abstract : The dynamic mat h model of shift clutch in engagement process was determined on t he
basis of hydraulic buffering valve and shift clutch of a power shift2steering transmission. The in2
fluence of buffering pressure characteristic on shift clutch engagement process was analyzed. The
study results could be used to t he characteristics match of t he shift clutch wit h t he hydraulic sys2
tem of t he high2speed tracked vehicle power shift2steering transmission and t he performance pre2
diction.
Key words : power shift2steering transmission ; buffering control ; shift clutch
CLC number : TH 137 ; U 46312 Document code : A

The shift process of t he high2speed t racked vehicle power shift2steering t ransmission is car2
ried out by hydraulic shift system ( which is composed of t he buffering valve , shift valve , pump ,
pressure valve and filters , etc. ) to cont rol t he shift clutch engagement and disengagement , and to
coordinate t he shift clutch. If t he charge oil time , slide time and f riction torque characteristics of
shift clutch in engagement process could be matched and cont rolled , t hen it could be ensured to
reduce t he power discontinuity extent , f riction disks abrasion and dynamic load. Besides some
st ruct ural parameters , t he shift clutch f riction torque mainly depends on t he f riction coefficient
and pressure of shift clutch oil cylinder. The f riction coefficient and t he pressure are variable in
shift process , only t he pressure could be cont rolled effectively. Using hydraulic buffering valve is
an effective met hod of realizing pressure buffering cont rol of shift clutch and reducing dynamic
load in shift process. The characteristics of hydraulic value have much effect on t he power discon2
tinuity extent and clutch engagement smoot h in t he shift process. Consequently , if t he cont rol
pressure characteristics , slid time , f riction time and dynamic f riction torque , and t heir influence
factors were analyzed accurately in t he shift clutch engagement process , t hen effective basis would
be provided for t he design of hydraulic system and shift clutch. The st ruct ure of shift clutch and
hydraulic buffering valve designed by aut hor for a high2speed t racked vehicle is shown in Fig. 1 ,
one could refer to Ref . [ 1 ] for t he detail working principle.
Received date : 2000206212
Foundation item : Ministerial Level Advanced Research Foundation
Biography : MA Biao (1964 - ) ,male ,professor ,doctor.

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Fig. 1 The structure of shift clutch and hydraulic buffering valve

1 The Dynamic Math Model of the System

111 The Dynamic Math Model of Hydraul ic Buffering Valve [ 2 ]
As shown in Fig. 1 , t he variable pressure cont rolled by buffering valve is divided into t hree
stages : The stage of fast filling wit h oil. The stage of buffering pressure rising. The
stage of step pressure rising. The following assumptions had been made : The actions of t he
solenoid valve and relay valve are completed instantaneously. The compressibility of fluid , f ric2
tional force and oil leakage are negligible.
11111 The Mat h Model of Buffering Valve Core
The motion equation of buffering valve core is
m1
x1 + B1 g
x 1 + p1 A 1 = K ( x 0 + x 2 - x 1 ) ,

where m 1 is t he mass of t he buffering valve core and it s follow2up part s ; x 1 , g

x1 ,
x 1 are t he dis2
placement , velocity and acceleration of t he buffering valve core ; B 1 is t he viscous damping coeffi2
cient ; p 1 is t he pressure acting on t he buffering valve core on t he left ; K is t he buffering spring
stiff ness ; x 0 is t he pre2compression of t he buffering spring ; x 2 is t he displacement of t he pressure
regulating valve core ; A 1 is t he bearing area on t he left of t he buffering core.
In t he fast filling wit h oil stage and step pressure rising stage , t he equation of flow rate Q
t hrough t he oil line is
Q = Cd d x v ( 2 ( p s - p CL ) / )

1/ 2

where d is t he diameter of t he buffering valve core ; x v is t he valve openness ; p s is t he system

pressure of t he oil source ; it is constant in t his paper ; Cd is t he flow coefficient ; is t he oil densi2
ty ; p CL is t he buffering pressure.
When t he clutch f riction disks were pressed closely , t he buffering valve would be in buffering
pressure rising stage. At t his moment , t he buffering valve core was in double t hrottling state.
Then , t he p CL in buffering pressure rising stage was
p CL = x / a ( x a) ,

where a is t he amount of overlap [ 2 ] , and when a > 0 it is defined as t he positive overlap , and t he

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Journal of Beiji ng Instit ute of Technology , 2000 , Vol. 9 , No . 4

positive overlap was adopted in t his paper.

The orifice O 1 in t he buffering valve core is t hin2lengt h hole , t he flow rate Q 1 t hrough ori2
fice O 1 is
Q1 =

d 40
( p - p1 ) ,
128L 1 CL

where d 0 is t he diameter of t he orifice O 1 ; L 1 is t he lengt h of t he orifice O 1 ; is t he oil dynamic

viscosity.
11112 The Mat h Model of Adjusting Pressure Valve
The motion equation of adjusting pressure valve core is
m2
x2 + B2 g
x 2 + p2 A 2 = K ( x 0 + x 2 - x 1 ) ,

where m 2 is t he mass of t he adjusting pressure valve core and it s follow2up part s ; g

x2 ,
x 2 are t he
velocity and acceleration of t he adjusting pressure valve core ; B 2 is t he viscous damping coeffi2
cient ; p 2 is t he pressure acting on t he pressure adjusting valve core on t he right ; A 2 is t he bearing
area , on t he right of adjusting pressure valve core.
The orifice O 2 is a t hin2wall hole , t he flow rate Q 2 t hrough t he orifice O 2 is
Q 2 = Cd2 ( 2 ( p CL - p 2 ) / )

1/ 2

where 2 is t he t hrough2flow area of orifice O 2 ( t hin2wall hole) .

11113 The Flow Rate Balance
When t he performance of t he buffering valve is concerned , t he equation of flow rate balance
is
Q = Q2 - Q1 , Q1 = A 1 g
x 1 , Q2 = A 2 g
x2.

112 The Math Model of the Shif t Clutch in the Engagement Process
11211 The Mat h Model of t he Shift Clutch in t he Charge Oil Process[ 3 ]
As shown in Fig. 1 , t he influence of t he f rictional drag of f riction disks and t he internal leak2
age of t he oil line were negligible. The motion equation of t he piston in t he fast filling wit h oil
stage is
mc
xc + Bc g
x c + Kc ( x c0 + x c ) = p c A c ,

where m c is t he mass of t he piston and it s follower ; x c , g

x2 ,
x 2 are t he displacement , velocity
and acceleration of t he piston ; B c is t he viscous damping coefficient ; Kc is t he ret urn spring stiff2
ness ; x c0 is t he pre2compression of t he ret urn spring in t he disengagement of t he shift clutch ; p c
is t he pressure acting on t he piston ; A c is t he area of t he piston.
The flow rate t hrough t he oil line is t he total flow rate Q c flowing in t he cylinder of t he shift
clutch and given by
Qc =

d 41
( p - pc) ,
128L 1 CL

where d 1 is t he diameter of t he oil line ; L 1 is t he lengt h of t he oil line.

The depressurization hole designed on t he piston is t he t hin2lengt h hole , t he flow rate
t hrough t he hole in t he fast filling wit h oil stage is

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M A B iao / Inf l uence of B uf f eri ng Pressure Characteristics on S hif t Cl utch Engagement Process

QL =

d 42
p ,
128L 2 c

where d 2 is t he diameter of t he depressurization hole ; L 2 is t he lengt h of t he depressurization

hole. After t he end of fast filling wit h oil stage , t he clearance between disks was removed , t he
depressurization hole was covered up by t he plate , and t hen Q L = 0.
Because t he system works at low pressure , t he assumption is made t hat t he fluid is non2com2
pression during t he pressure variation. The oil leakage is negligible. Because of t he fluid continua2
tion , t he oil balance equation in t he charge stage of shift clutch is
Qc = QL + Qp + A c g
xc.

11212 The Kinetic Model in t he Shift Clutch Engagement Process

The dynamic diagram of t he shift clutch engagement process is shown as Fig. 2. The T i and

i are t he input torque and angular velocity. I 1 is t he inertia on t he driving side of t he shift
clutch , I 2 is t he inertia on t he driven side of t he shift clutch. T 1 and 1 are t he torque and angu2
lar velocity of t he clutch on t he driving side ; T 2 and 2 are t he torque and angular velocity of t he
clutch on t he driven side. T R and R are t he resistance torque and output angular velocity , and
T R is not very changeable in t he shift process.

Fig. 2 The dynamic diagram of t he shift clutch in engagement process

Several assumptions had been made for t he convenience of analysis : The torsional vibra2
tion of t he axes is negligible ; The elasticity of bearings , bearing blocks and gear mesh in t rans2
mission system are negligible ; The meshing gap of gears is negligible. The dynamic equations
in t he shift process are
T i - T 1 = I 1
g1 , T 2 - T R = I 2
g2 .
T 1 is equal to t he f riction torque before t he clutch synchronization , t hat is T 1 = Tf . When

t he bearing lose is negligible , T 2 = T 1 .

When t he oil film is in t he dynamic lubrication and f ull oil film state[ 4 ] , t he f riction torque is
calculated by t he drag torque [ 5 ] , which is

2
n ( R 42 - R 41 ) 1 ,
z
60
h
where z is t he number of f riction pairs ; n is t he rotational speed difference ; R 1 is t he inner
TL =

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Journal of Beiji ng Instit ute of Technology , 2000 , Vol. 9 , No . 4

radius of f riction disks ; R 2 is t he outer radius of f riction disks.

When t he oil film is in t he partial oil film state , t he clutch is in t he f riction state because of
t he tiny peaks on t he f riction surfaces in contact wit h each ot her. Therefore , t he equation of t he
f riction torque is
T f = ( p c A c - Fs) rz ,

where is t he f riction coefficient ; Fs is t he ret urn spring force ; r is t he mean radius of t he f ric2
tion pair.
The f riction coefficient is changeable f rom t he kinetic f riction coefficient to t he static f ric2
tion coefficient . On t he basis of large quantities of test of clutch by aut hor , t he kinetic f riction is
determined by

= 01130 879exp ( - 01000 570 48 n ) .

2 The Analysis of Simulation Results

211 The Simulation of Charge Oil Process
According to t he system motion equation described above , t he simulation was made by
Simulink of Matlab. The parameters of buffering valve are : t he fluid ratio Cd is 0165 , t he diame2
ter of t he buffering valve core is 1610 mm , t he diameter of t he adjustable pressure valve core is
2510 mm , t he stiff ness of t he buffering spring is 41305 N mm - 1 , t he diameter of t he hole O 1 is
110 mm , t he diameter of t he t hrottle orifice O 2 is 018 mm , and x 0 is 1610 mm , x 2 is 1910 mm ,
t he overlap a is 212 mm , t he lubrication oil is 15 W/ 40CD at 90 . The output pressure charac2
teristics p CL versus time of t he buffering valve is shown as curve B in Fig. 3 by using t he variable
step Ode15s integrating met hod.
The parameters of t he shift clutch are : t he outer diameter of t he piston is 21510 mm , t he in2
ner diameter of t he piston is 9010 mm , t he stiff ness of t he ret urn spring is 438 N mm - 1 , t he ini2
tial compression value of t he ret urn spring is 1315 mm , t he st roke of t he piston is 515 mm , t he
diameter of t he oil line is 1110 mm , t he lengt h of t he oil line is 315 m , t he diameter of t he depres2
surization hole is 115 mm ( two holes) , t he lubrication oil is 15W/ 40CD ,t he oil temperat ure is
90 . When t he buffering pressure characteristics of t he buffering valve is t he curve B in Fig. 3 ,
t he charge oil flow rate versus time of t he shift clutch in t he fast filling wit h oil stage is shown as
t he curve B in Fig. 4 by using t he variable step Ode15s ( stiff/ NDF) integrating met hod.
The charge oil process was shown as t he curves A and C in Fig. 3 , t he starting pressure was
raised and t he completion pressure was depressed , t he charge oil flow rate versus time of t he shift
clutch in t he fast filling wit h oil stage is shown as curves A and C in Fig. 4. From Fig. 3 and
Fig. 4 , t he shift clutch engagement process of t he t ransmission st udy in t he fast filling wit h oil
stage could not be completed instantaneously because of t he piston motion and t he ret urn spring
action , t he power discontinuity in shift process could not be avoided. The charge oil time could be
reduced effectively and t he fast filling wit h oil stage could be completed rapidly by raising t he

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Fig. 3 Three kinds of buffering pressure characteristics Fig. 4 The influence of pressure on t he charge oil flow rate

starting pressure of t he buffering valve , t herefore t he amount of power discontinuity in t he shift

process could be beneficially depressed. In addition , t he oil t ransient flow rate provided by t he hy2
draulic system must be larger t han t he maximum value of t he charge oil flow rate curve to ensure
t he system working normally , ot herwise t he flow rate of t he system would be insufficient .
212 The Simulation Results of Engagement Process
According to t he system motion equation described above , t he st ruct ure of t he buffering valve
and shift clutch is t he same as 211. The effective f riction pairs are 4 , t he oil temperat ure is 90 ,
t he resistance torque T R is 145 N m and keeps constant , t he speed of t he shift clutch on t he driv2
ing side is 2 000 r min - 1 , t he speed difference between driving side and driven side of t he shift
clutch is 900 rmin - 1 , t he state is equivalent to t he act ual t ransmission system. The equation of
t he input torque characteristic is T i = - 11215 64 n i + 2 584185. The inertia on t he driving side ,
I 1 , is 8180 kg
m2 , t he inertia on t he driven side , I 2 , is 3107 kgm2 . The simulation result s are

shown in Fig. 5 on t he basis of t hree pressure characteristics shown in Fig. 3.

Taking t he simulation result of curve B as an example , a period is required by t he shift
clutch piston f rom separating state to t he position of f riction disks jointing state ( t hat is t he fast
filling wit h oil stage , t he time required in simulation of t his paper is 01142 5 s) , t herefore t he
driving and driven torque T 1 and T 2 of t he shift clutch in t his stage are t he drag torque because of
t he fluid dynamic lubrication. As shown by t he curve B in Fig. 5 , t he f riction torques T 1 and T 2
steeply rise after t he f riction disks being jointed , one shift impact took place ( at t he slide starting
point t he dynamic load ratio K = T max/ T 0 = 21375 , T 0 was T R [ 6 ] ) , t he f riction torque had t he
maximum value after t he clutch synchronization , and t he slide stage was completed ( t he slide time
was 0158 s) , anot her shift impact took place ( t he dynamic load ratio K = 61240 ) , t hen f riction
torque was depressed steeply and was reduced to t he inertia torque of t he system. In addition , t he
slide starting time , t he slide time and f riction torque at t he end of slide depended on t he buffering
pressure characteristics in t he shift clutch engagement process. The slide had to be completed be2
fore t he end of buffering pressure rising stage , ot herwise t he great torque impact would take
place.
As shown by t he curve A in Fig. 5 , t he starting buffering pressure was raised to 0155 M Pa
( which is t he 3913 % of t he system pressure) , t he slide time was reduced to 01367 5 s , t he piston

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Journal of Beiji ng Instit ute of Technology , 2000 , Vol. 9 , No . 4

Fig. 5 The influence of pressure on t he friction torque

motion time was reduced to 01078 1 s , but t he dynamic load ratio was raised ( at t he beginning
point of slide , K = 31748 , at t he end of slide K = 71090 ) . The curve C is t he simulation result
t hat t he buffering starting pressure was not changed , and t he buffering completion pressure was
reduced. The slide time was raised to 01710 7 s because t he slope of oil pressure was reduced. The
motion time of t he piston was not changed essentially (it is 01143 0 s) , but t he dynamic load ratio
at t he beginning point of slide was reduced 813 % as compared wit h t he pressure characteristic
curve B , t he dynamic load ratio at t he end of slide was reduced 1811 % as compared wit h t he
pressure characteristic curve B , and t he shift impact was improved. Thus it could be seen t hat t he
dynamic load in t he shift process was reduced at t he cost s of extending t he shift time and raising
t he clutch heat load. The met hod of raising t he buffering starting pressure had effect on shorten2
ing slide time and reducing t he power discontinuity time t hat might take place in t he shift pro2
cess , but it had not much effect on t he improvement of dynamic load and shift impact .

3 Conclusions
Some conclusions could be made f rom t his paper as follows :

The pressure characteristics of hydraulic buffering valve had much effect on t he charge oil
time and t ransient charge flow rate. If t he buffering starting pressure was raised , t hen t he charge
oil time could be shortened effectively and t he extent of power discontinuity could be reduced in
t he shift process.

The dynamic load in t he shift process was reduced at t he cost s of extending t he shift time
and raising t he clutch heat load. The met hod of raising t he buffering starting pressure had much
effect on shortening slide time and reducing t he power discontinuity time t hat might take place in
t he shift process , but it had not much effect on t he improvement of dynamic load and shift im2
pact .
The clutch slide had to be completed before t he end of buffering pressure rising stage ,
ot herwise t he great torque impact would take place. The improvement of t he shift impact should
be concent rated on t he f riction torque at t he beginning and t he end point s of slide. The dynamic
load could be reduced if t he slope of oil pressure and pressure value around t he shift clutch
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M A B iao / Inf l uence of B uf f eri ng Pressure Characteristics on S hif t Cl utch Engagement Process

synchronization point were reduced.

References :
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(propulsive modes) [ D ] . Beijing : School of Vehicular Engineering , Beijing Institute of Technolo2
gy , 1999.
[ 2 ] Ma Biao , Ye Ming. A study on dynamic response performance of vehicular power2shift hydraulic
buffering valve[J ] . Machine Design (in Chinese) , 2000 ,17 ( 4) :17 - 27.
[ 3 ] Ma Biao. Dynamic performance simulation of vehicular power2shift clutch charge process [ J ] .
Journal of Beijing Institute of Technology (in Chinese) , 2000 ,20 ( 2) :187 - 192.
[ 4 ] Zhang Sunpeng , L u Sichong. The dynamic lubrication and application of elastic fluid (in Chinese)
[ M ] . Beijing : Higher Education Publishing House , 1995. 191 - 204.
[ 5 ] Cai Dujing , Wei Chenguan. Study on t he dynamic characteristics of a dynamometer wit h hydro2
viscous drive[J ] . Acta Armamentar II , The Volume of Tank , Armored Vehicle and Engine ( in
Chinese) , 1991 ( 3) :50 - 58.
[ 6 ] Zhang Guangyu , Fu Jianye. The shift smoot h of power shift transmission [J ] . Engineering Ma2
chine (in Chinese) , 1990 ,21 ( 1) :27 - 31.

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