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MOTIVATION

Achieving the emission target of 95 g CO2/km prescribed by the European Union in the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) by 2020 presents a considerable challenge for vehicle manufacturers and suppliers. Particularly in the sector of larger vehicles, this target value will only be achieved with the aid of hybrid technologies. Following the micro-hybridisation of powertrains, the mild hybrid represents the next logical step in the development of powertrains in order to meet this target. Compared to full hybrids, the mild hybrid offers advantages with its startstop, recuperation and boost functions, including shifting the load point in the engine characteristics of an internal combustion engine. The 7HDT500 mild hybrid is based on the 7DCT500 dual clutch transmission, a seven-speed transmission for a maximum engine torque of 500 Nm. It is one of the development transmissions for

vehicles with front- or four-wheel drive in powertrains installed transversely to the driving direction. More than 75 % of all motor vehicles worldwide are built on this powertrain design, which offers advantages for the vehicle interior.
TRANSMISSION LAYOUT

The transverse installation of powertrains makes high demands on the length of individual components. In order to guarantee a compact transmission in the hybrid design, the electric motor and dual clutch must be arranged on a common vertical level. shows the corresponding components. The dual clutch is designed as a radially nested variant. The electric motor includes the dual clutch and is situated on its primary side. It is known as a DCMA (Dual Clutch Mounted Alternator). In contrast to the parallel arrangement, the axially shorter nested design of the dual clutch creates the installation space required for the upstream dry torsional vibration damper.

2 gives a complete overview of the torque components of the transmission. The positioning of the dual clutch on the bearing journal fi xed to the body allows the implementation of small gaps between the stator and rotor of the electric motor. However, for a dual clutch embedded on the hollow shaft, the bearing play of the input shaft package and the shaft deflection under load must be taken into consideration in the design. The outer clutch transmits power to the sub-transmission with the odd forward gears. The inner clutch connects the engine and the electric motor with the sub-transmission of the even forward gears as well as reverse gear. The transmission is operated hydraulically and can be supplemented by an electric pump to enable gear changes and clutch actuations to be performed without an active drive (internal combustion engine and electric motor). A compact spur gear planet differential replaces the bevel gear differential of the basic transmission. Active gearset lubrication increases

aUTHoRS

SEVEN-SPEED MILD HYBRID TRANSMISSION 7HDT500

The 7HDT500 mild hybrid transmission from Getrag is very compact like the basic dual clutch transmission, the 7DCT500. This is an advantage for transversely mounted powertrains. This technical solution can be used in combination with electrically driven rear wheels as a high-power and high-torque axle-split hybrid.

DR.-ING. INGO STEINBERG is Platform Director for Dual Clutch Transmissions at Getrag Ford Transmissions in Cologne (Germany).

DIPL.-ING. ERIK MLLER is Senior manager for Dual Clutch Transmissions at Getrag Ford Transmissions in Cologne (Germany).

DIPL.-ING. PETER DAHL is Senior manager Design at Getrag Ford Transmissions in Cologne (Germany).

the efficiency of the transmission and reduces splashing losses by simultaneously lowering the oil level. The maximum total torque for internal combustion engine and electric motor operation is 500 Nm. The largest achievable gear ratio spread of the gearset which can be flexibly disengaged is 8.5. A total gear ratio up to 19.2 is possible in first gear. The combination of two gearsets with two different axle drive ratios ensures adaptation to various engine/ vehicle combinations. 3 shows the table of selected ratios. The variation with a smaller spread is suited to vehicles with a petrol engine. The solution with a larger spread is ideal for use with diesel engines. The transmission is both compact, with a length of 382 mm, and flat, with a height of 410mm, to ensure sufficient installation space for other units.
SYSTEM DESIGN

The costs of hybrid vehicles are significantly influenced by the size of the bat0 4 i 2 012 Volume 114

tery. Simulations and test drives demonstrate that considerably smaller and thus cheaper batteries are sufficient for mild hybrids compared to full hybrids. These very compact batteries can be arranged in the engine compartment. For a C/D segment vehicle, a battery with a usable capacity of 0.7 to 0.8 kWh is sufficient. The permanent magnet synchronous motor used in the 7HDT500 supplies continuous torque of 110 Nm and continuous power of 15 kW. Higher values are possible, but are still to be confirmed in system tests. The nominal values are entirely sufficient for a C/D segment vehicle and allow for further downsizing of the internal combustion engine without losing driving performance and, in particular, driving dynamics. Turbocharged internal combustion engines have the disadvantage of generating less torque in the low engine speed range before the turbocharger becomes effective. The electric motor balances out precisely this weakness. 4shows the

Dual clutch and electric motor

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2 Cross-sectional view
of the 7HDT500 transmission

vehicle to pull away at a lower engine speed. The pull-away element is less thermally loaded, thus enabling the electric motor to be used without an external cooling system. For the same driving dynamics as the 1.6-l petrol engine, the ratio for first gear can be reduced for mild hybrids. If this change is applied to all gears, this easily results in an economical 6+E or even 5+2E design in a seven-gear transmission. More than seven gears do not bring any further advantage, but require more installation space and cause higher weight. Decisive for low CO2 emissions at the vehicle level is flexibility in the choice of gear ratios with the achievement of a large ratio spread and not the number of gears. For the same C/D vehicle segment, the 1.6-l petrol engine also offers advantages in elasticity due to the boost function of the electric motor. The following section shows simulation results of the respective operating states. When combined with an electric motor, the downsizing concept can be continued systematically to even smaller engines.
SIMULATION RESULTS AND VEHICLE MEASUREMENTS

characteristic curves for the maximum power and maximum torque of various engines. They are the characteristic curves of two direct-injection turbocharged series-production petrol engines with displacements of 1.6 l and 2.0 l and the characteristic curves of the electric motor selected. The other characteristic curve superposes the characteristic curves of the petrol engine with 1.6-l displacement with those of the electric motor of the mild hybrid. The superposition of the

two characteristic curves shows that the smaller petrol engine provides a higher torque and thus a higher performance in conjunction with the electric motor in the engine speed range up to 2000rpm compared to the petrol engine with 2.0-l displacement. This proves to be particularly beneficial in pull-away behaviour and in economical driving in a high gear and at a low engine speed. The high torque of the electric motor virtually from a standstill allows the

OPTION FOR PETROL ENGINES

OPTION FOR DIESEL ENGINES

1st gear 2
nd

14.3 8.8 5.7 4.1 3.2 2.6 2.1 -14.8 6.8

15.3 9.1 5.7 4.1 3.1 2.4 1.9 -16.6 8.0

gear

3 rd gear 4 th gear 5 th gear 6 th gear 7 th gear R gear Spread

3 Gear ratios (left) and dimensions in mm (right)

The basis for the simulations is a C/D segment vehicle. The details are as follows: : weight of mild-hybrid components: 40 kg : weight for vehicle performance calculations: 1930 kg : tyre size: 215/50 R17 : conventional powertrains with the 7DCT500 dual clutch transmission : hybrid powertrain with the 7HDT500 mild hybrid variant. 5 shows the pull-away performance of the powertrains based on stationary characteristic curves. The mild hybrid provides quicker pull-away compared to the petrol engines, by 0.7 s up to 30 km/h. For pulling away on a 12 % incline with maximum total weight, simulations reveal even greater advantages. The high torque of the electric motor at a low speed proves to be beneficial in these driving situations. Furthermore, the torque of the electric motor allows for significantly lower slipping times in the starting clutch. Other advantages emerge when considering the dynamic motor characteristic lines.

Compared to the vehicle with a 1.6-l petrol engine, the mild hybrid reaches a speed of 120 km/h 3.5 s sooner when accelerating in fifth gear. However, the value of the vehicle with a 2.0-l petrol engine is not entirely achieved. At a high engine speed during acceleration, the 2.0-l petrol engine overcompensates for the electric motors extra power. The combination of the two highly efficient units, a diesel engine and a dual clutch transmission, provides a good basis for hybrid powertrains. The Getrag 6DCT450 PowerShift transmission with six forward gears currently in production already achieves the CO2 emission value of the vehicle with a six-speed manual transmission in the NEDC. This is proven by the reference vehicle with a 1.6-l diesel engine and a turbocharger, 6. Both vehicles with a manual transmission and dual clutch transmission have a stop-start function. In very low speed ranges in overrun operation, the internal combustion engine of the vehicle with a dual clutch transmission is switched off. The next dual clutch transmission generation, the 7DCT500, achieves a CO2 emission reduction of 7 % at the vehicle level by means of an oil system designed for low splashing losses, active gearset lubrication, optimised progressive ratios and further improved dynamic seals. The 7DCT500 mild hybrid transmission achieves an extra 10 % improvement related to hybridisation including further downsizing of the internal combustion engine.
SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK

4 Characteristic curves for maximum torque and maximum power

5 Pulling away with maximum pedal value and elasticity in fifth gear

The electric motor with its advantage of high torque virtually from a standstill and the turbocharged internal combustion engine with a small displacement are ideal partners in a modern powertrain. The internal combustion engine can thus be made more compact. The powertrain presented by Getrag here with its 7HDT500 dual clutch transmission pursues precisely this aim. With expert dimensioning of the two power units, the moving-off gear (first gear) and all other gears can have a longer gear ratio. A transmission with a gear ratio spread of 8.5 with seven forward gears is fully sufficient. The decisive advantage is the flexibility in the choice of ratios, as is ensured in dual clutch transmissions with a layshaft design. Driving performance is maintained and CO2 emissions are reduced.
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6 Manual transmission, dual clutch transmission and mild hybrid in the reference vehicle