Ricardo has revealed plans to unveil a new high-performance transverse DCT concept, the development of which has been based on the company’s experience in the design of supercar transmissions.
The unit’s dual clutch remains in line with the engine, while the two outputs drive high-speed bevel gearsets respectively delivering torque to the odd and even plus reverse gear sets.
As configured, the Ricardo hybrid transverse DCT concept is claimed to be approximately 37% shorter in length than its reference products, as well as offering better weight distribution, reduced vehicle polar moment of inertia, and ease of integration of an e-motor in a hybrid powertrain solution.
Ricardo also plans to introduce a radically new manual dual clutch transmission (mDCT) concept aimed at upgrading performance in the utility task vehicle (UTV) market.
Designed to replace rubber belt CVT-based drivelines, which can be susceptible to overheating and belt failures, the Tier 1’s low-cost and mechanically simple 3-speed mDCT concept aims to offer improved performance. The design approach included tractive effort modeling to determine optimal gear arrangement and utilized Ricardo’s SABR and Ignite software for component sizing and efficiency simulation.
The mDCT concept is estimated to have a 12% efficiency improvement over an existing CVT with the additional high/low gearbox, while integrating launching capabilities into a single sealed-for-life unit that can cover the entire operational envelope. The system also maintains similar packaging space and part count.