STUDY AND TEST TO CONFIRM AUTOMOBILE DRIVETRAIN COMPONENTS TO IMPROVE FUEL ECONOMY. VOLUME I. HISTORY OF THE AUTOMOBILE TRANSMISSION IN THE UNITED STATES

Since the earliest days of the motor car, engineers have tinkered together various means of connecting the engine to the ground. While the wheel rapidly became the norm for the ground/vehicle interface, many different engine/wheel coupling techniques have been, and still are, being tried. The history of the automotive transmission provides an interesting insight into the development of the automobile and its drivetrain, and illustrates how the marketplace has and will govern the design of the motor car. This report explores the design from the earliest manual sliding gear transmission up through the various forms of automotive gear boxes with emphasis on the development of the automatic transmission in the United States.

• Corporate Authors:

  Little (Arthur D), Incorporated

  Acorn Park
  Cambridge, MA  United States  02140

  Transportation Systems Center

  55 Broadway, Kendall Square
  Cambridge, MA  United States  02142

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  Office of Research and Development, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Hurter, D A
  • Gott, P G
  • Gottesman, C A
• Publication Date: 1979-5

Media Info

• Pagination: 132 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automatic transmissions; Automobiles; Automotive engineering; Clutches; Design; Fuel consumption; Gears; History; Hydraulic equipment; Manual transmissions; Patents; Performance evaluations; Technical drawings; Transmissions; Vehicle components; Vehicle design; Vehicle drive systems; Vehicle power plants
• Old TRIS Terms: Automobile engines; Engineering drawings; Gear boxes; Gear drives; Hydraulic control; Mechanical drive; Motor vehicle drive systems
• Subject Areas: Design; Energy; Highways; History; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00198190
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOT/TSC/NHTSA79-11-1Intrm Rpt.
• Contract Numbers: DOT-TSC-1046
• Files: NTIS, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Sep 15 1979 12:00AM