Abstract
Clutch control has a great effect on the starting quality and shifting quality of heavy-duty vehicles with automated mechanical transmission (AMT). The motion characteristics of a clutch actuator for heavy-duty vehicles with AMT are studied in this paper to investigate the clutch control strategy further. The modeling principle of the automatic clutch system is analyzed, and a simulation analysis is given to prove its validity and rationality. Normalized velocity and velocity modulation percentage are proposed as evaluation parameters for the clutch actuator driven by pulse width modulation (PWM) signals. Based on an AMT test bench, the actuator motion characteristics are analyzed. Experimental results show that the range of normalized velocity and velocity modulation percentage are obtained for the clutch engagement and disengagement processes. By analyzing the experimental data, the engaging velocity and disengaging velocity of the actuator are estimated using the solenoid valves in combination. The research results provide a fundamental basis for precise controlling of the clutch and improving the smoothness of heave-duty vehicles.
Highlights
The aim of this paper is to study the motion characteristics of a clutch actuator for heavy-duty vehicles with automated mechanical transmission (AMT), providing engaging and disengaging characteristics of the clutch actuator
In a test study, normalized velocity and velocity modulation percentage are proposed as the main evaluation parameters if the clutch actuator is controlled by pulse width modulation (PWM) signals
The lag time of the actuator operation decreases with the increasing of the duty cycle, and the actuator average velocity increases with the increasing of the duty cycle
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. 60% caused by the wet clutch and torque converter in the AT and the DCT [6,7] It is very difficult for the AT, CVT, and DCT to provide large torque and high transmission efficiency to meet the demands of heavy-duty vehicles [8,9,10,11]. Wang et al proposed a two-layer structure control strategy of an AMT clutch during hill start for heavy-duty vehicles, but the hydraulic actuator’s motion characteristics were not studied [12]. Gao et al studied a nonlinear control method of a direct-drive pumpcontrolled clutch actuator in consideration of the pump efficiency map, but the motion characteristics of the hydraulic actuator were not studied in detail [17].
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