Design & Development of Single Rod Gear Shift Lever (SRGSL) for HD Commercial Vehicles with Experimental Correlation 2016-01-8067

Three on the tree, four on the floor. The gear change mechanism is a component that is too often taken for granted but it is one of the more important features of the vehicle. It must be quick and smooth in action, efficient and totally reliable. Modern driving conditions demand that the driver makes frequent gear changes and a mechanism that is temperamental or inaccurate can be both frustrating and dangerous as well as physically tiring. The gear changing mechanism starts, quite obviously, with the gear lever.

Most stem from the fact that a gear lever must move in two planes, forward and back and then from side to side to move across the gear "gate". A good many drivers think of gear changing as one simple action. This is more a tribute to the design of gear changing mechanisms than a reality. There are multiple gear selector mechanisms that are available for use in commercial vehicle industry. The selection of the most favorable mechanism has historically relied on the application and packaging constraints. However, driver comfort and ergonomics have become important factor as the commercial vehicle market has become more competitive towards delivering a better product.

As per market trends, there is always a need to introduce New Concept with a cost effective and light weight designs. For HD Commercial Vehicles, an attempt is made to introduce SRGSL without compromising its strength & stiffness, considering/bearing all the worst road load cases and severe environmental conditions - In terms of smooth gear shifting, less driver fatigue, high reliability. For this study, a design is conceptualized and evaluated under the dynamic and static loading conditions through FE simulation using Hypermesh and Nastran. The FE simulation tools have helped us in selecting the right parameters for the design and ensure First Time Right at the development phase. Finally, the FE results are correlated and validated with results from exhaustive rig tests.