Ricardo's small slick shifter
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• Ricardo Consulting Engineers has developed a new fully-automatic gearbox for the light CV market as part of its extensive transmission research programme. The gearbox has been developed from the Avon/Maxwell bus transmission, using similar wet clutches and layshafts. The new geartrain, which is untried at present, has been fitted to a Ford Fiesta gearbox casing for future research and trials.
The basis of the system is a number of layshafts to which are fitted hydraulically-activated wet clutches that take the place of the synchromesh cones in a normal synchro gearbox. Gear changes are made by hydraulically activating the particular clutch for the gear. On the Ricardo system the control of the hydraulics is handled by an electronic management system that forms the second part of the company's transmission research.
The mechanics of the gear box are known as the Automatic Layshaft Transmission (ALT), and the electronic control is the Advanced Powertrain Management System (APMS). It is planned to integrate the APMS system with the existing engine management systems in cases where a total power-train management system would be of use.
The company claims that the weight and price of the new gearbox will be compatible with an ordinary synchromesh unit.