Mechanical · Automotive (Powertrain)
Transmission Gear Ratio Optimization
Intermediate 5 weeks 35-50 hours
Design multi-speed transmission. Optimize gear ratios for fuel efficiency and performance. Model vehicle acceleration and fuel consumption over driving cycles.
Major
Mechanical
Focus area
Automotive (Powertrain)
Total hours
35-50 hours
What you'll need
- Software only - Python, vehicle simulation tools, MATLAB
Steps
- Pick a vehicle and gather its mass, engine torque curve, and tire size.
- Build a vehicle model in Python or MATLAB that calculates acceleration and fuel use.
- Simulate a standard driving cycle with a baseline set of gear ratios.
- Write an optimization routine that searches for better ratios.
- Compare 0-60 time and fuel economy for the baseline and optimized designs.
- Document the model and results for your portfolio.
What to photograph for your portfolio
- Gear ratio selection table
- vehicle acceleration curves
- fuel consumption graphs
- efficiency maps
Resume bullet starters
Copy one, then swap in your own numbers.
Engineered a transmission gear ratio optimization using Transmission design, vehicle dynamics, gear theory
Applied optimization and data analysis to implement, test, and validate the analysis end-to-end
Skills you'll show off
Transmission designvehicle dynamicsgear theoryoptimizationdata analysis