Development of a model of the dual clutch transmission in autonomie and validation with dynamometer test data

Owing to ever more stringent regulations and customers’ expectations, auto manufacturers have been considering numerous technology options to improve vehicle fuel economy. One of these is transmission technology, which has been shown to be one of the most cost-effective technologies. Over the past few years, transmissions have significantly evolved and have impacted both performance and fuel efficiency. As one of the advanced tranmissions, the dual clutch transmission (DCT) is the first automatic transmission to provide better efficiency than manual transmissions. DCTs provide reduced shift shocks and better driver comfort in addition to higher top speeds and torques. In this paper, a model and shifting controller for the DCT are developed in the vehicle systems context using Autonomie, a model-based vehicle simulation tool. Finally, the Autonomie DCT model and control strategy are validated using vehicle test data from Argonne’s Advanced Powertrain Research Facility.