Eaton’s new Endurant transmission - Don’t call it an AMT

[kscarbel2]

James Menzies, Truck News  /  October 19, 2017

MARSHALL, Mich. – Eaton’s new Endurant transmission – and its Paccar twin – are the North American trucking industry’s first purpose-built purely automated transmissions.

There are no, and will never be, manual versions of these transmissions, which were built from a clean sheet design to operate as automated transmissions. The result is a lighter-weight design – 200 lbs [90.7 kg] lighter compared to the UltraShift Plus – which also delivers faster, more precise shifting as well as serviceability benefits.

“With an AMT (automated manual transmission), you started with a manual gearbox, so you had constraints where the shift pattern had to make sense to the driver,” explained Matt Erdmann, manager of program management with Eaton. “With Endurant, we said we are not holding onto any preconceived anything. We started with a clean sheet of paper and did what made sense. So, it took a lot of restrictions off our engineering team.”

One key departure from traditional AMTs is that the Endurant features linear shift rails, eliminating the traditional sideways shift pattern that was required on manual transmissions to make them driver-friendly.

“You would have to have three arms to try to shift this manually,” Erdmann explained. “Linear shift rails allow us to optimize the design for speed and reliability. You don’t have any wasted motion sideways.”

His comments were made during a press ride-and-drive near Battle Creek, Mich., this week. I drove a 2018 Peterbilt 579 with Cummins X15 engine rated at 450 hp and the Eaton Endurant automated transmission. We were loaded to about 70,000 lbs [31,751 kg] GVW and drove a route consisting of a mix of freeway and secondary highways. The transmission was designed for linehaul applications and to operate efficiently on both types of roads. On the Interstate, we cruised along in 12^th gear at about 1,100 rpm and on the secondary roads, the transmission dropped to 11^th gear so it would enjoy the fuel economy benefits of direct drive while at slower road speeds. Eaton calls this shift schedule algorithm Gear Logic.

The transmission shifted quickly, and readily skip-shifted up to eighth gear. The Endurant also had predictive cruise, which would adjust the vehicle speed based on GPS data of the terrain we were traveling over and about to encounter to take advantage of the truck’s momentum and reduce the need for downshifting.

Our route took us to Eaton’s Marshall, Mich., proving grounds, where we got to try out the Endurant’s low-speed features, including urge to move. This allows the truck to creep forward or backwards at a steady speed of about 1.5 mph when the brake is released, great for docking or coupling. It even worked when I parked halfway up a 15% grade. It’s a nice feature for crawling along in stop-and-go traffic. You can work through the gears manually by working the shifter stalk, which is mounted on the steering column.

Eaton’s new Endurant has been calibrated to provide optimum shifting when mated to the Cummins X15 engine and is available on Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks spec’d for linehaul applications. Those trucks powered by the Paccar MX engines will receive the Paccar-branded version of this transmission, which is identical from a hardware perspective – aside from the badging – but contains different shift calibrations based on the operating parameters of that engine.

“The only important difference is the shift calibrations for the Paccar transmission are optimized for the Paccar engine and the Endurant for the Cummins engine. Beyond that, if you look at the two side by side, the Paccar transmission has some branding on it but there are no functional changes inside the gearbox,” Erdmann explained.

Both transmissions can be ordered with Economy or Standard configurations, with standard offering some more performance-minded shift scheduling. The biggest improvement over previous Eaton AMTs is the faster and smoother shifting, enabled in part by a new 430-millimeter, cushioned, self-adjust organic clutch.

“The clutch itself is a big contributor to the low-speed maneuverability you get,” Erdmann explained. “Those smooth launches and great control you get when starting to move.”

It also uses a diaphragm spring, which should contribute to greater reliability. The clutch actuation method has also been improved.

Looking at the transmission confirms there is, in fact, a noticeable difference from a traditional AMT. The Endurant has a sleek, compact design with wiring and sensors housed internally and very little in the way of extraneous parts bolted on.

“It’s very streamlined and very weight-efficient,” said Scott Davis, who heads up the Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies joint venture that is rolling out the new product. “If you took a manual and automated it, you are adding stuff to it as opposed to designing around it.”

This is the first product rolled out under the Eaton-Cummins joint venture that was announced a few weeks ago, but the Endurant was in the works for 3.5 years. Eaton worked closely with both Cummins and Paccar through that period to integrate the products.

Davis feels the Endurant will quickly displace other Eaton transmissions currently being spec’d in linehaul applications.

“In linehaul, I think that the Endurant will quickly phase out previous products. It’s that much better,” he said.

Fortunately, with its 110,000-lb [49,895 kg] GVW limit and ability to handle up to 1,850 lb.-ft. of torque, it will also be a viable option for Canadian fleets grossing more than the standard U.S. weight of 80,000 lbs. [36,287 kg] Jordan Rock, systems engineer, who was along with me for the drive, said that was a key design consideration.

In addition to improved drivability that will be appreciated by drivers, service managers will also find things to like on the new Endurant. The clutch actuator is now housed where it can be accessed without pulling the transmission.

“This can be repaired in a matter of hours, versus a full day or longer when you have to remove the transmission to get to a concentric-style actuator that’s packaged around the input shaft,” said Erdmann.

The oil drain intervals have been stretched out to 750,000 miles [1,207,008 km], compared to the 500,000-mile [804,672 km] intervals on the UltraShift Plus products. It also uses half the lubricant, thanks to a precision lube system that directs lubricant exactly where it’s needed. The Endurant also comes loaded with prognostics, which will notify a fleet when a failure could occur. That communication is conducted through whichever telematics system the fleet us currently using.

There’s also a fluid pressure sensor that notifies the driver when the fluid is reaching a critical low point and a sight glass so maintenance managers can see how much lubrication remains.

While the new Endurant may be the first purpose-built purely automated transmission, Eaton officials said they are confident future transmission innovations will be based around automation.

“It was a big investment to do this,” acknowledged Erdmann. “This takes a lot of time and money. I think you saw AMTs evolve because that’s where the market was – there wasn’t great demand for automation back 10 years ago, and us, as companies, when we were releasing products it made sense to bring both products into the market at the same time – an automated and a manual. I think as you look forward throughout the industry, linehaul has switched to automation and there isn’t that call for manuals. So, you won’t see a lot of significant investments in brand new manual transmissions – it just doesn’t make sense for the industry. I think any revolutionary change going forward will be automation focused.”

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[kscarbel2]

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[Timmyb]

Sounds like one giant leap forward for eaton/paccar and I guess cummins. 

I don't like AMT's but these things actually sounds good. Does eaton plan on selling outside of North America? I read that paccar intend to use it strictly for the North American market. 

Its probably a bit light for Australia but if the can increase its load capacity it will be a good seller down here too if imagine. 

[kscarbel2]

Endurant automated transmission: A league of its own

Aaron March, Fleet Owner  /  October 20, 2017

Some 42 months before the new Endurant automated transmission's launch, the program engineers locked themselves in an abandoned warehouse to start completely from scratch. Well, not quite, but close — and it was about that consummate a ground-up effort.

It was a very tightly-scheduled process that took three-and-a-half years, and there's no slack in that time frame that could've been cut out to accelerate the process. And instead of automating a traditional manual transmission, this flagship transmission from Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies is free from certain constraints and has some smart, new thinking built in.

For example, rated to handle 110,000 lbs. [49,895 kg] and weighing in with fluids at 657 lbs. [298 kg], the Endurant is lighter than most automated manual transmissions. How do you do that?

One way is to use less lubricant. Rather than having the gears essentially sitting in a "lube bath," the Endurant targets lubrication and sprays it directly where it's needed. Matt  Erdmann, manager of program management for the Eaton-Cummins joint venture, compares more typical transmission lubrication to the operation of a riverboat's paddle wheel.

"That's essentially what your gears are when they're in an oil bath," he explained. On a riverboat, "that impeller goes around, and you're losing energy with every tooth that hits that water bath."

"Well, there's a lot more effective way of getting gears lubricated if you just spray it at them," he added.

Here are some scenes and insights from a trip this week to Eaton Proving Grounds in Marshall, MI, where members of the media got a chance to test out the Endurant.

Photo gallery - http://fleetowner.com/powertrain/endurant-automated-transmission-league-its-own#slide-0-field_images-229031

[kscarbel2]

Cummins, Eaton joint venture expected to profit in 2020

Truck News  /  August 3, 2018

COLUMBUS, Indiana – A Cummins and Eaton joint venture that was developed in 2017 is expected to be profitable by 2020, Cummins president and chief operating officer Richard Freeland said when releasing financial results for the second quarter of 2018.

Current losses for Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies are expected to be halved in 2019, with a break-even point to be reached the following year.

“The combined powertrain product is doing terrific as we introduced the new product, and more importantly, as we’ve done the integration work between the engine and the transmission,” he said.

The first product to emerge through the joint venture was the 12-speed automated Endurant transmission.

It isn’t the only partnership playing a role in future business plans, either.

Cummins, which recently acquired Efficient Drivetrains Inc. as part of its electrification strategy for commercial vehicles, is also forming a joint venture with Chinese JAC Motors following Navistar’s exit from that business.

Tom Linebarger, Cummins chairman and chief executive officer, says the company will benefit from JAC’s strong exporter status in overseas markets that follow China 6 emissions standards. Cummins’ market share in the region is expected to grow significantly – perhaps double – in five years, he said.

[storkmack]

Our new Pete has the Endurant.   Will report on it once we get it on the road. 

[Dirtymilkman]

There's a couple "test" Kenworth's around here pulling farm milk pickup tankers. The guys hate them compared to the Allisons. The main complaint is the skip shifting. With partial loads the milk rocks in the truck and it makes for a sore back. For fully loaded loads they work good. Backing up is a lot better with these compared to the ultra shifts. But so far the Allison is the winner.