The Engineering Behind Muncie Start
Featured in Muncie Power Quarterly, Issue 3, 2018
Operators of work truck
equipment with high-inertia
or heavy loads
stand to gain increased life
for their system’s hydraulic
components and decreased
life wear on their transmission
with Muncie Power Products’
new modulated clutch engagement
system – Muncie Start.
Released in the second quarter of 2018, Muncie Start reduces the startup torque for high-inertia or heavy loads – which has commonly led to wear on the truck’s power take-off, subsequently driven mechanical components and even its transmission.
“The primary point of the Muncie Start is to reduce the startup torque of the PTO by proportionately engaging the clutches,” explained Design Engineer III – Controls Kevin Wijesekera.
Gradually engaging the power take-off’s clutch mechanism results in a smooth engagement. This is opposed to the traditional shock load encountered when the power take-off is engaged and abrupt startup torque is generated, as the power take-off accelerates the load from stationary to full speed – according to Senior Design Engineer Brian Perry.
In order to create a solution to reduce the startup torque and alleviate wear, the engineering team at Muncie Power Products had to take an approach combining both electrical and mechanical engineering. Muncie Start was developed through this approach as an external solution, inserted between the power take-off switch and the solenoid, to tame the startup torque. Using electrical engineering, Muncie Start reduces the startup torque via waveform.
“The electric module sends a specific waveform on startup to soft engage the clutches,” Wijesekera noted from an electrical standpoint. “This waveform is preprogrammed and unique to certain PTO lines.”
While Muncie Start uses electrical engineering to reduce the startup torque, it also relies on mechanical engineering to respond to the electrical waveform and reduce the startup torque mechanically.
Perry likens this to a
light bulb with a dimmer
switch versus a light
bulb with a normal
on/off switch. As Perry
shared, “It [Muncie Start]
works by controlling the
hydraulic flow of oil into
the clutch piston. Instead
of abruptly opening a valve
from fully closed to fully
open, we can now control
that valve and gradually
increase the pressure in
the clutch pack.”
Utilizing this combined approach, Muncie Power’s engineering team was able to develop a solution that has not only reduced startup torque but surpassed the reduced torque levels of its competitor. As Perry explained, the use of Muncie Start results in up to an 85 percent reduction in torque and controls the time in a longer, non-destructive fashion to accelerate the load from stationary to full speed compared to the competitor’s solution, which accelerates that same high-inertia load from stationary to full speed in about 0.3 seconds (plus it amplifies the torque) according to lab testing results.
“In this case, slower is better since that equates to a more gradual and smooth acceleration, which means less torque loading and less shock to the driven equipment,” noted Perry.
Brian Perry - Senior Design Engineer
When he’s not at work, Brian Perry
enjoys performing music, cycling, church
activities and trying to keep up with his
family. He holds a Master of Science in
mechanical engineering from Oklahoma
State University and has been with the
company since January of 2016. Brian
is married to his wife, Rhonda, and they
have two children – Ethan and Jocelyn.
Kevin Wijesekera - Design Engineer III – Controls
A member of the Muncie Power Products team for more than three years, Kevin Wijesekera holds two degrees – one in mechanical and one in electrical engineering. Kevin is a graduate of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and works on the company’s electrical/ software products. He is married to his wife, Karen.