The principle of a manual transmission can be described as follows: at different speeds the torque is transmitted through a pair of gears with different diameter ratio.

When the torque is transmitted by one pair all the rest rotate in free mode, without coupling with the shaft. When switching gears, the driver mechanically disconnects the current working pair of gears from the shaft and connects another one with help of the lever. 

Each pair of gears works at a high speed of rotation and under a high load – after all it should move the whole car. The gear teeth engage and detach each other hundreds of times per second. Calculating the shape of a gear and its teeth is a complex engineering task.

If teeth are well lubricated and have a proper shape they get in contact smoothly – the mechanism works relatively quietly and evenly. If a teeth for any reason looses its original shape there appear vibrations and various noises. Sometimes it is said that "the box is humming" or "the box is howling". The sound tone depends on the speed of rotation of the shafts and gears. This is not surprising – the faster the pair rotates the more often damaged teeth goes in contact and thus the higher the frequency of the hum or howl.

Below are some particularly common cases in which the use of tribotechnical compounds can solve the problem.

Damaged gear pair will make noises when it is under the load. When it spins freely the sound volume and vibrations are much lower. This is helpful to know to detect an exact problem with your manual or semi-automatic clutchless gearbox.

When noise comes always at one and the same gear it is very probable that exactly this gear part is worn there are some scratches on its teeth.

There are various manual gearbox oil additives aimed to resolve this problem. They are using different principles and technologies. Atomium MSGB compound restores worn surfaces and gives them ability to retain dense oil film. Nothing more. It doesn’t change properties of transmission fluid, does not use third-party materials – e.g. soft metals such as cuprum – to form soft “gaskets” between steel teeth. This is advantage of Atomium technology.

Hard shifting can be caused by wear of ledges and grooves that connect gears with the shaft or wear of the teeth of synchronizers. Even a small violation in the exact position of the gear force its teeth inaccurately fall into the grooves of the gear. Switching occurs with a noticeable effort, sometimes not from the first attempt.

Atomium transmission fluid additive isn’t able to restore the shape of synchronizers because they made of brass and the compound is active only with steel. However it may restore teeth of synchronizer clutch and improve its lubrication. Parts engagement becomes easier.

In case an irritating noise goes on all the time no matter what gear you are using the reason is very probably a worn out bearing. If noise is louder at idle time on neutral gear – the problem happens with bearing of input shaft. When noise appear as car moves – a bearing of output shaft is worn out. 

Manual gearbox oil additive is able to resolve these problem avoiding costly repair. The shape of groove in bearing races may be restored in the same manner as worn out surfaces of gear teeth. The recovery process is most active exactly where there are the greatest problems – local loads are always higher where micro-shock occurs. It ensures the right shape of race at the end. Bearing balls stop hitting the race, noise and vibration goes away.

This feature makes the use of a tribotechnical additive useful, for example, after installation of a new bearing. The compound facilitates and accelerates the correct running-in of parts.

Sometimes it happens that a brand new transmission or a recently bulkhead gearbox does not work smoothly. The reason behind it may be not well lapped parts which still require some running in. 

In this situation, the application of the Atomium additive can help to speed up the process of running-in to make it more effective. In some points particles of compound helps to destruct micro-peaks if the surface has a suboptimal roughness. All over the surface it builds up a tiny protective layer, which is better lubricated. This allows you to quickly and safely run in a new box and get rid of noise.

ADVANTAGES 

Tribotechnical compound (gearbox additive) MGSB refers to a class of products that are commonly called additives or additives to transmission oil. Various additives available in auto chemical stores have a different principle of action, although they promise similar effects: easier gear shifting, reduced noise. Tribotechnical compound has several advantages which are explained below.

The active component of the tribo-compound is active minerals of the ultramafic group. Minerals affect the friction surfaces of steel rubbing parts and let them to capture metallic particles out of lubricant. The restoration process goes on until the friction clearances are optimal for the system. Then temperature and pressure in friction areas go down which makes mineral inactive.

Mineral particles are constantly in the oil, and if they settle in different parts of the gearbox when idle, they are easily washed away by the oil flow when starting the unit. They do not clog the oil filter, because the size is much smaller than its cell. They do not disrupt the operation of non-steel of the box, because they do not interact with composite materials, non-ferrous metals or rubber. The mineral particles are also not able to change the properties of the transmission oil or the package of chemical additives in it in any way.

The only thing that the tribo-compound can do is to restore a worn out friction surface. This ensures that there are no side effects or imbalances in the operation of the unit's components.

A number of additives for gearboxes use soft metals: copper, zinc etc. Some others contain molybdenum disulphide. By filling cavities and worn areas, these metals decrease roughness and facilitate engagement, the molybdenum film improves sliding. However, this coating is very fragile, soft metals quickly wear out.

To maintain this coating, it is necessary that they are constantly in the lubricating oil in sufficient quantity. At the same time copper and zinc are gradually deposited in various sections of the gearbox and are no longer lifted by the passing oil flow. Their concentration in the oil drops. The coating on the friction surfaces is worn and can not be restored, so the effect of using such an additive gradually decreases and may disappear completely.

In contrast to such additives Atomium MGSB compound creates a metallic protective layer, which is tightly connected with the original surface of the part. It is significantly more resistant to wear than the coating with soft metals. After treatment with tribo-compound the layer remains in place for 130-160 thousand kilometres regardless of how many times transmission oil is changed.