A dual-clutch transmission (DCT) (sometimes referred to as a twin-clutch transmission) is a type of multi-speed vehicle transmission system,that uses two separate clutches for odd and even gear sets.The design is often similar to two separate manual transmissions with their respective clutches contained within one housing, and working as one unit. In car and truck applications, the DCT functions as an automatic transmission, requiring no driver input to change gears.
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The dual clutch transmission operates via several in-built computers. These computers eliminate the need for the driver to manually change gears and the entire process is automated. In this respect, a DCT can be looked upon as being similar to an automatic transmission. The fundamental principle of a DCT is that one clutch drives a gear-set for the even-numbered gears, while the other clutch drives the odd-numbered gears.
Since the DCT can pre-select an odd gear while the vehicle is being propelled in an even gear (or vice versa), DCTs can shift several times faster than what is possible with a manual transmission.
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By timing the operation of one clutch to engage at the precise moment that the other is disengaging, a DCT can shift gears without interrupting the torque supply to the wheels.A DCT uses clutch packs (as per a manual transmission), rather than the torque converter used by traditional (hydraulic) automatic transmissions./wikipedia
