Powertrain
allow the inner tire to lose contact with the
The design of the powertrain assembly started
with obtaining the gear ratio and other vehicle
parameters (top speed and grade-ability)
subsequently, transmission system to be used is
selected. A custom gearbox was designed
according to the dynamic requirements of the
vehicle. The whole system was analyzed
considering the forces that would act on it.
Finally, the system was fabricated and
assembled with sound engineering practices.
THE REDUCTION GEARBOX
CVTech provides a maximum reduction of 3.0:1
and a minimum of 0.43:1. However, the torque
at the end of the CVT drive is not enough for
the current application. It was decided to have a
single speed gearbox with dual stage reduction
at the end of the powertrain assembly to
provide required torque at the wheels. So, a
custom gearbox was favored according to
required gear ratio.
DIFFERENTIAL
The options available were: Open differential,
Limited Slips Differential (LSD) and Spool system
(no differential). Open differentials were
discarded because they have a chance of getting
stuck in muddy terrains. LSDs solve the problem
of open differentials but are complex and
relatively difficult to design and manufacture.
Thus, spool drive was the best option because it
would not have the problem of open
differentials and would not be difficult to design
or manufacture. However, since a spool drive
would cause problems while turning, it was
decided that the suspension geometry is
designed such that the significant lateral mass
transfer would occur while turning. This would
road while cornering and solve the turning
problem.
GEARBOX DESIGN
The reduction ratio of the gearbox should be
enough to provide required torque at the
wheels so that the vehicle can quickly
accelerate and easily climb a gradient of 30
degrees. At the same time, the vehicle should
also reach a high-top speed.
Preference was given to grade-ability (hill
climbing ability of vehicle). The calculations
were done keeping in mind that the vehicle
should be able to climb a gradient of 30
degrees. Rolling resistance, gravitational force
component and air drag were considered while
calculating total force opposing the vehicle
motion. Along with the engine’s torque-speed
curve, the total opposing force was plotted as a
function of vehicle speed on MATLAB to obtain
the grade-ability and the top speed of the
vehicle. Two graphs were plotted, one at CVT
maximum ratio and one at CVT minimum ratio.
plot showing top speed (left)and grade-
ability(right). Grade-ability is 33 degrees and
top speed is 57kmph.
Thus, the gearbox reduction ratio was finalized
with an iterative process in which four
conditions were set:
1. Minimum angle that can be climbed
should be 33 degrees
2. Top speed should not exceed 60 kmph
as per guidelines
 3. At maximum reduction ratio, traction
on the road should not be lost
4. During acceleration on a grade of 30
degrees, the vehicle should not topple
backward
After several iterations, the reduction
ratio was calculated to be 8.89:1.
GEARBOX HOUSING DESIGN
The material of the housing was decided as
6061-T6 Aluminum because of its high strength
to weight ratio. A preliminary design was
prepared with a thickness of 5mm.
Forces due to gears on the housing were
calculated by applying basic moment balance
equations. Using finite element analysis, the
housing was iteratively optimized, and the final
design was prepared.
BEARING SELECTION
Due to the pressure angle of teeth on meshing
gears, forces are transferred to the gear shaft in
two directions. For this purpose, bearings were
studied, and fatigue life calculations were done
as per the SKF Bearing standards. All the
bearings were selected according to these
calculations and it was ensured that the load
ratings of the bearings were enough so that
they would not fail for 500 hours of running at
maximum rotational speed.
CVT TUNING
The transmission must allow for quick and
appropriate gear transitions. At launch, a
vehicle must overcome its standing inertia to
gain speed and obtain a beneficial start. Ideally,
in acceleration event, top speed should be
maintained for the longer duration of time. This
means a lower range of gear ratio is needed to
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complete the run in less time. Whereas in hill
climbing or suspension traction event more
torque is required for most of the time to
ascend the slope and for traction. Engine speed
and CVT ratio play the largest roles in achieving
desired vehicle dynamics, but the regulatory
components of the transmission make it all
possible and adjustable.
The procedure for CVT tuning starts with the
programming in Arduino Uno for measurement
of rpm of the driver and driven pulley
respectively. Infrared sensors are used for this
purpose. The program returns the computed
rpm.
The above procedure is performed for the
different combinations of flyweight’s mass and
the spring rate. There is a total of 4
combinations as there are 2 different masses of
flyweights and 2 different springs. The
measured engine rpm is plotted against the CVT
ratio.
It can be inferred from the graph that 275g
flyweight gives more torque than the 250g
flyweight whereas it is the other way around in
the case of speed.
plot showing the CVT ratio at different engine
speed; mass 250 gram (upper) and mass
275g(lower) for same spring rate.
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