PROJECT TITLE : TOROIDAL DRIVE FOR VEHICLE POWER OPTIMIZATION.

Objectives of project :

Design and development and testing of Half-toroidal drive .

Problem Definition :

a) Problems with conventional vehicle transmission system

1. Conventional transmission system uses single plate clutch , efficiency of this clutch is less
than 70%

2. Manual transmission gear box has gears namely 0-1-2-3-4-5 hence in order to move to top
gear one has to move d\form 0 (ie., neutral to 1) in which the following operations have to be
performed
A. Disengage clutch
B. Change gear
C. Gradually engage clutch
Thus three operations are to be performed while moving from one gear to another, hence in all
15 operations are performed to move to the top gear,
So also, In 1st gear speed cannot exceed 20 kmph, where as in 5th gear vehicle cannot be tracted
from stand still condition(eg. At traffic signal).
To add to the problems the transmission system utilizes complete engine speed range where as
engine gives best efficiency over a fixed range of speed.
Hence there is a need of automatic transmission with better efficiency , simpler and effort
–less operation.
 b) Problem with turbine transmission system

Here it is important to note that the generator generates electricity of 50 hertz frequency at an
optimum speed of 1500 rpm, so the gear box has to deliver this speed irrespective of what the wind
turbine speed is. Now as the wind speed is not constant and it varies in the range of 5 to 18 km/hr , wind
turbine speed is governed by controlling the blade angle or blade pitch , this leads to in-efficiency
because at high wind speed lesser amount of available wind power is absorbed by the turbine in order
to maintain turbine speed…this leads to under utilization of the system and loss of power .The
conventional gear box system used will offer maximum of five gear ratios, this brings limitation on
optimization of power production by the wind mill system.

Hence there is a need of automatic transmission with better efficiency , simpler and effort
–less operation for optimization of the wind power.
Solution to Problem : toroidal Transmission system
Principle of operation :

 One disc connects to the engine / wind turbine This is equivalent to the driver element .
 Another disc connects to the driven shaft of the vehicle / generator This is equivalent to the
driven element .
 Rollers, or wheels, located between the discs act like the belt, transmitting power from one
disc to the other.

The wheels can rotate along two axes. They spin around the horizontal axis and tilt in or out
around the vertical axis, which allows the wheels to touch the discs in different areas. When the wheels
are in contact with the driving disc near the center, they must contact the driven disc near the rim,
resulting in a reduction in speed and an increase in torque (i.e., low gear). When the wheels touch the
driving disc near the rim, they must contact the driven disc near the center, resulting in an increase in
speed and a decrease in torque (i.e., overdrive gear). A simple tilt of the wheels, then, incrementally
changes the gear ratio, providing for smooth, nearly instantaneous ratio changes.

CONCEPT OF VEHICLE POWER TRAIN

ADVANTAGES OF TOROIDAL SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOBILE SYSTEM:

Problems with conventional manual transmission used in automobile

 Conventional transmission system uses single plate clutch , efficiency of this clutch is
less than 70%
 Manual transmission gear box has gears namely 0-1-2-3-4-5 hence in order to move to
top gear one has to move d\form 0 (ie., neutral to 1) in which the following operations
have to be performed

D. Disengage clutch
E. Change gear
F. Gradually engage clutch
Thus three operations are to be performed while moving from one gear to another, hence in all
15 operations are performed to move to the top gear,
So also, In 1st gear speed cannot exceed 20 kmph, where as in 5th gear vehicle cannot be tracted
from stand still condition(eg. At traffic signal).
To add to the problems the transmission system utilizes complete engine speed range where as
engine gives best efficiency over a fixed range of speed.
The Toroidal transmission offers the following advantages over existing system:
1. The Toroidal system offers close to 80 speed ratios as compared to 5 transmission ratios of
manual gear box.
2. The toroidal system doesnot need a clutch for gear ratio change , the system will it self-act like
a clutch as well as gear box.
3. Speed and traction control is much more simpler and innovative as it is single lever control ,
thus fully automatic control is also possible.
4. Speed transmission being stepless , quick acceleration of vehicle is possible.
5.Takes less space as compared .
6. Low weight will result into improved fuel economy.
7. Low space for transmission …means improved cabin space.
8.Increased operator convenience….due to absence of clutch.
9. Low maintenance cost.
10. Computer control integration possible.

The Limitation of the unit are as follows

The only disadvantage of set up would be the cost…with multiple roller design in order to
improve capacity of unit …complexity of fubction.

Principle of operation of toroidal drive:

HALF TOROIDAL CVT
The Half Toroidal CVT is an innovative transmission that executes smooth,
continuous gear ratio changes by changing the angle of the power rollers between
the input disk and output disk.
 One disc connects to the engine. This is equivalent to the driving pulley.
 Another disc connects to the drive shaft. This is equivalent to the driven
pulley.
 Rollers, or wheels, located between the discs act like the belt, transmitting
power from one disc to the other

The wheels can rotate along two axes. They spin around the horizontal axis
and tilt in or out around the vertical axis, which allows the wheels to touch the
discs in different areas. When the wheels are in contact with the driving disc near
the center, they must contact the driven disc near the rim, resulting in a reduction
in speed and an increase in torque (i.e., low gear). When the wheels touch the
driving disc near the rim, they must contact the driven disc near the center,
resulting in an increase in speed and a decrease in torque (i.e., overdrive gear). A
simple tilt of the wheels, then, incrementally changes the gear ratio, providing for
smooth, nearly instantaneous ratio changes

Features
• Size and weight reductions achieved by eliminating the torque converter.
• Increased maximum torque by reducing variator load
• Improved efficiency for launching from a standing start through the low-speed
range
• Powerfully smooth drive at launching from a standing start.

Fig. Geometrical parameters of half-toroidal CVT

Table : Specification of the 2 power-roller variator

RANGE OF HALF TOROIDAL CVT

Input speed = 1000 rpm

Minimum output speed = 1000 x 0.427 = 427 rpm
Maximum output speed = 1000 x 2.344 = 2344 rpm
Range = 430 to 2300 rpm (approx)
Gear ratios possible = 200
Theoretical efficiency = 90 to 92 %