Implicit regulation for automotive variators

A well-known practice uses mechanical variators to realize the so-called continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) for automotive application. A remarkable problem for one of the most used CVTs is given by the hydraulic control of the axial thrust on the half-pulleys that is necessary for torque transmission. It involves a heavy decrease in transmission efficiency. In the present paper, the possible production of the required axial thrust by a simple spring to eliminate hydraulic losses is analysed. It is shown that the power capacity of such a regulated variator is near to the maximum possible, and the belt torque loss is always considerably lower than the sum of the belt and pump losses…