Infinitely and Continuously Variable Full Toroidal Traction Drive Transmissions for Transverse Applications in Sub A, A & B Sector

Vehicles
Chris Brockbank & David Burtt
Torotrak (Development) Ltd, 1 Aston Way, Leyland, Lancashire, England

Abstract: The Torotrak full toroidal traction drive transmission technology is most commonly associated with high power and torque applications for large rear wheel drive saloons & Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) in Geared Neutral Infinitely Variable Transmission (IVT) format. More recently, Torotrak has announced the first commercial launch of the Full Toroidal technology in a high volume, compact, traction drive IVT for use in the commercial and domestic garden tractor market in USA and Europe. To succeed in this highly competitive market sector, significant redesign and invention were required to achieve the stringent cost, weight and package targets. The result is a highly simplified, low cost two roller Variator design that is ideal for low power and torque applications. Torotrak have now applied the two roller Variator design to the Automotive market to produce two new transmission concepts for transverse applications a Compact IVT (CIVT) for entry level vehicles for emerging economies and the European Microcar market and a Toroidal Continuously Variable Transmission (TCVT) for European and Asian A & B class fwd vehicles. Keywords: IVT, CVT, toroidal, traction drive 1. Introduction The Torotrak full toroidal traction drive Variator system is a simple variable drive technology with many applications ranging from low-power ancillary drive units through to multi-regime transmissions suitable for passenger cars, SUVs, buses, trucks and Off-Highway vehicles. The heart of the traction drive infinitely variable transmission is the Variator. The Variator can be utilised either as a direct drive unit (for example, as an auxiliary drive or CVT), in a single regime shunt (for a low-power Off-Highway vehicle application), as a twin regime shunt (for typical automotive

applications) or as a variable component within a multi-regime shunt (for high torque On- and OffHighway vehicles). A key characteristic of the Torotrak Variator is its ability to be scaled which leads to the broad range of applications irrespective of power level. The torque and power capacity of the Variator is determined by a number of factors including: 1. the number of toroidal cavities in the Variator (single or twin cavities), 2. the number of rollers in each toroidal cavity (two or three) and 3. the size of the discs and rollers; increasing the roller diameter increases the torque capacity of the unit. Figure 1 below describes the applicability of the Torotrak full toroidal Variator technology:
Variator size (roller diameter mm) Off Highway, Trucks & Buses SUVs RWD Cars FWD cars Outdoor Power Equipment Auxiliary Drives Torque

140 120 100 80 60 40

Figure 1: IVT Applications In each of the market sectors described above, Torotrak has active projects with customers who are applying the companys IPR and know-how. 2. The Full Toroidal Traction Drive Variator The core of all Torotrak traction drive transmissions is the full toroidal traction drive Variator. The Variator comprises toroidally shaped metal discs and rollers and, until now, has been arranged as two identical cavities. Each cavity therefore consists of an input disc driven by the engine and a similar output disc which is ultimately connected to the road wheels.

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The space between each pair of discs forms a hollow doughnut shape or toroid. Within each toroidal space are the rollers once again, until now, three rollers per cavity have been employed. The rollers transfer the power and torque from the input discs to the output discs. The angle of the roller determines the ratio of the Variator and therefore a change in the angle of the roller results in a change in the ratio. So, with the roller at a small radius (near the centre) on the input disc and at a large radius (near the edge) on the output disc, the Variator produces a low ratio. Moving the roller across the discs to a large radius at the input disc and corresponding low radius at the output produces the high ratio and provides the full ratio sweep in a smooth, continuous manner.
1 1. The input disc(s) Powered by the engine 2. The variator roller(s) Transfer power and match Disc speeds 3. The output disc(s) Transmit power to the drive shaft 4. Ratio Change Rollers steer like a castor to reflect the ratio change. 4 4 2 3 3 2 1

Castor Angle

Tangential Force

Endload

Endload

Reaction Force

Figure 3: Variator Force Balance Trapped between the rolling edge of the roller and the surface of the disc is a thin film of traction fluid which not only separates the components (ensuring that there is no metal to metal contact so eliminating component wear) but also transfers the forces between the rotating discs. This is due to the long chain molecules of the traction fluid that interact with each other when the fluid is compressed resulting in a highly viscous state when under pressure. Therefore, as pressure is exerted at the contact points between the rollers and the discs, the oil resists the tendency to slide and transmits the force effectively.

Figure 2: Full Toroidal Torque Controlled Variator Force is applied to the rollers via hydro-mechanical actuation via a piston (one per roller) producing the tangential force on the contacts and the discs are clamped together with an end load arrangement to produce the normal load. Application of these forces reacts torque between the input and output discs of the Variator ultimately delivering wheel torque to the road. Figure 3 defines the forces in the Variator by considering a single roller in the Variator. The piston is mounted at an angle to the Variator known as the Castor Angle. Application of the reaction force through the Castor Angle enables the rollers to self steer in the Variator to a new angle of inclination hence achieving a new ratio. Figure 4: Traction Fluid Contact Patch The Variator provides a wide ratio spread but needs to be incorporated within a split-power mechanical shunt arrangement to provide neutral, forward and reverse rotation and generation of the required output torques. Depending upon the arrangement, a single or multi regime Geared Neutral Infinitely Variable Transmissions (IVT) or a clutch start Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) results.

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3. Incorporating a full toroidal Variator into a Geared Neutral IVT Incorporating a Geared Neutral arrangement (using a epicyclic gear set in a mechanical shunt) with a variable drive system dispenses with a separate launch device and produces an Infinitely Variable Transmission (IVT) rather than a traditional CVT. In a typical arrangement for a premium automotive application, the engine is connected to both the planet carrier of a mixing epicyclic and the input of the Variator. The output from the Variator is connected to both the sun gear of the epicyclic and the output shaft of the transmission through a wet plate clutch (the high regime clutch). The annulus of the epicyclic is also linked to the output shaft of the transmission through another wet plate clutch (the low regime clutch). A typical automotive IVT layout is given in Figure 4:
Low Regime Clutch R1 Input C Epicyclic Rce S High Regime Clutch R2 Rv A
R3

These developments have proved the fuel economy, emission and driveability benefits of the IVT, advanced the durability of the Variator, further increased the power capacity and achieved Proof of Technology status with a number of automotive and Off-Highway OEMs and Tier 1 transmission manufacturers covering the key topics of : Geared neutral operation IVT & twin regime functionality Variator contact geometry Variator durability Variator power capacity

The outcome of these developments is a significant downsizing and simplification of the transmission. This has provided the opportunity to develop transmission solutions for lower torque and power applications for both On- & Off-Highway.

Output

5. Outdoor Power Equipment IVT The Outdoor Power Equipment (OPE) market is lead by the USA where approximately 2 million commercial and domestic Ride-On lawn mowers are sold each year. The existing variable drive transmission for this market is the hydrostatic transmission. The Torotrak IVT provides increased control, features and functionality over the hydrostatic drive and in order to compete in this cost competitive market, both the transmission and the Variator required significant simplification in both design and operation. Recognising the low power and torque requirements of this market, the simplification was primarily achieved by utilising a single regime IVT with a single cavity Variator design, reducing the number of rollers in the cavity from three to two and introducing a simple yoke style mechanical roller control mechanism. The base principles of operation of the Variator are maintained with the castor angle generated by an offset on the carriage stem with the rollers pivoting about a central pin and forces applied through a single yoke. The result is a significant cost and weight saving due to the reduced parts count and simplicity of the parts and control system.

Figure 5: Torotrak IVT Layout The epicyclic is configured to allow the summation of the two driven members to produce a zero speed condition on the third member, resulting in a geared neutral transmission. A typical automotive IVT therefore has two operating regimes; low regime is a recirculating power system providing geared neutral, forward and reverse drive; high regime extends the ratio of the transmission in forward drive to provide high overdrive capability (circa 100kph / 1000 rpm). The IVT arrangement is not limited to two regimes; other applications have been designed to sweep the Variator ratio a number of times in order to achieve the desired power density and to deliver high tractive effort. For example, an off-highway IVT application can be configured with four or more regimes, which allows the Variator to be swept many times as the IVT shifts from full reverse to full forwards. 4. One technology, many applications Due to the high power and torque capability of the full toroidal Variator, Torotrak has traditionally focussed on developing the technology in geared neutral, twin regime IVTs for large On- and OffHighway vehicles.

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Compact IVT (C-IVT) At a recent briefing in Frankfurt, CSM provided a clear insight into the automotive market place, identifying the key areas of growth with respect to vehicle production.

North America Europe Japan Asia (non Japan) Rest of World Total

2007 15.3 m 21.0 m 10.7 m 13.6 m 6.0 m 66.6 m

2013 16.8 m 24.0 m 11.1 m 22.5 m 6.3 m 80.7 m

% Growth 9.8 % 14.3 % 3.3 % 65.4 % 5.0 % 21.1 %

Table 1: Estimated Automotive Production Volumes Figure 6: Two Roller Control Mechanism This two roller Variator design has been validated and Series Production of a single regime IVT incorporating the Variator has commenced through Infinitrak, a US based joint venture company between Torotrak and MTD Inc. of Ohio. Clearly, the emerging mass markets in Asia show the greatest potential for growth in production and hence sales of automobiles. When considering that the total population of countries in these emerging markets in Asia exceeds 2 billion without including China, the growth figures are not surprising. Hence the automotive solutions for these markets may not necessarily be the same solution as for the established markets of Europe, Japan & North America and need to be simple, low-cost and efficient whilst being easy to use, technically innovative and, critically, of high quality. Torotraks solution is to provide two pedal driving via a simple single regime IVT incorporating the proven two roller, single cavity, full toroidal Variator design from the OPE sector. The resulting transmission is targeted an assumed typical entry level vehicle application with circa 20 kW and 40 Nm and a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of circa 850 kg. Use of the two roller, single cavity, single regime Variator, results in an ultra low cost transmission in a compact package which meets the packaging requirements of the target application. The arrangement is detailed in Figure 8 and comprises a 90mm roller diameter Variator in a package length of 340 mm. This specification is similar to the European Microcar providing a single transmission solution for both markets.

Figure 7 Infinitrak Production IVT 6. FWD Automotive Applications The success of the two roller design of Variator has lead Torotrak to apply the system to higher power and torque applications and hence focus on transmission systems for entry level vehicles, Sub A, A & B class vehicles. Torotrak have now applied the two roller Variator design to the Automotive market to produce two new transmission concepts for transverse applications a Compact IVT (CIVT) for entry level vehicles for emerging economies and the European Microcar market and a Toroidal Continuously Variable Transmission (TCVT) for European and Asian A & B class fwd vehicles.

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340 mm

considered against the benefits in torque capacity, efficiency and performance. Toroidal CVT (T-CVT) For A & B segment front wheel drive vehicles in both Europe and the more established Asian markets, the traditional approaches to an automatic transmission solution are unattractive on the grounds of cost, weight, package and driveability. Hence a fresh concept is required. The result is the Toroidal Continuously Variable Transmission (T-CVT). The T-CVT solution combines the proven two roller design with the developments from the high end automotive products. The change to a CVT from an IVT retains the smooth seamless driving experience whilst dispensing with the mechanical componentry associated with the split power path shunt. A simple, low-cost, small and lightweight automatic transmission solution is created. The heart of the T-CVT is the two roller Variator from the C-IVT but now expanded to a twin cavity arrangement to handle the increased power, torque and duty cycle requirements of a mainstream A or B segment vehicle. Figure 10 shows the principle details of this transmission.

Figure 8: C-IVT Due to the ability of the variable drive transmission to optimise engine operation, the C-IVT provides an 11% reduction in 0 60 kph time when compared to a 4 speed manual transmission without a compromise in fuel economy . The transmission has now been realised in hardware and is under test.

Figure 10: T-CVT layout The T-CVT comprises four key elements: Figure 9: Prototype C-IVT on Test For slightly higher power, torque or vehicle weight applications, the single cavity design can be expanded to a twin cavity design. The resulting increase in parts count and package needs to be Torotrak full toroidal traction drive Variator. A clutch pack A simple hydraulic valve block A conventional final drive gearset

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One of the innovative aspects of the T-CVT is the position of the clutch pack compared to conventional CVTs; the Variator input is connected directly to the engine with the clutch pack located on the Variator output. Hence, the engine is permanently connected to the Variator. Whilst this appears to be an unusual location for the launch clutches, it is the same position as the regime clutches in Torotraks premium automotive twin regime IVT transmissions, therefore their torque capacity is not in doubt. The power requirement of the clutches is the same as if they were fitted at the transmission input. The key benefit of this arrangement is a robust traction drive Variator that cannot be damaged by shock loading on launch as the Variator rotates whenever the engine is rotating even in neutral. The clutch pack is connected to the Variator by both a Hy-Vo chain which is connected to one side of the forward clutch and a gear which is connected to one side of the reverse clutch. Figure 11 details the T-CVT. The clutch pack, hydraulic valve block and final drive elements can be rotated around the Variator to achieve the best packaging solution for the vehicle application.

T-CVT 1 Roller Diameter Length (RFoB) Weight Ratio Spread Power capacity Torque capacity Engine capacity 60 mm 325 mm 43 Kg 6.25 50 kW 100 Nm (Pet) 150 Nm (Dsl) ~ 1.0 L

T-CVT 2 70 mm 345 mm 50 Kg 6.25 75 kW 150 Nm (Pet) 220 Nm (Dsl) ~ 1.5 L

Table 2: T-CVT Dimensions A lightweight fully automatic transmission solution for small front wheel drive cars is achieved with CVT functionality delivered in the package and weight of manual transmissions (MT) or automated manual transmissions (AMT).

Variator

Clutch Pack

Figure 12: T-CVT 2 Dimensions

Final Drive Valve Block

Figure 11: Toroidal Continuously Variable Transmission (T-CVT). Two different sizes of T-CVT have been designed, each with a wide ratio spread of 6.25. By altering the roller diameter, the power and torque capacity of the Variator is increased. The following dimensions for T-CVT 1 and T-CVT 2 result:

Figure 13: T-CVT 2 Dimensions

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The simple layout and low component count of the T-CVT can be better seen in the initial 2-dimensional layout drawing shown in figure 14. There is scope to further reduce the transmission length by optimisation of the design including relocating the oil pump, currently at the left hand end of the mainshaft, to the front of the transmission if required. However for the application under consideration, this was the ideal location for the pump.

An alternative arrangement is a simple block with four reaction pistons a more traditional design of Variator piston control. The benefits of each design are currently under investigation.

Figure 16: T-CVT Variator control hardware, showing reaction pistons. T-CVT Hydraulic System There are two elements of the T-CVT that require control; the Variator and the clutches. Both elements are controlled by hydraulic pressure, which defines the torque reacted, and hence the power transmitted. Figure 14: T-CVT 2-D Transmission Cross Section T-CVT Development With a focus on cost and ease of production whilst maintaining functionality, an alternative piston arrangement is under consideration. Figure 15 describes the carry-over two roller arrangement from the OPE and C-IVT designs with two cavities, two yokes and a valve block containing a connecting rod and a single piston. Appropriately sizing the clutch piston and reaction piston areas allows the same hydraulic pressure to be applied to the clutches and the Variator. Additionally the same single pressure source is used to launch the vehicle and transfer launch control seamlessly from the clutch to the Variator. Figure 17 shows a schematic representation of the simple hydraulic circuit required to achieve this control functionality.
Reaction piston Variator Forward Clutch Reverse Clutch Reaction piston

Valve 2 Upshift / Downshift

Valve 3 Forward / Reverse

Valve 1 Neutral / Drive

Valve 4 Controlled Pressure supply

Figure 15: Twin Yoke Variator

Figure 17: T-CVT hydraulic control circuit

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A only single pump to create pressure and four hydraulic valves are needed to control the transmission. Three of these valves are simple two position switches whilst the fourth is a proportional valve to control the system pressure. The axial load required by a traction drive Variator is proportional to the torque being transmitted by the Variator. The optimum efficiency of the Variator is achieved by careful control of this axial load, which has traditionally been provided by hydraulic pressure. The T-CVT can be configured with either a hydraulic axial loading mechanism or with a simple mechanical ball & ramp assembly which automatically applies force proportional to the torque being transmitted. The ball & ramp system has transmission cost, weight and size benefits but does not provide optimal Variator efficiency. If the application requires ultimate Variator efficiency it is of course possible to retain the hydraulic axial loading arrangement.

torque control strategy creates a torque balance between the engine output and the transmission input with the transmission ratio being a result of the Variator finding its own torque equilibrium. The significant benefit of the torque control strategy is that only one transmission parameter is controlled, that is the hydraulic pressure. Transmission ratio is a consequence of the applied pressure and current vehicle operating condition. The extremely difficult task of directly controlling transmission ratio and exactly matching the engine output is not required.

Engine Control Strategy By decoupling engine speed from vehicle speed, the key benefit of a variable speed drive is to enable the engine to be operated at its optimum specific fuel condition for the power required at the vehicle wheels. The Variator has a low inertia with small hydraulic flows that permit a fast dynamic response when required. This results in good responsive driveability and sporty feel. The torque control strategy allows maximum advantage to be taken of the T-CVT because the load applied to the engine is very accurately controlled. Combining the transmission control strategy with the engine control strategy results in very accurate control of the engine operating condition. The transmission ratio is not being directly controlled, instead it is a consequence of the torque equilibrium in the driveline, therefore no errors occur in the required ratio and so no errors occur in the load applied to the engine. This provides excellent control of the engine operating condition resulting in high levels of fuel efficiency and good emissions control.

T-CVT Control Strategy The T-CVT hydraulic circuit and control strategy are best explained by an example. Considering the launch of the car, valve 2 is set to the upshift position and the forward or reverse clutch is selected. The neutral / drive valve is set to the drive position and the hydraulic system pressure increases. This causes the pressure applied to the engaged clutch to increase, increasing the torque capacity of the clutch. As the clutch is now reacting torque, hence transmitting power, the vehicle will start to move. As the hydraulic pressure continues to increase the clutch eventually becomes fully engaged with no slip. During this period of clutch engagement the Variator has remained at minimum ratio resting on its minimum ratio constraint. This is because the pressure acting on the reaction pistons is not sufficient to move them against the torque load imposed on the Variator by the engaging clutch. As the hydraulic pressure continues to increase, the force acting upon the Variator reaction pistons increases, thereby increasing the torque reacted by the Variator. As the torque reacted by the Variator increases so the torque load applied to the engine is increased, and also the torque applied to the wheels is increased. At this point the launch has seamlessly changed from the torque controlled clutch to the torque controlled Variator. The transmission is now operating in the traditional torque controlled manner successfully used by Torotrak for many years in many different types of vehicle. A transmission

T-CVT Simulation Study Torotrak have well proven software modelling tools to simulate variable drive transmission performance including validated models of Variator behaviour. To evaluate the performance of a vehicle fitted with a T-CVT, Torotrak have created a generic vehicle model comprising an engine, four speed automatic transmission and torque converter including the transmission shift map and torque converter lock up schedule. An overlay comparison has also been made to the same vehicle and engine with a belt CVT transmission.

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Considering first the fuel efficiency comparison, the T-CVT offers an advantage over the belt CVT because the full toroidal traction drive Variator is more efficient, has a greater ratio spread and lower hydraulic power requirements than the belt drive Variator in small transmission applications. The implementation of torque control strategy in the TCVT results in more accurate control of the load applied to the engine, hence better control of the engine operating condition. However, both the TCVT and the belt CVT have much better fuel efficiency than the 4 speed automatic transmission because, in both cases, the engine can be operated at its best specific fuel conditions most of the time. The comparison between these transmissions for the Japanese J10-15 fuel cycle is shown in figure 18.

Variator Ratio band -0.40 to -0.52 -0.52 to -0.64 -0.64 to -0.76 -0.76 to -0.88 -0.88 to -1.00 -1.00 to -1.30 -1.30 to -1.60 -1.60 to 1.90 -1.90 to -2.20 -2.20 to -2.50 Total life fraction

Input Disc 5.70% 5.66% 0.52% 0.88% 0.98% 0.86% 0.54% 0.40% 0.24% 1.28% 17.04%

Output Disc 0.14% 0.42% 0.14% 1.42% 0.86% 2.18% 2.00% 3.38% 5.22% 53.34% 68.12%

Roller 2.08% 2.66% 0.36% 0.74% 1.10% 1.72% 1.38% 1.78% 2.18% 19.48% 33.44%

Table 3: Variator Components Consumed Life Fraction

16 Fuel ecomomy improvement, % 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 CVT TCVT 4-AT

T-CVT Efficiency Torotraks in-house simulation tools also calculate the transmission efficiencies for each operating condition. The confidence in the calculated figures is very high due to the extensive validation data acquired from previous Variator, transmission and vehicle experiments. The efficiency of the T-CVT for the duty cycle operating conditions is shown in figure 19. It can be seen that for most conditions the transmission efficiency approaches 90%. Although potentially viewed as low compared to fixed ratio transmissions, the advantages of operating the engine in an optimal mode provides an over powertrain efficiency improvement hence delivering fuel economy & performance.
Transmission efficiency for estimated vehicle dutycycle

Figure 18. Fuel efficiency comparison for J10-15 fuel cycle. T-CVT Durability Torotraks in-house transmission simulation tools use this vehicle duty cycle data to calculate the life fractions of the discs and rollers that are consumed by this vehicle. Each operating condition is analysed and equated to an engine power and transmission ratio, hence Variator operating point. For each Variator operating point the torque transmitted is calculated and this defines the contact stress between the discs and rollers. Knowing the component speeds the number of stress cycles are calculated. The calculated stress and number of cycles for each operating condition are compared to the experimentally derived S-N curve for the Variator and traction fluid combination. Using a typical full life duty cycle for an A / B segment vehicle, durability of the T-CVT has been calculated and the consumed life fraction of the Variator components for this duty cycle is given below:

1 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 Transmission efficiency 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 177 0.1 111 0 94 281 468 655 842 89 67 133 155

Vehicle speed, kph

1030

1217

1591

Figure 19: TCVT efficiency on durability duty cycle

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1778

22

Wheel torque, Nm

1404

44

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7. Conclusion The Torotrak full toroidal traction drive technology has achieved series production in a cost reduced two roller Variator design format. The two roller design has provided the springboard for two new transmission concepts for sub A, A & B segment vehicles providing efficient, low-cost, fuel economy two pedal driving in easily packaged designs. 8. Glossary
IVT: CVT: C-IVT: T-CVT: Infinitely Variable Transmission Continuously Variable Transmission Compact Infinitely Variable Transmission Toroidal Continuously Variable Transmission

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