TRACTION DRIVES INNOVATION

A typical roller and disc from a

traction drive variator used in a
high power application © Torotrak

A new design of transmission drive is set to

help vehicle manufacturers reduce carbon
dioxide emissions. Dick Elsy is CEO of
Torotrak, a UK developer of transmission
systems based on traction drive. He
explains how his company has developed
a range of drives for lawn mowers, cars,
tractors, trucks and buses.

Today’s vehicle manufacturers drives which can improve the

face a dilemma: how to cut operating efficiency of internal
fuel consumption and carbon combustion engines and yield
emissions while preserving the further fuel economy benefit.
performance characteristics
that consumers have become
accustomed to. A new breed THE PRINCIPLES OF
of variable transmission known TRACTION DRIVE
as traction drive could have The management of friction
the answer. between moving metal surfaces
UK company Torotrak has through the use of fluid lubricant
developed a transmission is at the heart of the field of
system based on a variable engineering known as tribology.
traction drive that boosts In this field of work,
fuel efficiency and delivers engineers focus almost entirely
improvements in acceleration on the task to minimise the
over conventional step-ratio levels of friction between
automatic transmissions. It does moving surfaces.
this by enabling the engine Another branch of this field
to operate close to optimum of engineering applies the same
efficiency, regardless of vehicle technical principles but uses
road speed, which conventional them to transmit power through
transmissions do not. the lubricating medium in a
To demonstrate the process called ‘traction drive’.
advantages, Torotrak recently Torotrak have put these

TRACTION
fitted its transmission system principles of traction drive into
into a mid-sized city bus and practical use by developing
ran the vehicle on the industry- a variable drive device
benchmark London fuel known as a ‘variator’. The
economy test cycle; the result drive transmits torque, using

DRIVES
was a 19% improvement in specially developed traction
fuel economy. The variable fluid, between loaded rollers
drive technology is flexible and discs (see The contact
enough to also be used for patch). This gives a simple and
applications such as variable robust continuously variable
fan drives and supercharger transmission (CVT) that changes

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TRACTION DRIVES INNOVATION

ratio continuously, unlike a

conventional transmission that VARIATOR AT WORK
changes its gear ratio in steps. The full-toroidal geometry of the variator is based on a similar
When configuring the configuration to a conventional ball bearing arrangement, made
variator, the development team up of three ball bearings running in corresponding deep grooves
adopted a ‘full-toroidal’ variator (see figures A and B). These grooved bearing surfaces form the
layout as this represented hollow doughnut shape or ‘toroid’.
the most stable and simple
geometry for practical
application (figure 1).
the variator is driven by a power in use for at least 50 years, are
Inside the variator are PRACTICAL RESULTS Figure 1. A typical ‘full-toroidal variator’ showing the relationship between
the principal components: the discs and rollers source, such as an engine, and durable and offer high torque
two pairs of discs. The space For a vehicle manufacturer, the
the output speed is determined and power. However, they are
between each pair of discs full-toroidal variator has two key
by the position of the rollers expensive and mechanically
forms a hollow doughnut advantages. First, it is inherently
in the toroid. This direct inefficient, making them
shape or ‘toroid’. Within each stable, and second, the device
connection between input and unsuitable for use as the main
toroidal space, three rollers is torque-controlled rather than
output would be suitable for a transmission in road transport A B
transmit drive from the outer ratio-controlled. This means the
continuous drive system such such as cars and trucks.
engine-driven discs to the torque at the output is directly
as a fan drive or, with the use A number of car
output discs located in the proportional to the amount
of a clutch or other decoupling manufacturers offer belt or
centre. The rollers transfer of force applied to the control
device, in a vehicle drive chain continuously variable Rather than ball bearings, the actual variator consists of three
power between the input rods. The ratios, and therefore
transmission. transmissions, which comprise rollers, as if sliced from the ball-bearings (figures C and D).
discs and the output discs the roller positions, effectively
The CVT can also be metallic belts running on a pair of
via the traction fluid. self-compensate to deliver the
configured with an epicyclic conical drums. While reliable and
Each roller is attached to a required torque. The end result
gear train to give an infinitely well-established, having been
hydraulic piston (or control rod). is a traction drive transmission
variable transmission, which developed over the last 30 years,
The pressure in the pistons can that can deliver 94% mechanical
provides a smooth spread of these transmission drives are
be increased or decreased efficiency in terms of power in
ratio from forward to reverse. relatively expensive and difficult
to create a range of reaction and power out.
From a vehicle manufacturer’s to package due to the spacing
torque within the variator In the continuously variable
point of view, this is beneficial of the two conical drums. The
(see Variator at work). transmission drive, the input of
as it eliminates the need for systems are also limited in power
C D
a vehicle to have a clutch or and torque capacity and can’t
Normal Load N torque converter to decouple be scaled up for use in heavier
THE CONTACT PATCH the transmission from the engine vehicles such as trucks.
The heart of the traction drive transmission lies in the contact
before the vehicle can stop. In contrast, the full-toroidal Each roller is connected to a control rod, set at an angle to
patch, a very small volume of lubricant fluid trapped between
This so-called ‘geared neutral’ variable traction drive is the rotational axis of the device (figures E and F).
the two rolling metal surfaces that is able to transmit power from Driver condition also enables a seamless mechanically efficient. A unique
one of the rolling surfaces to the other. This fluid is kept in the
shuttling effect, sweeping the feature of traction drive is the
contact by the relative movement of the two surfaces.
transmission from forwards to way it maintains high levels
In traction drive, the power transmission characteristics are
reverse, ideal for use in vehicles of efficiency with scale. Unlike
achieved through a high force that squeezes the rolling surfaces
such as fork-lift trucks and other forms of variable drive
together. The rolling elements are not in direct contact but are
wheeled loaders. technology, it can be sized to
separated by the now highly compressed, thin film of lubricant.
work efficiently in the main drive
The traction performance of the lubricant is crucial to the Traction Force T transmissions of everything from
efficiency of traction drive. Standard mineral oils can be used but
durable and moisture-resistant lubricants known as cycloaliphatic-
WHY USE lawn mowers to 40-tonne trucks.
based fluids have been specifically designed for traction drives. Traction Force T
TRACTION DRIVES? Full-toroidal traction drive
E F
A number of types of variable systems are already being used
These enable significant power to be transferred efficiently across
drive technology are used in a unique zero-turn ride-on
a traction drive contact. For example, some 60 kW, or the power
Normal Load N today, the main incumbents are lawn mower. Here, a novel Applying a force to these rods generates a torque (or turning
of a small family car, can be passed across a 20 mm, 2 x 1 micron
hydrostatic drives and belt or steering system is linked to a force) through the variator, which accelerates the input or
contact patch, with a volume of only 0.00002 cc.
chain continuously variable drives. pair of toroidal transmissions to output and induces a ratio change as the rollers ‘steer’ across
As well as providing efficient power transfer, traction fluids also Driver Hydrostatic drives make use of allow the mower to turn through the toroidal bearing surface. This change of position has the
lubricate and cool traction drive transmission components such as Contact patch hydraulic pumps and motors and 360 degrees within its own effect of changing the ratio of the drive, as the rollers run
bearings, chains, epicyclic gear sets and clutch. Tests also indicate
are typically found in agriculture, length. The system is also soon on differing circumferential running tracks on the input and
that today’s traction fluids retain their required properties over the
Driven construction and industrial to be available in a new range of output toroidal surfaces.
lifetime of the traction drive.
products. These drives have been tractor transmissions that offer

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TRACTION DRIVES INNOVATION

high levels of speed control, kinetic state. To recover this combustion engines as well as
fuel savings and class-leading energy, the power flow in the
MAKING PLANS reduce carbon emissions. As
Be it in a conventional
efficiency (figures 2a and 2b). variator is reversed and the transmission system delivering well as having great potential
On a larger scale, main drive kinetic energy is released to the significant fuel savings or part in the kinetic energy recovery
transmissions capable of handling vehicle’s road wheels. During of a hybrid system that can systems of mechanical hybrid
350 kW are currently under this process energy remains in a recover otherwise wasted vehicles, the technology could
development for larger vehicles kinetic state. energy, the traction drive will be used in electric vehicles,
including trucks and buses. In contrast, during electrical prove crucial to the challenges enabling electric motors to run
The Torotrak engineering regeneration, the kinetic energy facing engineering communities. at steady state conditions and
team is also developing very is converted to electrical energy The drives are already in use reduce current draw. Already,
small variable traction drives for and then to chemical energy as in the highly cost-competitive two-speed (ratio) gearboxes are
automotive engine auxiliaries such it is stored in the vehicle battery lawn and garden market and being used to enhance electric
as air-conditioning compressors pack; to recover the energy, are poised to penetrate the vehicle performance – imagine
and superchargers. These drives this process is then reversed. commercial vehicle market what can be done with an
could help the automotive Efficiency losses take place at Figure 3. Torotrak’s traction drive can be used in combination with energy infinite number of ratios.
recovering flywheels to create mechanical hybrid cars as a main drive transmission
industry reduce engine each energy state change. technology. The technology
size without compromising As a result, the purely could also bring benefits to Further information:
performance and power. mechanical flywheel configuration the construction and material www.torotrak.com
has much greater efficiency handling markets, and in each
than the electrical systems,
HYBRID HOPES which spells good news for
case significant carbon dioxide
savings could be made.
A further potential use of manufacturers striving to cut
traction drive is in the kinetic Small traction drives
CO2 emissions from buses and for superchargers and air-
energy recovery systems (KERS) urban commercial vehicles.
of mechanical hybrid vehicles. conditioning compressors will
Figure 2a: Torotrak’s zero-turn ride-on lawn mower transmission is already in The first buses and commercial help to improve the efficiency
production in the US Here, the traction drive is vehicles to have been developed BIOGRAPHY – Dick Elsy
being developed to work in of conventional internal
with conventional hybrid-electric Dick Elsy is Chief Executive
conjunction with lightweight, powertrains with regenerative of Torotrak plc. He previously
high-speed flywheels to store and braking are heavy and costly. held a number of senior
recover braking energy in a range In some cases, incorporating positions in the car industry
of vehicles from small cars to the powertrain can double the and gained extensive
buses. It could provide a cheaper cost of the base vehicle. experience in the process
and more energy efficient However, a recent of innovation management
alternative to the conventional programme of work started and of the introduction of
hybrid-electric power train. with automotive technology new technologies to market.
The hybrid system comprises developer Ricardo and coach and Dick Elsy is a Fellow of the
a flywheel connected via the bus manufacturer Optare on a Institution of Mechanical
traction drive variator to the demonstrator bus as part of the Engineers and is also a
base powertrain (see figure 3) Flybus project looks promising trustee and director of
When a vehicle is slowing, (figure 4). Mathematical Engineering UK.
kinetic energy is transferred modelling indicates that enough
through the traction drive braking energy can be recovered The author would like to thank
variator and into the flywheel, to cut fuel use by more than 20% Figure 4: The Torotrak-led Flybus project aims to cut fuel costs and emissions. The Flybus consortium will use their Dr Rebecca Pool for her help in
Figure 2b: A cutaway of the lawn mower’s twin toroidal transmission CVT technology together with a high-speed composite flywheel for energy storage, known as ‘Kinergy’
maintaining the energy in its on a typical city route. preparing this article.

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