Traction and efficiency performance of the double roller full-toroidal variator: A comparison with half- and full-toroidal drives

In this paper, we analyze in terms of efficiency and traction capabilities a recently patented toroidal traction drive variator: the so-called double roller full-toroidal variator (DFTV). By employing a relatively simple model of the elastohydrodynamic contact behavior between the disks and rollers, we compare the performance of the DFTV with classical solutions as the single-roller full-toroidal variator (SFTV) and the single-roller half-toroidal variator (SHTV). Interestingly, the DFTV shows an improvement of the mechanical efficiency over a wide range of transmission ratios, and in particular at the unit speed ratio, as in such conditions the DFTV allows for zero-spin thus strongly enhancing its traction capabilities. The relation between the torque transmission and the operational volume is also investigated for the three toroid geometries. In this case, the better performance is achieved by the SHTV, whereas the other two geometries show a similar behavior. © 2012 American Society of Mechanical Engineers