Table of Contents
Atorque converteris a type of fluid coupling which is used to transfer rotating power from the engine of a vehicle to the transmission. It takes place of a mechanical clutch in an automatic transmission. The main function of it is to allow the load to be isolated from the main power source. It sits in between the engine and transmission. It has the same function as the clutch in manual transmission. As the clutch separates the engine from the load when it stops, in the same way it also isolates the engine from the load and keep the engine running when the vehicle stops.
Its main functions are:
1. It transfers the power from the engine to the transmission input shaft.
2. It drives the front pump of the transmission.
3. It isolates the engine from the load when the vehicle is stationary.
4. It multiplies the torque of the engine and transmits it to the transmission. It almost doubles the output torque.
Torque Converter Diagram :
How a torque converter differs from a gearbox?
A torque converter is a device that performs a function similar to that of a gearbox, i.e. to increase the torque while reducing the speed. But whereas gearbox provides only a small number of fixed ratios, the torque converter provides a continuous variation of ratio from the lowest to the highest. It provides a maximum gear ratio starting from the rest and gradually decreases that ratio as the vehicle gains speed.
In torque converter no shifting mechanism is required as torque increases along with the engine speed. No gear train is used as in the gearbox. It does not require frequent maintenance as compared to the gearbox and is compact in design. The efficiency of the torque converter is maximum within a very narrow speed range. It is used along with the epicyclic gear train.
Torque converter diagram, parts, cross-section
Working Principle of Torque Converter :
For understanding the working principle of the torque converter, let’s take two fans. One fan is connected to the power source and the other is not connected with the power source. When the first fan connected to the power source starts moving, the air from it flows to the second fan which is stationary. The air from the first fan strikes on the blades of the second fan and it also starts rotating almost at the same speed to the first one. When the second fan is stopped, it does not stop the first one. The first fan keeps rotating.
On the same principle the torque converter works. In that the impeller or pump acts as the first fan which is connected to the engine and turbine act as the second fan which is connected to the transmission system. When the engine runs, it rotates the impeller and due to the centrifugal force the oil inside the torque converter assembly directed towards the turbine. As it hits the turbine blades, the turbine starts rotating. This makes the transmission system rotate and the wheels of the vehicle moves. When the engine stops, the turbine also stops rotating but the impeller connected the engine keeps moving and this prevents the killing of the engine.
Main Parts of Torque Converter :
The torque converter has three main parts
1. Impeller or Pump
The impeller is connected to the housing and the housing connected to the engine shaft. It has curved and angled vanes. It rotates with the engine speed and consists of automatic transmission fluid. When it rotates with the engine, the centrifugal force makes the fluid move outward. The blades of the impeller are designed in such a way that it directs the fluid towards the turbine blades. It acts as a centrifugal pump which sucks the fluid from the automatic transmission and delivers it to the turbine.
2. Stator
The stator is located in between the impeller and turbine. The main function of the stator is to give direction to the returning fluid from the turbine, so that the fluid enters to the impeller in the direction of its rotation. As the fluid enters in the direction of the impeller, it multiplies the torque. So the stator helps in the torque multiplication by changing the direction of the fluid and allows it to enter in the direction of the impeller rotation. The stator changes the direction of fluid almost up to 90 degrees. The stator is mounted with a one-way clutch that allows rotating it in one direction and preventing its rotation in other directions. The turbine is connected to the transmission system of the vehicle. And the stator is placed in between the impeller and turbine.
3. Turbine
The turbineis connected to the input shaft of the automatic transmission. It is present at the engine side. It also consists of curved and angled blades. The blades of the turbine are designed in such a way that it can change the direction of the fluid completely that strikes on its blades. It is the change in the direction of the fluid that forces the blades to move in the direction of the impeller. As the turbine rotates the input shaft of the transmission also rotates and made the vehicle to move. The turbine is also has a lock-up clutch at its back. The lock-up clutch comes into play when the torque converter achieves the coupling point. the lockup eliminates the loses and improves the efficiency of the converter.
Working of Torque Converter
It has three stages of operations
1. Stall:During the stall (stop) condition of the vehicle, the engine is applying power to the impeller but the turbine cannot rotate. This happens, when the vehicle is stationary and the driver has kept his foot on the brake paddle to prevent it from moving. During this condition maximum multiplication of torque takes place. As the driver removes its foot from the brake paddle and presses the accelerator paddle, the impeller starts moving faster and this sets the turbine to move. At this situation, there is a larger difference between the pump and turbine speed. The impeller speed is much greater than the turbine speed.
2. Acceleration:During acceleration, the turbine speed keeps on increasing, but still there is a large difference between the impeller and turbine speed. As the speed of the turbine increases the torque multiplication reduces. During acceleration of the vehicle the torque multiplication is less than that is achieved during a stall condition.
3. Coupling:It is a situation when the turbine achieved approximately 90 percent speed of the impeller and this point is called the coupling point. The torque multiplication seizes and becomes zero and the torque converter behaves just like a simple fluid coupling. At the coupling point the lock-up clutch comes into play and locks the turbine to the impeller of the converter. This puts the turbine and impeller to move with the same speed. A lock-up clutch engages only when the coupling point is achieved. During coupling the stator also starts to rotate in the direction of the impeller and turbine rotation.
Difference Between Torque Converter and Fluid Coupling
| Sr . no. | Torque converter | Fluid coupling |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | The main components are the pump, stator, and turbine. | The main components are impeller and runner. |
| 2. | It is a torque multiplication unit. | It is simply a means to connect driving and driven members. |
| 3. | The turbine blades are inclined to have pitch. | Blades are merely fins. |
| 4. | It acts as an automatic clutch and serves the purpose of an automatic gearbox to increase torque. | It serves the purpose of an automatic clutch. |
| 5. | It is not as efficient as fluid coupling at highway speeds but is slightly more efficient under load. | It is efficient at highway speeds. |
| 6. | It is usually used in conjunction with automatic clutch (mostly fluid flywheel) to eliminate the slight loss of efficiency at highway speeds. | It is not assisted by a friction clutch. |
| 7. | It never locks up and the flow of oil never stops but continues. | Impeller and runner are locked up and movement of oil stops during engagement when centrifugal force is approximately the same on both members. |
Advantages of Torque Converter :
Advantages of torque converter over a manual transmission system
- Torque converter varies gear ratio in the range of 3:1 to 1:1 in infinite no. of stages which gives uniform acceleration
- It produces the maximum torque as compared with the vehicle equipped with a clutch.
- It removes the clutch pedal.
- It makes the job of driving a vehicle easier.
- It allows starting & stopping the vehicle without any difficulty
- It provides driving comfort to drivers by avoiding manual interference of gear changing.
Disadvantages of Torque Converter :
1. Efficiency of torque convertor is high only within narrow limits of sped
2. There is chances of cavitation
Application of Torque Converter :
- The torque converter is used in the vehicle that is equipped with the automatic transmission. It is also used in industrial power transmission such as conveyor drives, winches, drilling rigs, almost all modern forklifts, construction equipment, and railway locomotives.
- It is used in marine propulsion systems.
Read also:
- Fluid Coupling – Working, Diagram, parts, Advantages
- What is Fluid Flywheel | Diagram, Advantages and Disadvantages
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Sachin Thorat
Sachin is a B-TECH graduate in Mechanical Engineering from a reputed Engineering college. Currently, he is working in the sheet metal industry as a designer. Additionally, he has interested in Product Design, Animation, and Project design. He also likes to write articles related to the mechanical engineering field and tries to motivate other mechanical engineering students by his innovative project ideas, design, models and videos.
do you sell parts if you do put a phone number on line for Christ sake you got all the crap on there no phone number
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No i dont sell parts
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nice
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