The Design of an Inline GCI Chain CVT

For Large Vehicles

By

A.W. Brown (A.W. Brown Co.), J. van Rooij (GCI), and A.A. Frank(UCDavis)

Abstract:

The objective of this paper is to indicate the design principals of a Continuously Variable
Transmission that is physically about the size of a conventional manual transmission for
the same power and torque with an equal or better efficiency and durability.
The CVT will be designed for use in either a hybrid electric drive or a conventional
vehicle with the addition of a torque converter and reverse gear. The design objectives
are as follows:
1. About the same size as a 5 or 6 speed manual transmission for North-South
engine orientation and rear wheel drive.
2. About the same weight as the 5 or 6 speed manual transmission
3. Cost about the same or less
4. Much smaller than a comparable performance rated automatic transmission
5. Fewer parts than manual transmissions and less than 1/30th of the part count of an
automatic.
6. Ratio span greater than equivalent manual or automatic transmissions.
7. Adaptable up to Class 8 trucks to replace 18 speed manual transmissions with
2000NM and 500kw capacity.
8. Higher efficiency and quieter than a manual transmission.
9. Durability equal to or greater than a manual transmission.
10. Very low noise.
11. Complete flexibility in control using computer controllers for fully automatic to
manual ratio control for cars and trucks.

The paper will discuss the specific design philosophy of a 500 NM, 250 kw CVT for a
SUV and truck application and it’s installation. The prototype is designed for volume
production by minimizing the number of parts. The total number of parts for this
completely automatic transmission will be about 12 including all bearings. We will focus
on the In-line CVT design for the front engine rear wheel drive cars with the design of
this paper, but for front wheel drive vehicles a single stage CVT design will generally be
the preferred.

A discussion of the low cost high accuracy and low power control system used in this
transmission will be provided. The geometry used shows the simplicity and flexibility of
the design to satisfy a wide range of applications. The components used for the design
will be discussed. The following Figure 1, shows the proposed concept. This concept is
expected to be installed in a Ford Explorer for demonstration at the CVT-hybrid2004
Congress. It replaces a 5 or 6 speed manual transmission.
 Figure 1. An Inline CVT design by the authors and the University of
California- Davis that has a wide ratio span with very little motion control.
Design Objectives:

The design is motivated by the need by the world wide Automotive and Truck Industry
for an inline CVT to directly replace a manual transmission for trucks and buses and
large or high horsepower passenger cars with “North South” engine orientation. These
styles of cars and trucks are used for a variety of applications from high horsepower
sports cars to delivery trucks, vans and buses to line-haul semi trucks.

In addition there is a movement toward electric motor and battery hybridization. Thus a
transmission system that provides the capability to be used in either Conventional
Vehicles or Hybrid Electric Vehicles without mechanical modification is needed. Hybrid
electrics powertrains work best with CVT’s. In fact, the Toyota Prius hybrid vehicle
transmission is essentially a complex electromechanical CVT. For front engine front
wheel drive vehicles with East-West engines, a single stage CVT design is preferred.

A further objective is to design the CVT in such a way that it can physically replace the
conventional Manual and Automatic Transmissions that are almost universally used in
the industry. The reason for this objective is to make it easy for the manufacturers to
adapt this new technology to existing vehicle platforms with no structural modifications
to the vehicle chassis or body. This means that this technology must be equivalent to a
geared transmission in torque, power, efficiency, durability, size, and yet be completely
automatic and finally at a lower cost. To be competitive to an existing transmission
technology and manufacturing infrastructure, any new technology must be better in every
respect and it must have a supplier able to provide parts and warranties in the quantities
needed by the industry.

The basic technology required is a CVT concept and components that will meet these
fundamental objectives. The key technology in this design is the CVT critical element,
the Chain to link the Vee pulleys. The base CVT element must be very efficient (over
95%) and low in cost. This paper will describe a design that uses the GCI Chain. This
chain concept is “gear like” and uses the basic Vee CVT concept with hydraulic pressure
loaded “Vee” sheaves. The reason for choosing this technology for this transmission is
because of its’ high torque and power capacity (up to 1000kw), high efficiency (95%+)
and low noise. The Chain technology has been licensed to a major component
manufacturer and will be commercially available World Wide.

This chain concept uses an involute surface to transition from linear motion to curved
motion around the sheaves. This action provides this transition with a rolling action
between pins without sliding wear or contact surface spin as in many CVT concepts. This
is shown in the following figure.
Figure 2. The involute GCI chain

This element is critical to the increased efficiency and durability of a CVT. This element
and concept solves the geometry problem at slow speeds by this approximation but, of
course, it does not solve the momentum change that must occur at speed. Thus some
noise and other effects will occur. This technology in conjunction with a much more
efficient hydraulic loading system is essential to making such a transmission as described
above possible. Reference [1 ].

The principal of the series chain inline system.

The concept in Figure 1 shows two chains in series with an idler that transmits the torque
from the first chain to the second chain

The idler does not have to have any hydraulic control since the forces are transmitted
from the primary to the secondary chains directly. The clamping forces for the two
chains are also transmitted by the chains from the first stage to the second stage with the
use of the idler pulley on the shaft..

In maximum reduction, the primary chain and pulley is loaded to transmit a given torque.
The second chain and pulleys are then transmitting a higher torque and consequently
must be loaded higher. Thus, to have the transmission work effectively, the primary
chain will have to be loaded the same as the secondary chain. Fortunately, the GCI chain
is not as sensitive in efficiency to the clamping load as other chain and belt concepts.
Thus the first chain can be overloaded slightly in maximum reduction and not suffer
much loss in efficiency. The same becomes true in minimum ratio overdrive since the
output torque will become considerably less, thus for a given rated input torque, the
secondary chain and pulley set is slightly overloaded.

One of the advantages of the system is that a wide overall ratio span can be achieved with
a very small movement of the clamping pistons and a small movement of the chain. The
motion is approximately inversely proportional to the square root of the ratio, and it can
be accomplished with much smaller diameter pulleys. The reason for this is that the ratio
of the first chain and pulley set is multiplied by the ratio of the second chain and pulley
set thus the maximum ratio span is the product of the ratio spans of the two pulley sets.
This means a small change in dimensions can make the square of the ratio change of a
single pulley set CVT system. Thus the concept can be much more compact than a
single pulley and chain system for the same span of ratios. This concept is illustrated by
following figure. It should be noted that the CVT’s both use the same chain size, so the
input torque rating is a little less (500Nm vs 700NM) for the inline CVT vs the single
stage CVT. A slightly larger chain would provide similar torque ratings. Actually, the
power ratings may be the same or more since the smaller inline CVT can be spun faster.
Figure 3. A comparison of the In-line CVT left with a single stage CVT of the same
Ratio Range or Span

The ratio of the input to the output of the transmission is R1xR2 where Ri is the ratio of
stage i. Thus if R1=R2 then the overall transmission ratio is R1 squared = R2 squared. Of
course R1 and R2 do not have to be equal. But the product still holds. This squaring of
the ratio makes the movement of mechanical components of each stage of the variator be
the square root of the movement of a single stage variator. This relationship has many
consequences:

1. Each stage of the inline CVT can operate closely around the best efficiency point,
ie one to one.
2. The overall efficiency is not much different than a single stage CVT because the
elements are operating at or near the 1:1 high efficiency (97% to 98%) range.
3. The input and output shafts are in line.
4. The CVT dimensions are much smaller laterally but only a little longer
longitudinally. In fact the dimensions are almost the same as a manual
transmission of equal torque and power ratings. As shown in Figure 3 below.
5. The system can be scaled up to much higher power ranges and much wider ratio
ranges. All the way up to class 8 vehicles with 500 kw and 2000 NM of torque
and ratio spans of 15 to 20 to one in a much smaller package than possible
before..
6. The speed capability of the CVT is improved over a single stage CVT due to the
shorter chains and smaller pulleys.
7. The control system becomes more critical using conventional hydraulic
techniques, but using electro-hydraulic systems with PWM servo-motors
Reference [ 2 ], the system controls is the same as in a conventional CVT. The
power required for control will be on the order of 100 watts or less with hydraulic
pressures of over 1500 psi or 100 Bar. The control system will be discussed in
more detail below.
8. The transmission is built symmetrical to reduce part count since many parts are
duplicated. There are only 6 duplicated physical parts including bearings.
9. For conventional trucks and passenger vehicles the transmission will not require
auxiliary cooling due to the efficiency of the transmission elements.
10. The weight of the system can be equivalent to a Manual Transmission of
equivalent power and torque.
11. The projected cost of this automatic CVT transmission will be substantially less
than the equivalent manual or automatic transmission at any equal
manufactured volume.

An analysis of the forces show that the idle shaft has all forces contained within the shafts
themselves and the alignment of the shaft is self regulated so as to not require any
physical restraint, thus keeping the mechanical efficiency high. The input and output
shaft forces are also self-contained and are held in place by the two main ball bearings.
All forces on the transmission case are in the direction to resist opposing bearing loads.
There is no thrust load in the inline direction as there are in conventional transmissions
due to the use of helical gears or torque loading devices.

The use of labyrinth seals reduces the need for conventional transmission shaft seals
since the pressures are high by conventional transmission standards. These seals have
very little drag and will last a lifetime since there is no wear.

The movable sheaves and cylinder have splines, that transmit torque from one side of the
chain to the other. These are designed at a large diameter to reduce the friction loads and
eliminate the need for rolling ball contacts. CVT shift rates are very slow in general and
are implemented by high-pressure hydraulics so that there is no need for low friction
shifting components. The clamping forces required by the coefficient of traction are so
high that the moving sheaves can easily overcome the friction and move accurately. To
help this movement the asymmetrical chain load on the sheaves cause a natural
oscillating motion on the sheaves reducing the friction to movement to a negligible
amount.

A comparison of the Inline CVT with a comparable power and torque rated Manual
transmission is shown in Figure 4 below. It can be seen that the Inline CVT is actually
smaller in width than the manual transmission and about the same length for the same
span of ratios. Again showing the compactness of the concept. Obviously the
transmission is considerably smaller than an automatic transmission of the same power
and torque rating. This prototype transmission weighs 175 pounds plus the servo control
system which weighs 10 pounds. In production, the weight should come down to about
150 lbs.

The manual transmission shown below weighs 100 pounds but a six speed weighs 125
pounds. Of course, an automatic transmission weighs considerably more than 200
pounds. Thus the In-Line CVT is considerably lighter than automatic transmission and
slightly more than a manual transmission. The profile of the Inline CVT can easily fit
where the conventional manual transmission fits in current cars, trucks and buses. The
inpact on vehicle weight and powertrain suspension design in the vehicle chassis is
trivial.
Figure 4. Comparison of an equal power Manual transmission and the new Inline
CVT

Control system for the Inline CVT

The control system for this transmission thus is the same as the conventional single stage
CVT with an input sheave piston loading the primary input V pulley set and the output
sheave piston loading the output V pulley set. These two pistons are all that is required
since the idler pulley sets are linked together. The Hydraulic control of these pistons can
be separated into two separate control loops residing one inside the other. Of course, in
implementation they will be integrated together as in most CVT systems. It is
instructional to separate the functions as described below.

The Low Level CVT Control System (LLC).

The Low Level control system for a CVT is used to provide the clamping forces for
torque transmission and the shifting forces for CVT operation. The clamping pressure
control system as mentioned above is a servo hydraulic system creating high pressure
with electric servo-motors and simple bidirectional hydraulic gear pumps or the
equivalent. There are no valves in this control system at all and no need for calibration
and valve plates etc as in conventional CVT and automatic transmissions. These positive
displacement gear pumps are simple and inexpensive to manufacture. They do not need
to be high precision since a little leak within the pump generally helps to stabilize the
pressure feedback control loops. The calibration of the transmission is simply in the
pressure transducers thus saving a lot of development time to adapt the transmission to
different applications.

The clamping forces are created by the pressure feedback servo-hydraulic pump system
shown in Figure 5 below. Only one servo motor pump system is required to supply
clamping pressure in this CVT. The clamping pressure control signal for this servo-pump
is determined by the vehicle driver commanded torque or power from the accelerator or
brake pedal and the shift rate desired. It is applied to the input and output pulleys of the
CVT. This figure shows a single stage CVT but the In-Line CVT is controlled exactly
the same with the same hardware to control only the input pulley and the output pulley.

As a matter of fact the clamping forces are set by the servo pump before the torque of the
engine or traction motor and shift ratio rate is commanded thus insuring that the proper
clamping pressure exist before engine or motor torque or shift rate is developed. The
delay is on the order of milliseconds. The implication of this strategy means that the
accelerator or brake pedal commands the CVT and the CVT system then commands the
throttle of the engine and not the other way around as found in conventional vehicles. Or
“The transmission is the King and the engine is the Slave!”

Figure 5. Low level Servo-Hydraulic Control System with Pressure Feedback

A second servo-motor/pump system is used to provide shift rate or ratio rate control and
to hold ratio if so desired. In automatic CVT vehicles, with either conventional or hybrid
drive, the ratio is rarely held constant unless needed for things like mountain deceleration
or similar applications. The power for this shifting servo pump motor is considerably
less than the power (30 to 50 watts) required for the clamping pressure servo pump
system but the power for the clamping pressure system is less than 200 watts. With the
use of pulse width modulation for the control of these motor/pumps then the power used
is not significant compared to conventional hydraulics. Thus it is expedient to use a
duplicate servo-motor/pump system for shifting as for clamping pressurization.

The High Level CVT Vehicle Control System (HLC)

The clamping pressure and ratio rate or ratio commands are determined by a
“transmission system low level controller described above” with inputs from the driver
for torque or power commanded. After the controller has the transmission appropriately
set as determined by the pressure transducers, then the engine or electric traction motor
prime movers can be commanded by the transmission high level controller (HLC) or
vehicle dynamics controller. This sequence of action insures that proper clamping
pressure exists before a change in torque is applied to the transmission. Thus the
accelerator and brake pedal of the vehicle commands the transmission and not the engine
as in conventional vehicles as mentioned above. The transmission pressures signals then
will in-turn control the engine throttle or set the electric traction motor torque if a hybrid
configuration is used.

This high level vehicle control (HLC) system, can then be used to optimize the efficiency
of the prime mover. It also needs to consider the dynamics of the overall vehicle. The
equation controlling the vehicle dynamics is: Reference [3,4].

α driveshaft =
[− R I ω + T R − T − T ]
e e e e losses drag

[I R + I
e
2
] driveshaft

Where:
αdrshaft = Acceleration of the driveshaft – proportional to vehicle accel.
R = CVT ratio or engine speed/driveshaft speed
R dot = CVT ratio rate
Idrshaft = vehicle inertia reflected to the driveshaft or CVT output
Ie = Engine or CVT input inertia
Te = Engine input torque to the CVT
Tlosses = CVT losses transferred to the output shaft
ωe = Engine speed
 Tdrag = Vehicle drag reflected to the driveshaft

This equation shows that to control a CVT it is necessary to control two parameters
independently. In the mathematics it is preferred to use “R” for the CVT ratio rather than
“i” because of the existence of Rdot . The first parameter term is the rate of change of
ratio or Rdot. The second is the torque from the engine or motor. These two independent
control parameters determine the instantaneous output torque at the driveshaft, which
then determines the acceleration of the vehicle and the clamping forces needed to control
the LLC system.

It should be noted that the angular acceleration times the total system inertia at the
driveshaft is the output torque of the transmission.

This two input parameter system then provides flexibility and constraints for the dynamic
control of the vehicle. These two parameters could be a “dream” or a “nightmare” for the
Optimal control of vehicle dynamics while maximizing fuel efficiency because they are
often in opposition to each other.

The important feature is to notice the negative sign of the Rdot term. It is in exactly the
opposite the direction you would generally like. Thus to go to reduction for acceleration
Rdot needs to be positive, but the negative sign on this term means torque is decreased by
the rate of change of ratio multiplied by the input momentum.

Generally to counteract this torque term additional torque is needed. For conventional
vehicles, with only an engine, this can only be done by an increased engine torque. This
means operating the engine in a throttled and low efficiency condition at cruise load so
that the extra torque to overcome the Rdot term is available for faster shifting and good
driveability. This reduces the maximum possible efficiency of the engine and vehicle
fuel economy for good vehicle response.

In a hybrid electric vehicle, however, with the electric motor inline with the engine, the
electric motor can be used for the additional torque to counter the rate of ratio torque
term. This allows the engine then to operate at it’s highest possible efficiency for the
power demanded thus improving fuel economy by as much as 20 to 30%.

A simplified block diagram of the control system is shown in the following figure.
Figure 6. Simplified Block diagram of a hybrid CVT Control System

The diagram shows that there is no direct command of ratio to the CVT, only ratio rate.
Of course, if a specific ratio is desired then an additional control loop can be simply
added for that reason. .

Physical Configurations for CVT and CVT-Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Vehicle configurations for CVT conventional or hybrid powertrain systems is shown in

the following two figures. These figures show that a conventional system will have the
same configuration as a hybrid with the electric motor replaced by a torque converter and
a reverse gear system. The hybrid electric powertrain can use the electric motor to
perform the function of starting the vehicle and reverse. Figure 7 shows a front wheel
drive single stage CVT most effective for front wheel drive.

Figure 7 Electric hybrid CVT vehicle configuration

The system can be constructed the same for an inline CVT vehicle system of a truck
chassis shown in Figure 8. The difference will be that the electric traction motor will be
located behind the gasoline or Diesel engine as shown below.

Figure 8. An In-line hybrid CVT Powertrain Configuration

This configuration shows the internal combustion engine with a conventional

automatically operated clutch followed by an electric motor which is connected directly
to the CVT input shaft. The driveshaft is inline with the engine and electric motor shaft.
The engine starter motor can also be eliminated. Regeneration of braking energy is also
possible if the weight distribution is appropriate and the road conditions are right. There
are two battery packs shown but this is only by way of illustration. This configuration
actually shows a system that can provide 62 miles of pure electric operation before
needing the use of the gasoline or Diesel engine in a Chevrolet Suburban [ 5 ].

Conclusions

The concept of a compact and small CVT that will fit the current manufacturing
infrastructure with the capability to adapt to new powertrain configurations of hybrid
electric or conventional gasoline or diesel engines has been proposed and designed and
demonstrated.

The configuration of an inline CVT can now be used for a wide variety of vehicles
constructed with inline engine and transmission configurations as with most trucks and
buses in the world. Since the inline CVT is approximately the same size as a manual
transmission, it can directly replace a manual transmission with the addition a torque
converter and a forward/reverse planetary gear set in front of the CVT. Or, it can convert
a conventional transmission vehicle to a hybrid electric simply by adding an electric
Traction motor in front of the CVT, between the engine and CVT. Thus eliminating the
need for an engine starting device such as a clutch or torque converter, or a reverse gear.
This flexibility in the use of this CVT provides vehicle manufacturers the possibility of
providing all possible customer choices with this one element. Battery size and location
can be determined as desired in the hybrids’ specification. We prefer the large battery
hybrid with a large electric motor and minimum gasoline engine because our studies
show that this gives us the best possible fuel economy and highest possible performance
with a CVT. Reference [ EPRI report5]

In addition, the features of this design using the GCI chain and Servo hydraulic controls
are that the entire system weight is only slightly heavier than the same rated manual
transmission and the dimensions are only slightly larger. Thus little or no change in
vehicle mounting points and engine mountings are required to adapt the inline CVT into
the vehicle in either conventional or hybrid electric form for large front engine rear drive
vehicles.

The existing CVT design does have a symmetrical ratio span so that the transmission
goes from reduction to overdrive symmetrically. To adapt to most vehicles with
transmissions that have a larger reduction and smaller overdrive ratio, a higher reduction
final drive axle would be required to maintain the exact performance characteristics of
the vehicle. Such a change is not significant in most cases.

This Inline CVT is the first of a series of CVT’s and these will need to be further tested
and proven for durability and capability. Future dynamometer and vehicle tests are
planned with future manufacturing partners to help develop this concept toward
production. The advantages of this inline CVT design with wider ratio range than
previously possible with other CVT concepts and the possibility of much higher power
and torques possible makes this CVT concept attractive to applications not possible
before. This concept can be a model for many more transmission designs in the future.

Aknowledgements:

We wish to thank the cooperation of our industrial partners GCI and A. W. Brown
Company, Eaton Corporation, their affiliate companies and, of course, the many Students
at the University of California and affiliated universities around the world in making this
project possible.

References

1. J. van Rooij and A.A. Frank "Development of a 700 Nm Chain-CVT" , VDI-

Berichte Nr. 1709, 2002.
2. SIDDHARTH SHASTRI AND ANDREW A FRANK “Comparison of energy
consumption and power losses of a conventionally controlled CVT with a Servo-
Hydraulic Controlled CVT and with a belt and chain as the Torque Transmitting
Element” published in the CVT-Hybrid 2004 Congress, UCDavis, Sept 23-25,
2004.
3. D. Yang and A. Frank, ON THE USE OF ENGINE MODULATION FOR
DECELERATION CONTROL OF CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE
TRANSMISSION VEHICLES,International Congress and Exposition, (SAE
Paper No. 8950490), Proceedings of SAE Detroit, MI, February 1989
4. X.-C. Yang, Di, Z. Y. Guo, and A. A. Frank, CONTROL AND RESPONSE OF
CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANSMISSION (CVT) VEHICLES
Proceedings of the American Control Conference '85, New Orleans, LA, June 19-
21, CH2119-6, Vol. 3, pp. 1438-1445.
5. Aashish Dalal, Peter Hutchison, Aaron Singer-Englar, Brian Bender, Alex Chun
Lap Yeung, Nikko Lubinski Chris Carde, Dahlia Garas, Charnjiv Bangar, William
Allan, Christopher Nitta, and Prof. Andrew Frank ‘Design and Development of
the 2004 UC Davis FutureTruck”, SAE Congress publication January2004.
6. L. Browning, S. Unnasch, E. Kassoy, R. Counts, and C. Powars, "Comparing the
Benefits and Impacts of Hybrid Electric Vehicle Options," Electric Power
Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA July 29 2001