TRACTION DRIVES, A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE TO SINGLE SPEED

GEARED TRANSMISSIONS IN ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Michael Durack1 Dr Jim Durack1,
1UltimateTransmissions Pty. Ltd.

ABSTRACT
Ultimate Transmissions (UT) has developed a suite of inventive enabling technologies that
together, allow the design of the various forms of the UT “Silk Drive”. The Silk Drive is
fundamentally a traction based planetary drive. It allows a single stage transmission ratio up to
15 and is ideal for applications up to 30 000 rpm. For a typical automotive application with an
input torque up to 400 Nm it occupies a volume of 240 mm diameter by 120 mm long with a 19
kg mass. Its coaxial form suits close coupling to a similar diameter electric motor. It will
generate a similar amount of noise and vibration to a roller bearing of similar size. The Silk
Drive may be used as a speed reducer between a high speed motor and traditional downstream
transmission components. Alternatively it may be used to enable the development of novel drive
train architectures. The Silk Drive uses three or more sets of twin rollers between the central
“sun” and the outer “ring”. The outer roller is a “wedging” roller that causes the development of
the high normal or “clamping” forces that are necessary to allow transfer of the traction forces
across the traction contacts. This basic form is not innovative. UT has taken this basic form and
developed new technologies to solve the problem that is inherent to all “wedging” based traction
drives – namely lack of control of the magnitude of the clamping forces resulting from high
elastic deformations that are inherent to the system.

NECESSARY FACE WIDTH, TOOTHED VS TRACTION DRIVE

Ntraction
Gear pitch circle diameters
= Traction roller diameters
Ntooth

Toothed transmission contact Traction transmission contact

Figure 1 Comparison of toothed and traction drives

Before looking at details of the Silk Drive it is instructive to consider a comparison of the face
width required for a toothed transmission as compared to that for a traction transmission. For
the purposes of making this comparison the following assumptions are made;
• The Hertzian contact stress is taken to be the only design determinant for both the
geared and traction transmissions
• The maximum contact stresses for the toothed and traction transmissions are taken as 2
GPa and 4 GPa. These values are intended to be consistent with the Gear Code ISO
6336 and the Rolling Bearing Code ISO 281.

Michael Durack, Ultimate Transmissions Pty., Ltd.

 • The maximum traction coefficient being the ratio of the Traction Force to the Normal
Force at the traction contact is be taken as 0.08
• The pressure angle for the geared transmission is taken as 25o
• No consideration is given as to how the high Ntraction is developed but it is assumed that
clamping is “ideal” (as further discussed later)

Subject to the above assumptions and for any value of the torque transferred, the normal forces
at the contact point for the traction and toothed drives, Ntraction and Ntooth are related as;
Ntraction = (1/0.08) cos 25o x Ntooth = 11.3 Ntooth
And rtooth = rtraction sin25 o = 0.42 rtraction
With rtooth and rtraction being the radii of curvature at the point of contact
By consideration of the mathematics of Hertzian contact for a line contact between two
cylindrical surfaces (that is equally applicable to the toothed and traction drives), it may be
established that;
Traction contact length = 11.3 x 0.42 / ((4GPa/2GPa)2) Toothed contact length
= 1.2 x Toothed contact length (1)

The simplicity of this comparison and its dependence on the stated assumptions is
acknowledged. Despite this it is considered that the relationship of equation (1) is a rational
indicator of the potential relative size of a toothed and a traction transmission. It is further
acknowledged that no traction drive prior to the Silk Drive has been able to approach the
potential expressed by equation (1). The Silk Drive designed by Ultimate Transmissions does
deliver a planetary transmission with a contact length around 20% greater than that of an
equivalent optimally designed toothed planetary transmission. Such a transmission has the
following qualitative advantages;
• Ability to operate at high speed
• Very low noise and vibration levels
• Simple component geometry (cylinders and rings) compared to toothed components and
resulting reduced costs
• Similar size and weight to a geared equivalent

WEDGING TRACTION DRIVE PROBLEM PRIOR TO SILK DRIVE

Graph 1 illustrates the comparison between the optimal “ideal” normal or clamping force and the
normal force actually developed for an 11:1 ratio transmission designed for an automotive duty
cycle. The clamping force is dependent on the input torque Tsun and the “wedging angle” φ1 with;
Ntraction = TF / tan(φ1/2) (2)
With TF = Tsun / (3 x rsun) (3)

For a “traction coefficient” of 0.08 as discussed in the previous section, the angle φ1 of Figure 2
must be 9.15o. This angle may be achieved by suitable choice of the wedge roller radius (with a
smaller roller giving a smaller angle and higher normal force). But as Tsun increases and the
normal force develops it results in significant elastic deformations mostly associated with
“Hertzian approach distances”. The result is that the wedge roller moves further into its wedge

Michael Durack, Ultimate Transmissions Pty., Ltd.

resulting in a reduced φ1 and accelerating overclamping. It is possible to design to stay clear of
“runaway” overclamping but this can only be done at the expense of a considerable increase in
size above that indicated by equation (1) with the necessary contact length increasing by a
factor of 2 or more.

Active wedge roller Idling wedge roller (for anticlockwise input sun torque)

Sun Ring (output torque)

Elastic Fixed inner roller carrier

linkages (prevents circumferential
movement but allows radial)
Inner roller

C
B A
Hertzian contact regions
φ1 A, B and C

Angle φ1 between tangent

lines at A and B

Figure 2 Schematic depiction of the most basic form of Silk Drive

Normal force Ntraction

becoming much larger
than the ideal value as the
wedge roller moves into
the wedge as a result of
elastic deformations.

Movement of the wedge

roller “accelerating” into
the wedge

Graph 1 Illustration of “runaway” over-clamping with the basic Silk Drive

Michael Durack, Ultimate Transmissions Pty., Ltd.

CONTROLLING THE PROBLEM WITH HOCC AND SOCC

(a) Improved clamping control with HOCC (b) Near to ideal clamping control with SOCC

Graph 2 Improved control of clamping with UT HOCC

Graph 2(a) shows how the UT “Hard Over-clamping Control” or HOCC technology provides
better control of runaway over-clamping. The HOCC system allows clamping to develop initially
as shown in Graph 1, but once the wedge roller comes (in this example) within 10 mm of “top
dead centre”, a physical stop prevents it from moving any further into the wedge with the result
that the clamping force does not continue to increase. While HOCC does not achieve “ideal
clamping” it represents a significant improvement on the basic system shown in Graph 1.
Dependent on the specific shape of the duty cycle it may produce a near to optimal design.

An alternative to HOCC is Soft Over-clamping Control (SOCC). Instead of providing a hard

mechanical stop at a particular wedge roller position, SOCC provides a sprung stop that can be
designed to produce close to ideal clamping as illustrated in Graph 2(b).

BEARING RELATED ISSUES

Graphs 3 The affect of HOCC and SOCC on bearing loads

The most basic form of the Silk Drive as illustrated in Figure 2 requires (roller) bearings to
support the inner rollers onto the inner roller carrier. The roller carrier acts as the “torque arm”
for the transmission and must support Tcarrier being the sum of the input and output torques.

Michael Durack, Ultimate Transmissions Pty., Ltd.

Noting that with double rollers the input and output rotations and torques are in the same
direction this becomes;
Tcarrier = Tsun x (Transmission ratio - 1) (4)

Thus the force in these bearing increases in simple proportion to the applied torque Tsun. With
either HOCC or SOCC, bearings are also required to support the wedge rollers on the hard or
spring stop of these systems. Because of the high efficiency of the traction contacts, these
bearings are critical to the assessment of the transmission efficiency. Both HOCC and SOCC
affect these bearing loads in a relatively complex fashion. Fortunately as illustrated in Graphs 3,
the effects tend to be beneficial with the load on the wedge roller bearings substantially reducing
the load on the inner roller bearings.

FURTHER UT TECHNOLOGIES “WRING” AND “PRELOAD”

In its basic form with or without HOCC or SOCC, the sun shaft of the UT Silk Drive requires
bearing supports. These bearings will carry relatively small non oscillating loads of magnitude
dependent on the machining and assembly tolerances of the parts. The UT “WRing” technology
links the wedge rollers such they are constrained to the same circumferential movement. This
constraint has the effect of causing the sun shaft to be supported by the inner rollers and
bearings are no longer required. The position of the sun as constrained by the inner rollers may
deviate from the ideal position dependent on machining and assembly tolerances of the parts.

Figure 2 shows “elastic linkages” that are necessary to hold the wedge rollers “snug tight” into
their wedges prior to the application of any torque. The UT “Preload” is a system for
implementing these elastic linkages. Under some conditions it may be advantageous to apply
substantial forces pressing the wedge rollers into their wedges prior to application of any torque.

DESIGNING A SILK DRIVE

The Silk Drive can be designed with a very high level of confidence, providing
• A reliable SN curve is available for the particular materials being used
• The characteristics of the traction fluid are correctly established for the application

The critical issue is durability and this is associated with the contact conditions between the sun,
the inner rollers, the wedge rollers and the ring. Each of these contacts is essentially equivalent
to the contact conditions between rollers and inner and outer rings in a radial bearing. Ultimate
Transmissions have developed the SN curve of Graph 5, derived form an analysis of the bearing
code and published papers for high quality but very common bearing steels

The characteristics of traction fluids are well established by manufacturers up to rolling speeds
of around 10m/sec. Graphs 4 and 5 together with mathematical modelling developed by
Ultimate Transmissions, provide the primary basis for reliable design of Silk Drives for a wide
range of applications and for assessment of the torque capacity, efficiency and durability of
those design.

Michael Durack, Ultimate Transmissions Pty., Ltd.

Graph 5 Ultimate Transmissions contact stress SN Curve for preliminary design

Graph 6 Traction data for a Santotrak product

A 200kW 400 Nm 11:1 SILK DRIVE

The 11:1, 200kW transmission of Figure 3 is capable of 4,400Nm output torque. It contains 102
parts and weighs 18.75kg. The internal lubrication is entirely passive using the rotation of the
ring to force traction fluid into an upper sump where it drains down to the planet axles and is
then distributed by rotational action to the other contacts. A traction drive can operate without
damage under transient starved lubrication conditions and in this state is often most efficient.

Michael Durack, Ultimate Transmissions Pty., Ltd.

Figure 3 A typical Silk Drive with SOCC (details not shown)

Part Material / description Number Part Weight TOTAL kg

Inner rollers 52100 steel 60 RC 3 1.77 5.31
Wedge rollers 52100 steel 60 RC 6 0.12 0.72
Ring 52100 steel 60 RC 1 3.37 3.37
Sun 52100 steel 60 RC 1 0.35 0.35
Roller axles 52100 steel 60 RC 3 0.07 0.21
Output shaft Tool steel 1 0.42 0.42
Ring cup Diecast Aluminium 1 1.62 1.62
Output plate Aluminium 1 0.67 0.67
Casing including sump Diecast Aluminium 3 0.9 (average) 2.7
Main bearing Deep groove bearing 1 0.1 0.1
Needle bearings Cage and bearing 6 0.02 0.12
SOCC system Diecast Aluminium parts (4 types) 8 0.13 (average) 1.04
SOCC system Steel parts (2 types) 18 0.02 0.36
Seals Standard shaft seals 2 0.02 0.04
Fasteners Small cap screws 4mm to 6mm. 40 0.01 0.4
Sealing rings O rings and seal rings 3 0.01 0.03
Traction fluid 1.5 litres max. 1 1.2 1.2
Magnet Debris attractor in upper sump. 1 0.03 0.03
Filter Bed in upper sump 1 0.02 0.03
Breather For thermal exchange 1 0.03 0.03
TOTAL 102 NA 18.75

Table 1 the parts involved in this transmission

DURABILITY AND NVH

This transmission has been simulated using proprietary design software and a drive cycle
considered appropriate for a mid-sized North American SUV over a duty of 300,000kms. The
results showed that the life utilization factor using HOCC system was 105% and using SOCC
system 35% when a 99% failure rate was demanded by the OEM. It is expected that even with

Michael Durack, Ultimate Transmissions Pty., Ltd.

a motor exhibiting relatively high torque ripple the traction drive will significantly dampen any
resonant vibration normally associated with geared transmissions.

HIGH SPEED MOTORS

It is well understood that as motor speed is increased, power can be maintained while
decreasing motor torque and in consequence the motor size. The table below (Table 2) is
derived from an analysis of four 150kW motors two with a peak speed capability of 10,000 RPM
and two 20,000 RPM. Two motor types are examined for each speed.

PROPERTY Unit 10,000 20,000 10,000 20,000

Maximum supply Volts 500 500 500 500

Slot fill factor % 40 40 75 75
Stator diameter mm 200 160 200 160
Rotor diameter mm 131 105 136 109
Stack length mm 120 96 120 96
Overall length mm 170 136 150 120
Winding type distributed distributed concentrated concentrated
Slot number No 24 24 12 12
Pole number No 8 8 10 10
Air gap mm 4 3.2 4 3.2
Maximum Power kW 150 150 150 150
Maximum torque Nm 450 225 450 225
Maximum speed RPM 10,000 20,000 10,000 20,000
Max speed at maximum torque RPM 3,333 6,666 3,333 6,666
Efficiency at high torque % 88 91 92 94
Efficiency at high speed % 94 95 97 98
Efficiency at 3kW % 94 93 95 94
Torque ripple without skew % 35 35 12 12
Maximum flux density Tesla 2.7 2.7 2.3 2.13
Maximum magnet temperature Deg C 130 130 110 105
Magnet mounting Surface Surface Surface Surface
Magnet shape Bread-loaf Bread-loaf Bread-loaf Bread-loaf
Magnet thickness mm 10 8 13 10.4
Magnet angle Deg 32 32 25 25
Magnet mass kg 2.83 1.42 3.73 1.87
Copper mass kg 4.2 2.1 6.3 3.2
Motor mass without casing kg 26 14 25 13
Power density without casing kW/kg 5.76 10.71 6.0 11.53

Table 2 The relationship between electric motor speed and power density

This simple analysis of Table 2 demonstrates with some certainty that higher speed results in a
proportionally smaller motor. However very high or unlimited speeds are not possible without
improving several key motor support subsystems;
• The transmission that must convert the speed of the motor to the vehicle’s wheel speed

Michael Durack, Ultimate Transmissions Pty., Ltd.

• The inverter required to create typically three phase power with higher frequencies
• The structure of the rotor to enable it to withstand the increasing centrifugal forces placed on
the magnets.
• The rate of removal of heat now being produced in a smaller volume machine, with less
distance to travel but less area through which to travel.

Typical North American family vehicles are designed for a vehicle speed of 110 mph or 180kph
in order to express to a consumer similar top speed performance to that of a vehicle powered
using Internal Combustion. With wheels 700mm in diameter this produces an axle speed of
around 1,360RPM. A 10,000 RPM motor requires a reduction ratio of 7.35 while the 20,000
motor requires double this at 14.7.

The 7.35 ratio can be delivered using a well understood two stage offset gear which is relatively
simple enough up to 10:1 overall ratio. Over 10:1 the transmission dynamics starts to become
unknown territory and the side loads created by the offset gears on the motor pinion gear
combined with very high speeds, severely limit the choice of bearings available for the output
end of the motor. Epicyclic gears become the only option, combined with either another
epicyclic or another offset gear.

The doubling of switching speed in the inverter will lead to higher inverter losses but with new
Silicon Carbide and Gallium Nitride switches maturing very rapidly this impediment is not likely to
inhibit high speeds for much longer.

The increasing centrifugal forces can be managed by re-arranging the motor geometry and by
taking advantage of the smaller radial dimensions and lighter magnets. It is considered however
that surface magnets wrapped with a pretensioned nonconductive fibre will start to emerge as a
better solution for high speed than imbedded magnets. As motor speed increases the motors
become more able to accommodate larger air gaps, and the amount of iron in the stator teeth
can reduce. Removing heat from the much smaller motor may require some rethinking of cooling
strategies.

HIGH SPEED MOTOR TRANSMISSION

One way of taking advantage of the high speed low noise and reduction capabilities of a SILK
drive is to combine a high reduction SILK drive, a high speed motor and conventional gears, in
this case 30,000 RPM capable of 200kW of power. Figure 4 depicts such a transmission. The
transmission and motor weighs less than 52 kg, consisting of the following parts;
• Active Motor Parts 18kg (steel, shaft, hub, copper, and magnets)
• SILK reducer 12kg
• Gears bearings and shafts 12.5kg
• Motor and SILK casing including cooling jacket 3kg.
• Differential Casing 4kg
• Traction fluid 2.5kg

Michael Durack, Ultimate Transmissions Pty., Ltd.

 200kW transmission
22:1 reduction ratio
30,000 RPM motor up to 300Nm torque
Maximum output speed 1,363 RPM
56kg total weight wet.

Figure 4 A 30 000 rpm motor transmission arrangement

FULLY COAXIAL TRANSMISSION

A concentric transmission using a single stage 15:1 SILK reduction is possible by incorporating
the differential on the high speed leg of the drive train. In this case a traction based system with
a fixed clamping system is proposed so as to remove any gear face torque transfer likely to
contribute to NVH issues. A motor with a hollow shaft drives directly into the differential which
then outputs to two low torque small diameter axles that drive the sun of two independent
reduction transmissions that then drive the left and right side wheels. In this design it is
assumed that the electric motor uses the transmission fluid as its cooling system which is
pumped from a sump to a cooling, filtration circuit.

Figures 5 and 6 describe such a transmission weighing less than 53kg.

• Active Motor Parts 24kg (steel, shaft, hub, copper, and magnets)
• Differential 2.0kg.
• SILK reducers 18.0kg
• Motor and SILK casing including cooling jacket 6kg.
• Traction fluid 2.5kg

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Michael Durack, Ultimate Transmissions Pty., Ltd.

Figure 5 A fully coaxial transmission architecture

Figure 6 Pictorial view

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Michael Durack, Ultimate Transmissions Pty., Ltd.