Fluid

Coupling

1:INTRODUCTION
Fluid Coupling is a hydraulic device to transmit rotating mechanical or torque. It is using in marine,
railway locomotives, and industrial machines where variable speed operation or controlled start-up without
shock loading of the power transmission system is essential. It also has wide spread application in automotive
transmission as an alternate of mechanical clutches and retarder. The fluid works on hydraulic principal, in
that the power transmits from prime mover to machine by hydraulic connection between them. A fluid
coupling principally consists of a pump, turbine and working fluid. The pump connected to prime mover by
mechanical means and this pump energies working fluid, and fluid runs the turbine which is directly coupled
to machine by mechanical means.
In modern usage, a torque converter is generally a type of hydrodynamic fluid coupling that is used to transfer
rotating power from a prime mover, such as an internal combustion engine or electric motor, to a rotating
driven load. The torque converter normally takes the place of a mechanical clutch in a vehicle with an
automatic transmission, allowing the load to be separated from the power source. It is usually located between
the engine's flex plate and the transmission. The key characteristic of a torque converter is its ability to
multiply torque when there is a substantial difference between input and output rotational speed, thus
providing the equivalent of a reduction gear. Some of these devices are also equipped with a temporary
locking mechanism which rigidly binds the engine to the transmission when their speeds are nearly equal, to
avoid slippage and a resulting loss of efficiency.

Fig.1.1 Torque converter

A fluid coupling is a two element drive that is incapable of multiplying torque, while a torque converter has at
least one extra element—the stator—which alters the drive's characteristics during periods of high slippage,
producing an increase in output torque. In a torque converter there are at least three rotating elements: the
impeller, which is mechanically driven by the prime mover the turbine, which drives the load and the stator,
which is interposed between the impeller and turbine so that it can alter oil flow returning from the turbine to

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the impeller. The classic torque converter design dictates that the stator be prevented from rotating under any
condition, hence the term stator. In practice, however, the stator is mounted on an overrunning clutch, which
prevents the stator from counter-rotating with respect to the prime mover but allows forward rotation.
Modifications to the basic three element design have been periodically incorporated, especially in applications
where higher than normal torque multiplication is required. Most commonly, these have taken the form of
multiple turbines and stators, each set being designed to produce differing amounts of torque multiplication.
For example, the Buick Dyna flow automatic transmission was a non-shifting design and, under normal
conditions, relied solely upon the converter to multiply torque. The Dyna flow used a five element converter
to produce the wide range of torque multiplication needed to propel a heavy vehicle. Although not strictly a
part of classic torque converter design, many automotive converters include a lock-up clutch to improve
cruising power transmission efficiency and reduce heat. The application of the clutch locks the turbine to the
impeller, causing all power transmission to be mechanical, thus eliminating losses associated with fluid drive.

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2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 HISTORY
The fluid coupling originates from the work of Dr. Hermann Fottinger, who was the chief designer at
the AG Vulcan Works in Stettin. His patents from 1905 covered both fluid couplings and torque converters.
In 1930 Horold Sinclair, working with the Daimler Company, devised a transmission system using a fluid
coupling and planetary gearing for buses in an attempt to mitigate the lurching he had experienced while
riding on London buses during the 1920s.
In 1939 General Motors Corporation introduced Hydromantic drive, the first fully automatic automotive
transmission system installed in a mass produced automobile. The Hydromantic employed a fluid coupling.
The first Diesel locomotives using fluid couplings were also produced in the 1930s.

2.2 BACKGROUND
Widespread interest in hydraulic drives was created when hydraulic couplings were incorporated in
several popular automobiles. This was the outgrowth of the inventions of Dr. Hermann Foettinger in
Hamburg, Germany over 70 years ago. Dr. Fottinger developed both the hydraulic coupling and the hydraulic
torque converter for use in Diesel-powered vessels having up to 20000 horse-powers available for driving the
propeller.
The use and development of hydraulic spread to Sweden, where the Ljurigstron works further developed the
hydraulic torque converter under Lysholm-smith patents and to England, where Vulcan-Sinclair developed the
hydraulic coupling. The Swedish applications were made largely to rail cars and the English applications to
trucks and buses.
It has been in the last four or five decades that widespread industrial development has occurred in these two
hydro-kinetic drives. The American Blower Corporation was sub-licensed by Vulcan-Sinclair to manufacture
hydraulic couplings. The Twin Disc Clutch Company licensed under Lysholm-Smith patents to manufacture
industrial hydraulic torque converters and hydraulic couplings and Spicer Manufacturing Corporation to
manufacture torque converter for automotive uses.

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2.3 DEFINITION
A fluid coupling is a hydrodynamic device used to transmit rotating mechanical power or device that
transfers power through a fluid between its inputs and outputs. A fluid coupling basically consists of two fans
in a sealed, oil-filled housing. The input fan churns the oil, and the churning oil in turn twirls the output fan.
Such a coupling allows some speed difference between its input and output shafts.

2.4 BASIC CONSTRUCTION

The internal appearance of a fluid coupling has traditionally been likened to the two valves of a
grapefruit, each facing the other with the pulp scooped out and the cell dividers left intact.
Translated into technical language, the fluid coupling may be described as consisting of two toroidally
grooved discs facing one another with a small clearance between them. Radial blades are formed across the
grooves to divide them into curved cells. This blade also supports the hollow semi-circular cores for guide
rings, which reduces turbulence in the coupling.
The guide rings are offset within their torodal cavities so as to equalize flow area in the cells. One disc is
mounted from the engine flywheel via a tore’s cover but connects to the input shaft of the gear box and is
termed the turbine. Fluid coupling are either produced from aluminium die casting or as in later practice
fabricated from steel pressing.

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2.5 PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION

There are three essential parts to a fluid coupling the driving (input) section known as the impeller the
driven (output) section known as the runner and the casing which bolts to the impeller enclosing the runner
providing an oil tight reservoir. Both impeller and runner each represent half of a hollow torus with flat radial
vanes. At the inner circumference a conical baffle is attached to the impeller and a flat baffle is attached to the
runner. These components comprise the working circuit

Fig. 1.3 Parts of Fluid Coupling

The operation of the fluid coupling requires mechanical input energy, normally provided by a standard NEMA
B electric motor which is connected to the impeller and casing. The runner, which has no mechanical
connection with the impeller, is directly connected to the driven load. A variety of mechanical connections,
couplings, sheaves, and hollow shaft mountings, are available to provide the mounting configuration best
suited to the application. Finally, the fluid coupling must be initially charged by removing the fill (fusible)
plug and adding the recommended amount of oil based on the required torque.

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2.6 CHARACTERISTICS OF FLUID COUPLIND

1. CENTRIFUGAL LOADING: Fluid coupling has centrifugal loading characteristic in working
condition or in other words the power output by fluid coupling is directly dependent on third power of
the RPM1, and output torque is proportional to second power of RPM.
2. SLIP: Slip is the difference between in input and output speed with respect to input speed. A fluid
coupling cannot develop output torque when the input and output angular velocities are identical.
Hence a fluid coupling cannot achieve 100 percent power transmission efficiency. Due to slippage
that will occur in any fluid coupling under load, some power will always be lost in fluid friction and
turbulence, and dissipated as heat.
3. CLUTCHING AND DECLUTCHING: Fluid coupling provides soft start to machine. Fluid
coupling has an additional chamber on casing that known as delay fill chamber. This chamber is
connected to the circuit of the fluid coupling through some holes. Initially when fluid coupling at rest
the major quantity of oil filled inside this chamber and some quantity of oil available in circuit. When
prime mover shaft starts rotating the less fluid filled inside the circuit of the fluid coupling. That can
supply very less power and the speed of fluid coupling increases the oil from delay fill chamber
gradually comes into the circuit the power output of the fluid coupling.
4. RISING TORQUE: the fluid coupling allows to prime mover at rated speed and machine at
overloaded speed. That means the fluid coupling takes power constant and by reducing output speed
the torque increases. The fluid coupling can increase the torque up to 270% of the rated torque.
5. DIRECTION OF ROTATION: the fluid coupling can be used bidirectional. The impellor of the
fluid coupling is associated with the casing (housing) of the fluid coupling and the rotor is freely
supported on bearing only hence the rotor has less inertia than impellor. The fluid couplings rotor and
impellor can be mounted on vice versa. This is required when the prime movers starting torque is less
and it cannot sustain higher inertia at starting.
6. SET OUTPUT POWER: The fluid coupling can set the output power by varying the quantity of oil
filled inside the fluid coupling for a fixed input power. The quantity of oil once filled inside the fluid

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coupling cannot be change in working condition; hence the fixed quantity of oil can transfer a fix
maximum power for a particular input power.
7. STALL SPEED: The stall speed is defined as the highest speed at which the impellor can rotate
when the rotor is locked and maximum input power is applied. Under stall conditions all of the prime
movers power would be dissipated in the fluid coupling as heat.

2.7 CHARACTERISTIC GRAPHS OF FLUID COUPLING

Fluid coupling has centrifugal characteristics during starting, thus enabling no load start-up of prime
mover, which is of great importance.
The slipping characteristic of fluid coupling provides a wide range of choice of power transmission
characteristics which also results in speed variation, smooth and controlled acceleration, clutching and
declutching operations and other characteristics of load limiting shock and peak load absorption and damping
etc. By varying the quantity of oil filled in the fluid coupling, the normal torque transmitting capacity can be
varied. The maximum torque of the fluid coupling can also be set to a predetermined safe value by adjusting
the oil filling.
The fluid coupling has the same characteristics in both directions of rotation.

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Fig. 1.4 Fluid coupling characteristic Graph

2.8 BENEFITS OF A FLUID COUPLING

1. Soft cushioned starts
Without the fluid coupling, the motor instantly transmits
its locked rotor torque (starting torque) to the driven machine
(point A at right). Then, it quickly reaches and applies the
breakdown torque (Point B).For common applications, locked
rotor and breakdown torque often approximates 200% or more,
of the motor nameplate rating.
Damage can result if the required break-away starting torque of
the driven machine is significantly less, the machine will be
abruptly accelerated to rated speed. Fig. 1.5 Soft cushioned Starts
With a fluid coupling installed, however the torque to the driven machine starts at zero (point C) and gradually
increases as the coupling impeller accelerates to point D. When the output torque of the fluid coupling
exceeds the break-away starting torque of the driven machine (point D), the driven machinery gradually
accelerates (right half of chart). As the machine comes up to rated speed, the slip of the fluid coupling
decreases to (point E) and uniform power is transmitted at maximum efficiency.

2. Increased Starting Torque

With a fluid coupling, the breakdown torque of a standard NEMA B
squirrel cage motor can be used to provide additional torque to start
the machinery. In this example of a high horsepower application, the
NEMA B motor will initially exert only 80% of its rated torque (point
A).
Only if the motor can accelerate to 85% of its synchronous speed can
it take advantage of its 175% breakdown torque (point B). However,
with a properly selected fluid coupling, the motor can start Fig.1.6 Increased starting Torque
under no load (point C), and reach its breakdown torque in only a few shaft revolutions.
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If a fluid coupling is not utilized, an oversized, motor or a special high starting torque motor may be required.
These solutions are costly, and introduced undesirable variables into the system. A properly selected and filled
fluid coupling can provide an initial starting torque ideally matched to the needs of the driven machine.
Attainable initial starting torque values range from 40% of normal running load minimum, up to a maximum
initial starting torque value that equals the full breakdown of the motor.

3. Overload Protection
When a machine jams, the life of individual
components may be drastically reduced. Without overload
protection, the stored energy of the machine is absorbed in
the first second following the jam, increasing stresses on
components to many times their normal running values.

The fluid coupling slip characteristics spreads the absorption

of the impact over a period of time, reducing stress on the
components and therefore, protecting your machinery. Fig.1.7 Overload Protection

2.9 PURPOSE OF FLUID COUPLING

The purpose of using fluid coupling are listed below according to their application

1. In vehicle transmission system it is generally used to secure the following:

a. Absence of direct mechanical contact between the driving and driven members minimizes the
transmission of shock and torsional vibration between the engine and the drive.
b. No positive disengagement or engagement of drive allows a smoother starting characteristic this being
particularly advantageous when restarting up a steep hill.
c. Protect against harmful labouring of the engine at low speeds, since the fluid coupling will merely slip
and allow the engine to increase speed when overloaded.

2. In Aviation transmission system it is used in the engines exhaust gases and then, using three fluid
couplings, and gearing, converted low torque high-speed turbine rotation to low-speed, high-torque output to
drive the propeller.

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2.10 EFFICIENCY OF A FLUID COUPLING

1. In actual practice, the speed of driven shaft is always less than the driving shaft by 2% to 4% due to
friction and turbulence loss in the impeller and runner passage, which is known as SLIP.

2. The efficiency of the power transmitted by fluid coupling is about 98%.

3. In fluid coupling the driven shaft is free from engine vibrations.

2.11 COMPARISION BETWEEN FLUID AND MECHANICAL CLUTCH

MECHANICAL CLUTCHES FLUID COUPLING

The power transmission is via mechanical
contact
The efficiency of power transmission is low
As the clutch wears the cable needs to be
adjusted
The power transmission is via fluid
movement
The efficiency of power transmission is as
high as 98%
The absence of cables makes itself adjusting

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Initial cost of installation is low Initial installation cost is comparatively

Requires human effort
Requires a clutch paddle to be actuated
hence an added extra part
Suitable for manual transmissions
Table2.0
higher
Does not require human effort
No extra components are required as it shifts
automatically
Suitable for automatic transmission

3. APPLICATION
 Industrial: The fluid coupling is generally used where soft start and variable loading or variable speed
required. These kinds of applications are generally works in power plants, refineries, coal mines, paper
and pulp industries etc. there are some brief review of the application of the above sectors

 Fans: Fans are the important equipment of the power plant, it required to operate at variable speed for
variable power generation. Hence for the variable speed the fluid coupling is needed for the SA, PA,
ID FD and other fans.

 Pumps: Boiler is the important part of the power plant and it operates at very high pressure. For
feeding of fresh water into the boiler high pressure pumps required and these high-pressure pumps
required very high torque for starting. Hence fluid coupling employed into them.

 Mines: The fluid coupling used in conveyors in mines for moving raw material from mining point to
transportation point.

 Automotive: The fluid coupling can work as a clutch in an automobile. Fluid coupling also used in
heavy vehicle like trucks as a retarder unit.

 Railways: in a railway locomotive the fluid coupling used in power transmission train for varying load
and high torque required to pull the train.

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CONCLUSION

After a through survey of fluid couplings we can conclude that the fluid couplings come with their
own advantages and disadvantages.
The advantages being:
1. A fluid couplings give the smoother in operation to the mechanical clutches

2. Fluid couplings give the following benefits

2.1 Soft cushioned starts
2.2 Increased starting torque
2.3 Overload protection
2.4 Reduced current drawn when starting
2.5 Load balancing for multiple drives

3. The efficiency of power transmission is very high

4. No mechanical linkages and hence less wear and tear

5. The characteristics of a fluid coupling remain the same in both the directions

6. A reserve fluid coupling is advancement in the fluid couplings where in the power can be transmitted by the
introduction of a turning vane.

7. Fluid coupling technology has a lot of scope for further research and hence is a competitive field.

8. Torque converters are the other forms of a fluid coupling which are rigorously used in the automatic
transmissions.

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9. Fluid couplings not only find their application in the automobile field but also in the conveyors, and
anywhere else where power transmission is required.

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