Dana Dana Torque Converter: What are the advantages of a hydraulic torque converter?
Release date:
2022-08-17 15:51
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Dana torque converter: What are the advantages of a hydraulic torque converter?
The hydraulic torque converter exhibits high efficiency near its rated operating conditions, reaching 85% to 92%. The impeller is the core component of the hydraulic torque converter; its type, arrangement, and blade geometry determine the device’s performance. Some torque converters feature two or more turbines, stators, or pumps to achieve different operational characteristics. So, what are the advantages of Dana’s hydraulic torque converters?
Dana torque converter: What are the advantages of a hydraulic torque converter?
Common torque converters are of the direct‑rotation type (where the output and input shafts rotate in the same direction) and single‑stage types (with only one turbine). This design is known as an integrated hydraulic torque converter, combining the characteristics of both a torque converter and a fluid coupling. For example, the stator in a hydraulic torque converter may be fixed or may rotate with the pump impeller. To ensure proper operation, prevent cavitation, and maintain adequate cooling, the system requires an auxiliary oil‑supply circuit and a cooling system that provides a specified oil‑supply pressure.
Advantages of the hydraulic torque converter:
1. Excellent automatic adaptability: Depending on the machine’s operating resistance or other working loads, the torque converter can automatically and continuously adjust its speed and torque within a certain range.
2. It extends the service life of the machine; since the working fluid in a hydraulic torque converter is liquid, it provides vibration damping, significantly reducing dynamic loads in the transmission system.
3. It enhances the machine’s cross‑country performance; hydraulic transmission systems offer excellent, stable low‑speed characteristics, thereby improving the machine’s traction on the ground.
4. Enhance machine comfort: hydraulic transmission ensures smooth starts, enables wide-range continuous speed variation, reduces the need for gear shifts, and absorbs and mitigates vibrations and shocks.
5. The machine’s operation has been simplified, as the hydraulic torque converter itself functions as a continuously variable automatic transmission, broadening the prime mover’s power range and allowing for fewer gear ratios in the transmission.
Dana torque converter: What are the application areas of a hydraulic torque converter?
The primary applications of the torque converter are conventional automatic transmissions (including parallel‑shaft series‑type gearsets used in Honda and early Ford models) and CVT transmissions. By contrast, automatic transmissions that rely on multi‑plate clutches and dual‑clutch modules lack the torque‑amplification capability and smooth, flexible power delivery of a torque converter; if poorly matched to a relatively underpowered engine, they may stall when cornering or reversing. With a torque converter, this risk is significantly reduced.
When shifting without a clutch, the gear changes are gentle, the engagement is smooth, and the operation is straightforward, offering convenience to the driver and comfort to both driver and passengers. However, it also has numerous drawbacks:
1. The mechanism is complex, making repair difficult. At medium and high speeds, the hydraulic oil circulating within the torque converter generates high temperatures; therefore, a specified high‑temperature‑resistant hydraulic fluid must be used.
2. Gear shifts are slow and less responsive than with a manual transmission, which is why many drivers prefer driving a manual car.
3. If the vehicle fails to start due to a depleted battery, it cannot be jump-started using another vehicle or a tow truck. When towing a disabled vehicle, ensure that the drive wheels remain off the ground to prevent damage to the automatic transmission.
4. Fuel consumption is inefficient, transmission efficiency is low, and the torque range is limited. The introduction of electronic control technology has addressed these issues.
Dana torque converter