Dana torque converter: What is the function of an automotive hydraulic torque converter?
Release date:
2022-11-04 10:47
Source:
The hydraulic torque converter is a hydraulic component consisting of a pump impeller, a turbine, and a stator. Installed between the engine and the transmission, it uses automatic transmission fluid (ATF) as its working medium and serves to transmit torque, vary torque, change gear ratios, and provide clutch functionality. Now, let Dana, a leading manufacturer of torque converters, explain the functions of an automotive hydraulic torque converter!

What is the function of a hydraulic torque converter?
As the name suggests, a hydraulic torque converter provides continuous torque. Everyone knows that power is conserved, so vehicles equipped with a hydraulic torque converter always enjoy a significant advantage during startup. A hydraulic torque converter is a non‑rigid torque‑transforming device that uses a liquid as its working medium and represents one form of hydraulic transmission. It features a sealed working chamber through which the fluid circulates; the pump impeller, turbine, and stator are respectively connected to the input shaft, output shaft, and housing. When the prime mover—such as an internal‑combustion engine or an electric motor—drives the input shaft to rotate, the fluid is discharged from the centrifugal pump impeller, flows sequentially through the turbine and the stator, and then returns to the pump impeller, completing a continuous circulation cycle. The pump impeller transfers the mechanical energy of the input shaft to the fluid, which in turn drives the turbine to rotate at high speed, thereby transmitting energy to the output shaft.
Hydraulic Torque Converter – Principle of Torque Multiplication
The manufacturer of the Dana torque converter states that, within the hydraulic coupling, the oil flow reverses and is rigidly connected to the engine crankshaft. As it rotates, centrifugal force flings the ATF outward, impinging on the turbine blades and driving the turbine. The fluid returning from the turbine then strikes the pump impeller, resisting its rotation. This design is characterized by low efficiency but can achieve stepless speed variation over a certain range, which helps ensure smooth acceleration and gear shifts in vehicles.
Advantages of the hydraulic torque converter
1. Excellent automatic adaptability
Depending on the machine’s operating resistance or other working resistances, the torque converter can automatically and continuously vary speed and torque within a certain range.
2. Extended the machine’s service life
Since the working fluid of a hydraulic torque converter is liquid, it provides vibration damping, thereby significantly reducing dynamic loads in the transmission system.
3. Improved the machine’s passability.
The manufacturer of DeNa Dana torque converters states that hydraulically driven machinery exhibits excellent and stable low-speed performance, which can enhance the machine’s traction on the ground.
4. Enhance machine comfort
After adopting hydraulic transmission, the vehicle starts smoothly, offers wide-range continuous variable speed control, reduces gear shifts, and effectively absorbs and mitigates vibrations and shocks.
5. Simplified machine operation
Because the hydraulic torque converter itself functions as a continuously variable automatic transmission, it broadens the power range of the prime mover and allows for a reduced number of gear ratios in the transmission.
Alright, today the Dana torque converter manufacturer is here to explain the function of the hydraulic torque converter. That’s all for now. We hope that, after hearing this overview, you’ve gained a deeper understanding of its role—and that it proves helpful to you.
Dana torque converter