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I’ve wanted to make this video for some time. In fact I’ve had these fans sitting at the shop for almost a year waiting for this video to be made. I know that I screwed up some of the terminology but I’m hoping the concept of how a torque converter works is conveyed in this video. I look forward to your thoughts.
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[quote=”spelunkerd” post=52016]It’s a great feeling to have it all come together conceptually, and the new video does just that. The one area I still had some problem with is the dynamics of how the stator works. I found an excellent pdf file written by Toyota, explaining it in much more detail. I’ll try to append it at the bottom of this note in case anybody else wants those details.
The problem with using air fans as a conceptual tool is that the direction of flow across the stator doesn’t come from the impeller, it comes from retrograde return flow after it bounces off the turbine. Remember that the whole system is sealed, so total oil flow has to balance out.
The second critical point is that the direction of oil flow across the vanes of the stator change, depending on relative impeller and turbine speed. When the speed of the impeller is much greater than the turbine, flow is largely a vortex, with oil coming off the turbine at such an angle that it hits the concave faces of the vanes of the stator, locking it up. Those locked vanes redirect oil flow to give the input of the impeller a torque boost.
When the turbine speed rises, the dominant pattern of oil flow becomes more rotary, which changes the angle that the oil hits the stator. This time, the oil flow hits the convex back of the stator vanes, and return oil is already flowing in the right direction to optimize impeller input. If the stator were fixed in that setting, there would be a performance failure causing poor engine performance and overheating at highway speeds. So, the stator is designed to freewheel when pushed in that direction.
For a longer and much better description of what I said above, read the following pdf file.
Great post! Thanks for the info.
What really surprised me is the fact that the torque converter unit was a sealed (welded?) unit and Eric had to use angle grinder to split it. Are all torque converter like that?
Eric had to use angle grinder to split it. Are all torque converter like that?
I think a plasma cutter or oxy/acetylene torch cut would have been a more efficient method than doing all that die grinding… but it got the job done.
[quote=”vgs8606″ post=52225]What really surprised me is the fact that the torque converter unit was a sealed (welded?) unit and Eric had to use angle grinder to split it. Are all torque converter like that?[/quote]
Yes they need to be sealed so that they will hold in the fluid.
Do remember those two speed Hondamatics?
They had converters that were so good you did not have to change gear even on a hill. They were also very thin. What made them so much better than the conventional fat ones?im building an off road trial dune buggy my question is could i use a torque from a car in a dune buggy with a 18hp Briggs and Strattons engine side shaft and what would be the best one to use the buggy only wights 300 to 400 lbs its the orange one im putting trail arms on the rear and bigger ones on the front any on can help would be great thank Alex_huntzinger@yahoo. com
Alex,
A car unit wouldn’t work on your application. They make centrifugal clutches, like the ones in snowmobiles, that would be better for you. Some people call these torque converters also. Once you get the right springs and weights in, they are great. You can get them from go cart part suppliers. You will need the horsepower, tire size, final gear ratio, and weight of the vehicle to pick the right one out. You then fine tune with different springs and centrifugal weights for max performance. Looks like a fun project. When you get it done, try studding the tires and riding it on the ice.i know what you are talking about i have one on my trike it really nice but im looking for more power with out a bigger engine and 300 hundred dollar cvt i am vary mechanically inclend and i have the tools to do what ever i need to do but do they have a torque converter that has all the fluids self contand or what car have cvt in them like the Mitsubishi landser
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