keller@uicsl.UUCP (01/31/84)
#N:uicsl:2800009:000:846 uicsl!keller Jan 30 12:43:00 1984 BuisnessWeek (Feb. 6, 1984, p.74) has an article about continuously variable ratio transmissions being introduced in Europe and Japan this summer with US introduction in 1986. The system works by adjusting two opposing conical faces of a pully that force a belt up or down their face in proportion to the separation. The belt runs between two such adjustable pullys and is (here's the secret) made of a string of steel plates on steel band. Projected life is 100k miles and can handle 450-hp. When combined with electronic controls it should be much better than traditional automatics and may challenge manual transmissions. Currently one company has a monopoly on these "gearless transmissions." It is a small Dutch company called Van Doorne Transmissie. However every other manufacturer is working on it. Volvo is part owner of this company.
guy@rlgvax.UUCP (Guy Harris) (02/01/84)
Actually, the DAF - a Dutch-made car - had a gearless transmission in the '60s,
I believe. DAF stood for - surprise, surprise - (Van)Doornes AutoFabrik (or
whatever the Dutch for Van Doorne's Auto Factory was). DAF was later bought
out by Volvo (I'm not sure whether Volvo owns Van Doorne Transmissie, but they
do own the former DAF). I don't remember how much the current stepless
transmission has in common with the DAF Variomatic.
Guy Harris
{seismo,ihnp4,allegra}!rlgvax!guybbanerje@sjuvax.UUCP (B. Banerjee) (02/01/84)
>> Currently one company has a monopoly on these "gearless >> transmissions." It is a small Dutch company called Van Doorne Transmissie. >> However every other manufacturer is working on it. Volvo is part owner of >> this company. If I recall correctly, these were used in Dutch cars called DAF's or something similar, as far back as 1974. -- Binayak Banerjee {allegra | astrovax | bpa | burdvax}!sjuvax!bbanerje
monroe@sequent.UUCP (02/06/84)
I really doubt if anyone has exclusive rights....our Hesten hay mower
has a device for controlling the speed that is similar. Projected life of
100k? Not with belt drive. I hope they make easy to service.
The Knight In Glowing Phosphor,
Doug Monroe
Sequent Computer Systems
{ogcvax,cdi,verdix}!sequent!monroekeller@uicsl.UUCP (02/08/84)
#R:rlgvax:-163900:uicsl:2800010:000:185 uicsl!keller Feb 7 20:03:00 1984 From the same BW article that prompted the original submission I learned that the DAF used rubber belts in its CVT and suffered greatly from the reduced lifetime of said belts. -Shaun
andrew@inmet.UUCP (02/10/84)
#R:sjuvax:-13400:inmet:2700048:000:325 inmet!andrew Feb 8 08:27:00 1984 The CVT was used on DAF cars as far back as the late '50s. A few of them even made it to the US during the first wave of imports circa 1960 (remember Wartburg, Borgward, Skoda, Hillman, Auto Union (now Audi), etc.?) The DAF sold here was called the DAFodil, and it used the CVT with rubber/leather belts to transmit power.