Abstract
Metal pushing V-belt continuously variable transmission (CVTs) has been growing in terms of its fuel economy advantage. These applications would require high metal-to-metal friction between the elements of the V-belt and pulleys. Fluids play an important role in metal-to-metal friction. Therefore vehicles equipped with CVTs need the special CVT fluids (CVTFs) that provide the higher metal-to-metal friction. Anti-shudder property is also very important for the CVTs because recent CVTs are equipped with lock-up clutch systems. However, anti-shudder property generally has a trade-off relationship with metal-to-metal friction. In this paper performances of genuine CVTFs of Japanese car manufacturers are surveyed especially about transition of metal-to-metal friction and anti-shudder property from previous generation CVTFs to current CVTFs.
Keywords: Metal Pushing V-belt Continuously Variable Transmission, Fluid, Metal-to-metal Friction, Anti-shudder Property, Durability, Oxidation Stability, Shift Quality