CVT for a Small Electric Vehicle Using Centrifugal Belt Pulley

Abstract

In a conventional continuously variable transmission (CVT), the belt slides up and down along the slope of the pulley to shift gears. Efficiency is reduced because of slippage from the shifting of the belt. In this study, the centrifugal belt pulley for CVT were investigated. Instead of applying the belt slip method, a rail groove was machined on the side of the pulley, and a push piece pushed the belt up by centrifugal force along the rail groove. The CVT was designed and manufactured using this mechanism. A CVT tester was manufactured to validate the performance of the proposed transmission. The suitability of the CVT was verified through structural analysis.