Abstract
This paper presents an experimental investigation on the speed and torque loss components of the power loss of a rubber V-belt continuously variable transmission (CVT) as operating conditions (parameters) change. These conditions include the speed ratio, belt tension, rotational speed, external load, diameters of the pulley, etc. A dynamometer is constructed to measure the speeds and torques of the driving and driven pulleys so as to identify the losses and efficiency of the experimental CVT. The power loss of the CVT is investigated not only at constant running speeds but during acceleration when the speed ratio changed continuously. An uncertainty analysis is then performed for the estimation of the accuracy of experimental data. In addition, the repeatability of the experiment was studied to guarantee that reliable results were obtained. Experimental results demonstrated that the power loss as well as transmission efficiency of the CVT differed from those of the V-belt drives. © 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.