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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

CVT performance, SAE, mini-baja application, Continuously Variable Transmission

College

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology

Department

Mechanical Engineering

Abstract

The Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) is a mechanical device that transfers power from an engine to another device such as a gear box or reducer. It mainly consists of three major parts; a speed sensitive drive pulley, a torque sensitive driven pulley and a V-belt. A CVT has the ability to adjust the gear ratio between the engine and the gear box automatically based on engine RPM and the torque needed to drive the driven pulley. CVT’s are widely used in special purpose vehicles such as all terrain vehicles (ATV’s) and snowmobiles. CVT’s are also used for the national Mini-Baja competition sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Several advantages of CVT’s include the fact that they are lighter, simpler, and less expensive than conventional transmissions. They also provide a wide range of gear ratios (3.5:1 – 0.5:1) which adjust their ratio automatically. In addition, they are relatively easy to modify and repair. Surprisingly, little research has been conducted with CVT’s for the Mini-Baja application.

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