The belt clutching CVT drive has been developed for the scooter application. It utilizes the belt as a clutching mechanism instead of the traditional centrifugal clutch that is commonly employed in conjunction with the driven clutch of the drive train.
By eliminating the centrifugal clutch, 48% mass reduction of the driven clutch has been achieved as well as cost saving. By placing the belt clutching directly at the engine crankshaft, fast throttle response and better vehicle acceleration/deceleration have been attained.
The belt clutching mechanism demands a better performance belt to withstand the additional clutching induced wear and tear. The newly developed carbon cord belt, G Force™ C12, meets the challenge. The common edge cord pull-out failure mode is eliminated, and the overall wear is improved.
An analytical program PTWork has been developed and proven to be instrumental in integrating CVT clutch hardware with the CVT belt. According to the Federal Test procedure 75 [1], the belt clutching CVT drive has achieved an overall 7% fuel economy improvement over the conventional centrifugal clutch counterpart.