Changes of Shifting Rate of Metal V-Belt Type CVT during Speed Up/Down under Quasi-Idle Loading Condition

The objective of this experimental study was to investigate the change of shifting rate of metal V-belt type CVT during speed up/down under quasi-idle loading condition. Changes in the rotational speeds of the driving and driven pulleys were simultaneously measured by the rotational speed sensors installed on the driving and driven shafts during speed up/down shifting, respectively. In addition, the interaxial force applied to the driving and driven pulleys was measured by a load cell. The shifting rate was defined as the ratio of the calculated radial displacement to the tangential displacement of the belt in the pulley groove. This study found that the shifting rate was determined not only by the slippage between the pulley and the belt element, but also by the elastic deformation of the belt element in the pulley groove. The power transmission performance was improved when the elastic deformation was small even though radial slippage between the pulley and the belt element was increased when quick shifting was achieved by increasing the applied low thrust force (which was defined as the lower thrust force than the other one).