FLUID TORQUE TRANSMITTER

1,130,766. Variable-speed gears. INPOWER WORKS (PTY) Ltd. 21 Sept., 1966 [1 Oct., 1965], No. 42084/66. Heading F2D. In a variable speed planet gear wherein an input carrier 12 carries planet pinions 24 geared to an output pinion 18 and rotation of the planets 24 is opposed by vaned wheels 22 which scoop liquid from an annular layer around the periphery of a drum 14, the vanes 26 and/or side walls 32 of the wheels 22 have holes 30, 34 which prevent carry-over of liquid from one side of the wheel to the other and thus ensure an unbalanced mass of liquid trapped on one side of the wheel. The holes 30 in adjacent vanes may be staggered and the vanes 26 may, as shown, be curved or may, Figs. 5 and 6 (not shown), be straight. A shroud, Figs. 4-6 (not shown), may surround the liquid trapping side of the wheel 22. The planet pinions may, as shown, mesh an output sun 18 or may mesh an output ring gear. The drum 14 may, as shown, be fast with the carrier 12 or may (Fig. 3 not shown) be a separate freely rotatable drum surrounding the carrier. Fig. 7 (not shown) is a torque/speed characteristic.