D-Drive - Infinitely variable transmission
 

Ready for a bit of a mental mechanical challenge? Try your hand at understanding how the D-Drive works. Steve Durnin's ingenious new gearbox design is infinitely variable - that is, with your motor running at a constant speed, the D-Drive transmission can smoothly transition from top gear all the way through neutral and into reverse. It doesn't need a clutch, it doesn't use any friction drive components, and the power is always transmitted through strong, reliable gear teeth. In fact, it's a potential revolution in transmission technology - it could be pretty much the holy grail of gearboxes.

http://www.gizmag.com/steve-durnin-d...-geared/15088/

Re: D-Drive - Infinitely variable transmission
 

Very interesting indeed, definately a mind bender lol

Re: D-Drive - Infinitely variable transmission
 

I know the new BMWs have a dual clutch system,

one for 1st, 3rd & 5th.

one for 2nd, 4th & 6th.

Re: D-Drive - Infinitely variable transmission
 

i have some reservations about this
at work i drive a ford transit
if this new drive was fitted how would it grind gears between 3rd and 4th and how would it cope with jumping out of reverse as soon as the wheels turn ?
ford have spent many years putting these refinements into the tranny ,it looks as though they could disappear over night .

Re: D-Drive - Infinitely variable transmission
 

:rofl:

Re: D-Drive - Infinitely variable transmission
 

It looks like it's just a power combining epicyclic gear train, and shifts the gear varying problem to the secondary power input. Instead of braking an element of the epicyclic train, power is applied to two elements.

Re: D-Drive - Infinitely variable transmission
 

http://green.autoblog.com/2010/04/09...le-transmissi/

More detailed report

Video

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/newinventors/txt/s2865950.htm

Re: D-Drive - Infinitely variable transmission
 

quite an interesting concept i thought

Re: D-Drive - Infinitely variable transmission
 

Maybe it's just me but I am struggling to work out the dynamics or efficiency of this transmission. With a normal transmission you have a single power input, with this you require 3, 2 of which are at 90 degrees to each other. Surely this is going to cause a headache, and again with power transfer, if the 2 shafts are electrically driven from motors on the side of the transmission, where is the massive torque from the input side getting transferred to the output?