hydraulic drivetrain
hydraulic drivetrain
(OP)
i recently read in design news about ford and the epa working together on a hybrid hydraulic drivetrain for automobiles. through web research, to purge my ignorance on the subject, i discovered several industrial uses as well as the epa's patent. this system has me very intriqued. why hasn't someone used this before (in automobiles)? as with all things viewed from the outside (ei not having worked with this design) it strikes me as the ultimate drivetrain. what are the advantages/disadvantages?





RE: hydraulic drivetrain
Hope this helps,
RE: hydraulic drivetrain
only real problem that has cropted has been the hydraulic maintence knowledge of the maintence staff. When a failure has taken place outside hydraulic eng have had to be called driving up the cost of the maintence bill.
Otherwise a very good system.
if you need more info i will see if i can get you from the manufactures.
regards
RE: hydraulic drivetrain
RE: hydraulic drivetrain
RE: hydraulic drivetrain
The system you desribe is a series hybrid. The HLA system in my earlier post is a parallel hybrid mated to a conventional drivetrain.
RE: hydraulic drivetrain
- package considerations for
- motors which will have both depth and diametral
considerations to be reckoned with
- large diameter, high pressure jounce hoses to provide
motor power at the wheel ends (hydraulic hoses tend
to fall in the semi-rigid category)
- hydraulic routing for large diameter, high pressure
tubing on the chassis which will protect from rust
(steel lines) and abrasion.
- performance - more requires larger components (motors,
flow, etc.)
- component size vs. vehicle mass as above
- overall system complexity - you go from developed
components (engine, trans, axles, etc.) to a system
which is 'new' to the application (on highway, country
road, moderately high suspension travels, etc.)
None of this is prohibitive, but greatly complicates life
Truck
RE: hydraulic drivetrain
RE: hydraulic drivetrain
Easy to multiply torque
Works well for things that are loaded to the point of stopping
Might be better able to handle massive amounts of torque
Packaging can be easier with no drive shafts.
For street cars no system that has the motors at the wheels will provide suitable ride and handeling.
The Ford system on the Tonka truck is only good for a couple of seconds. I do not think that such a large, heavy and potentialy dangerous system would work well in the aftermarket.
Even if it never works it shows that someone at Ford is creative and smart.
RE: hydraulic drivetrain
RE: hydraulic drivetrain
For highway vehicles, the system is heavy, has high inertia, high cost, and very poor efficiency compared to conventional geartrains.
RE: hydraulic drivetrain
How would you react if you mechanic said you were low on fan fluid?