5.3.7 Complex torque converter operation
The peculiarity of the operation of such a torque converter is as follows: when the number of revolutions of the driven shaft is much less than the number of revolutions of the drive shaft, which corresponds to an increased load on the output shaft (for example, the car starts moving), then the fluid flow leaving the turbine wheel hits the reactor blades from the inner (with respect to the direction of rotation) side. At the same time, while trying to rotate the wheel in the opposite direction from the general rotation, the flow, which is created by the force, jams the reactor motionless on the freewheel clutch. With the reactor stationary, the entire system acts as the torque converter described above, providing the required torque transformation and helping to overcome changing loads. In case if the load on the output shaft decreases (the car travels at a constant speed along the highway), and the number of revolutions of the turbine wheel rises sharply, then the liquid coming from the turbine blades hits the reactor blades from the outside, trying to rotate it in the direction of the general rotation. In this case, the freewheel clutch is unlocked, and the reactor wheel starts rotating freely in the same direction with the impeller. Due to the absence of stationary blades in the path of the fluid flow, the transformation (change) of the moment stops, and the whole system works as a hydraulic clutch. That is, in fact, it connects the crankshaft with the gearbox shaft directly, like a mechanical clutch.
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