TC's and manual trans (was: Re: Smooth strategy)

[Clarence L.Snyder]

d houlton x0710 wrote:
> 
> Shannen Durphey wrote:
> >
> > If you have any chances to roll around some of the car shows with well
> > restored examples from the early 40's to late 50's, you'll see that
> > the upper scale cars were designed to be very smooth.  In the
> > transmissions, there were vacuum powered clutches, variable speed
> > transmissions, standard trans with torque converters. Even
>                  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> 
> Oooh!, the magic words.  I was just about to ask about this.  Can
> anyone give me some info or point me to a source about torque convertors
> and how exactly they work.  Are these tightly interdependant on an
> automatic trans (because of the fluid used) or could they possibly be
> used independantly?  I.e., adapted for use on a manual trans.
> 
> Forgetting for the moment about the specific machiningg, adapters, etc that
> would be required to physically hook it up, is it possible or feasible
> to make it work outside of an automatic trans?  Is it's hydraulic fluid
> supply sealed inside the convertor?  Could you fill the convertor and
> seal it and expect it to work for very long or does it need a continuous
> flow of fluid for cooling?  If so, would pressure need to be modulated
> for any reason or does it just need a continuous flow?
> 
> thanks for any info
> --Dan
Actually, the manual trans used a fluid coupling, not a torque
convrerter. Hy-Drive was one example, on the plymouth. The fluid
coupling is a 2 element design and does NOT amplify torque. This was
used on the original Powerglide and Hydramatic as well. Also called a
torus, the fluid coupling is basically two fans - one blowing at the
other. Using oil instead of air, and enclosing them in a housing
increases the effisiency - just a little bit. A split "guide ring" in
some models reduced the turbulence, helping efficiency a bit more. The
dual coupling hydramatic used two of these couplings, one large and one
small - which also acted as clutches for the automatic by running one
full and one empty.On later Hydramatics, there was a third member added
to the torus, called a multiplier. In these fluid couplings, the vanes
were basically straight, except fotr the bultiplier which had vanes at a
45 degree angle. This was ALMOST a torque converter. The torque
converter is a fluid coupling, with curved blades. The blades meet like
the treads on a tractor tire so the oil thrown off the drive
turbine(pump or impeller) gets caught in a "bucket" on the load turbine.
Efficiency is much higher with a torque converter. Very few torque
converters were two element, as the "stator", analogous to the
multiplier, was so much more effective with the curved blades. Instead
of the oil coming off the turbine trying to slow down the impeller, it
is redirected to the turbine, giving off more of it's energy the second
time round.
The ford-o-matic was one of the first to use a three member TQ, along
with later Powerglides,torque-flytes and cruise-o-matics..
Lockup TQs are nothing new - Studebaker used a 4 member TQ in the late
50s or early sixties with a direct drive clutch.The Dynaflow used a 4
member TQ - or twin turbine converter.Early PowerFlytes were also 4
unit. Some of these used a variable pitch turbine. The early Powerglide
and Turboglide used 5 member converters - two pumps, two stators, and
one turbine.
Just a "short" history and description of the Torque converter.