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In order to reduce friction and predict wear of the sliding part, it is important to determine the oil film thickness of particular area. A sensor or similar device must be attached to the sliding surface to detect the oil film thickness. However, a sensor could not be attached, due to the lack of space on contact surface, and moreover there was no method to secure the sensor on contact surface at that time. A several-micrometer-thin-film sensor was installed on a sliding surface to attempt measurement, but since the sensor was attached on a contact surface, wear occurred immediately and data was unable to be obtained. To accomplish above issue, we developed a protective layer with excellent wear-resistance that successfully extended the measurement time by protecting the thin-film sensor.

In order to maintain the performance of push belt Continuously Variable Transmissions (CVT) over a long period of time, it is important to acquire a fundamental understanding of lubrication performance between a pulley and a metal V-belt. This work examined oil film thickness using the contact pressure on a sliding surface of pulley sheave during driving, which was obtained with an uniquely developed measurement technique. The contact between a belt element and a pulley sheave was treated as a group of small elliptical contact zones. The pressure-viscosity characteristics of lubricant were assigned to Reynolds equation with Roelands experimental formula. Also, in order to increase convergence of the calculation, a multigrid method was used. Calculation results indicate that the oil film thickness at a peak contact pressure measured was approximately 0.3-0.4 μm.

A clutch FEM model was created to quantitatively understand the operation and dynamic friction characteristics of the facing materials. And a simulation model for dynamic behavior analysis of the torque transmission characteristics from a transmission that incorporates drivetrain damping characteristics to the vehicle body was constructed. The data of the actual vehicle was also measured when vibration occurs and loss torque is generated by friction in the drivetrain, and damping characteristics were determined from the measurement values. In order to confirm the usefulness of this method, the construction of a clutch that suppresses self-excited vibration was examined by simulation and the reduction of vibration in an actual vehicle was confirmed.

By optimizing parameters related to damping performance and adopting a layout that incorporates the turbine into the damper components, a “Turbine Twin-Damper” lock-up damper was developed that achieves both damping performance and compactness. To reduce losses in the fluid flow channel, a smaller torus was developed that reduce the width of the torus by about 30%.Through the combination of this Turbine Twin-Damper and smaller torus, attenuation of the torque fluctuation transmitted to the transmission to 1/2 or less compared to a conventional product was achieved without increasing the overall width of the torque converter. As a result, the engine speed at cruise fell by 400rpm, and fuel economy improved.

Lithium-rich layered oxide, expressed as xLi2MnO3-(1-x) LiMO2 (M = Ni, Co, Mn, etc.), exhibits a high discharge capacity of 200 mAh/g or more and a high discharge voltage at a charge of 4.5 V or more. Some existing reports on cathode materials state that lithium-rich layered oxide is currently the most promising candidate as an active material for high-energy-density lithium-ion cells, but there are few reports on the degradation mechanism. Therefore, this study created a prototype cell using a lithium-rich layered cathode and a graphite anode, and analyzed the degradation mechanism due to charge and discharge. In order to investigate the causes of degradation, changes in the bulk structure and surface structure of the active material were analyzed using high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD), a transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS), and scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX).

Honda has developed the 2018 model CLARITY PLUG-IN HYBRID. Honda’s new plug-in hybrid is a midsize sedan and shares a body platform with the CLARITY FUEL CELL and the CLARITY ELECTRIC. The vehicle’s electric powertrain boosts driving performance as an electric vehicle (EV) over Honda’s previous plug-in hybrid. The CLARITY PLUG-IN HYBRID’s electric powertrain consists of a traction motor and generator built into the transmission, a Power Control Unit (PCU) positioned above the transmission, an Intelligent Power Unit (IPU) fitted under the floor, and an onboard charger fitted below the rear trunk. The PCU integrates an inverter that drives the traction motor, an inverter that drives the generator, and a DC-DC converter to boost battery voltage (referred to as a “Voltage Control Unit (VCU)” below).

When the belt contacts a pulley in a pushing belt-type CVT, vibration is generated by frictional force due to rubbing between the individual elements that are components of the belt, which is said to increase wear and noise. The authors speculated that the source of that vibration is misalignment of the secondary pulley and primary pulley V-surfaces. To verify that phenomenon, a newly developed micro data logger was attached to an element of a mass-produced metal pushing V-belt CVT and the acceleration was measured at rotations equal to those at drive (1000 to 2500 r/m). In addition, the results of calculations using a behavior analysis model showed that changes in pulley misalignment influence element vibration, and that the magnitude of the vibration is correlated to the change in the metal pushing V-belt alignment immediately before the element contacts the pulley.

A highly efficient two-motor plug-in hybrid system is developed to satisfy the global demands of CO2 reduction. This system switches three operation modes, what is called “EV Drive”, “Hybrid Drive” and “Engine Drive”, to maximize fuel efficiency according to the driving condition of the vehicle. Practical plug-in EV (Electric Vehicle) capability is also realized by adding a high-power on-board charger and a high capacity Li-ion battery to the original system. The outlines of the system components including a newly developed Atkinson cycle engine, a highly efficient electric coupled CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) with built-in motor and generator, an integrated PCU (Power Control Unit) and an exclusive battery for plug-in HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle) are described in this paper. In addition to the switching of three driving modes and the efficiency improvement of each device, cooperative control of the hybrid system is introduced.

As the motorcycle market grows, the fuel efficiency of motorcycle oils is becoming an important issue due to concerns over the conservation of natural resources and the protection of the environment. Fuel efficient engine oils have been developed for passenger cars by moving to lower viscosity grades and formulating the additive package to reduce friction. Motorcycle oils, however, which operate in much higher temperature regimes, must also lubricate the transmission and the clutch, and provide gear protection. This makes their requirements fundamentally very different from passenger car oils. Developing fuel efficient motorcycle oils, therefore, can be a difficult challenge. Formulating to reduce friction may cause clutch slippage and reducing the viscosity grade in motorcycles must be done carefully due to the need for gear protection.

To increase the durability of multiple-plate clutches used in automatic transmissions, attention was focused on the wear history of the facing material. Measurements have confirmed that correlations can be observed between initial wear and disk contact pressure when the clutch is engaged, and between steady wear and plate temperature. Next, simulation technology was developed to quantify the disk contact pressure and plate temperature. When simulated contact pressure distribution and temperature distribution were used to establish correlations with durability wear, good proportional relationships were found in both cases. It was also found that when clutch specifications and driving conditions were varied, the gradient of the correction also varied, but the correlation remained proportional as long as the same facing material was used. The gradient was ranked as a wear property specific to the facing material.

A new 6-speed automatic transmission (AT) has been developed with the aim of enhancing fuel economy, raising efficiency, and achieving greater compactness. The unit was built on a parallel-shaft structure similar to the previous Honda AT, which has high torque transmission efficiency. The new AT was given more gear speeds and the ability to handle higher input torque from the engine. On the one hand, bolt structure for shaft tightening was implemented, the forward-reverse shift mechanism was placed on the input shaft and common gear trains are provided. As a result of these and other measures, the total length of the new transmission is 18 mm shorter than the previous model 5-speed AT. A multi-plate lock-up clutch (LC) structure with a separate chamber in the torque converter was also adopted so that the lock-up torque capacity could be increased and the LC control range expanded.

A simulation technology has been developed to predict the transmission efficiency of a metal pushing V-belt and pulleys that make up the drive system of a continuously variable transmission (CVT). When a CVT operates in an actual vehicle, pulley thrust pressure is adjusted by feedback control to maintain a speed ratio. This feedback control has been implemented, for the first time, in an existing simulation that predicts the dynamic behavior of a metal V-belt using explicit structural analysis. The new simulation enables stable control of a target speed ratio when appropriate gains are set for each analysis condition.

The new automatic transmission, A-HMT (Advanced Hydro-Mechanical Transmission) has been developed for the Honda ATV (All Terrain Vehicle), which is for wide applications such as utility, recreation, etc. The A-HMT system features high performance, durability and reliability attained by improving the structures from the original hydro-mechanical automatic transmission used for the scooter called “Juno”, which Honda had produced many years ago, working on the same principle. In addition to it, by applying the electronic control system, the highly responsive driveability that suits the requirements of ATV's has been realized. The A-HMT is installed in the new 500 cm3 ATV, FOURTRAX FOREMAN RUBICON, which has been introduced in the USA market since June 2000.

The International Lubricant Standardization and Approval Committee (ILSAC) ATF subcommittee members have compared the two oxidation bench test methods, Aluminum Beaker Oxidation Test (ABOT) and Indiana Stirring Oxidation Stability Test (ISOT), using a number of factory-fill and service-fill ATFs obtained in Japan and in the US. In many cases, the ATFs were more severely oxidized after the ABOT procedure than after the same duration of the ISOT procedure. The relative severity of these two tests was influenced by the composition of the ATFs. The bench test oxidation data were compared with the transmission and the vehicle oxidation test data.

HONDA completed research and development of the Metal V-Belt for CVTs in-house for the purpose of reducing the minimum pitch radius. The newly developed belt is essential to the compactness of a CVT and increases the speed ratio range. Increase of ring stress caused by reducing the minimum pitch radius is treated by improvement of element shape, optimizing clearance between elements and between element and ring and improving materials.(1) In this paper, the optimization of clearance between elements, heat treatment of elements and optimization of ring material are described in detail. Optimum total clearance between elements for a virgin belt is defined by test results during operation using a specially engraved gap sensor and a telemeter system. Tolerance and conditions of heat treatment for elements are optimized concerning fatigue strength of the element nose.

The subject is technology for damping forced vibration in the multiplate wet clutches used in hybrid vehicle transmissions. As a predictive technique for forced vibration caused by the structure of the clutch, three-dimensional simulation was used in the present study to anticipate the modes of vibration that occur. Next, a one-dimensional simulation was created as a predictive technique for drivetrain torsional vibration from the engine to the driveshaft. The one-dimensional simulation created was used to extract the modes of operation that are severe with regard to forced vibration from target values for vibration anticipated from the vehicle body. The results obtained were used with three-dimensional simulation to change the clutch structure to provide greater latitude with regard to the target for forced vibration.

In designing CVT pulleys, the effect of the fit clearance of the movable pulleys and their stiffness on the transmission efficiency and strength of the metal pushing V-belt is not necessarily clear. The research discussed in this paper introduced a pulley model that defined the pulleys as elastic bodies to a previously developed technology for the prediction of the transmission efficiency of the belts. As a result, it was found that when the fit clearance is reduced, the transmission efficiency of the belt is increased, and the amplitude of stress on the innermost rings and the element neck section is reduced. In addition, it was found that if pulley stiffness was reduced transmission efficiency was also reduced, and the amplitude of stress on the element neck section increased. This indicated that the fit clearance and the pulley stiffness changed the degree of deflection of the pulleys in the axial direction.

In a previous study by the authors, austenite (γ phase) formed on the topmost of pulleys after long term operation of continuously variable transmission (CVT) [1]. In general, martensite arising from heat treatment forms on the surface of pulleys and gears. Therefore, the sliding surface has a body-centered cubic (BCC) metal structure, and transformation into and existence of austenite (γ phase) is difficult unless there is a thermal history exceeding the eutectoid point. For the verification of that possibility, it was crucial to obtain temperature variation on the sliding surface. The major problem for such measurements was rotation of parts inside an operating CVT. In this study, uniquely developed measurement system enabled non-contact temperature measurement near the contact portion. Results were substituted to heat conduction equation to predict the temperature at the exact contact portion.

Infinitely variable transmission (IVT) is one of the methods used to extend the ratio coverage. In this paper, a dynamic behavior analysis technology was developed for an IVT utilizing a half-toroidal variator as the shifting device. The traction coefficient of traction fluid used for the half-toroidal IVT varies greatly according to contact surface slip rate, contact pressure and fluid temperature. This paper used measurement values from a four-roller machine to identify the coefficient, and then applied it to the dynamic behavior analysis. Use of the identified traction coefficient enabled power transmission characteristic predictions of a half-toroidal variator. To reproduce the elastic deformation in actual operation, the research used the Finite Element Method (FEM) for modeling. This model was also used to visualize the frictional state of traction surfaces during operation.

The mechanism of vibration in a metal pushing V-belt was analyzed using a simulation of the dynamic behavior of the belt in order to identify measures in response to unexpected noise occurring during CVT development. The results showed that the unexpected noise originated in self-induced vibration occurring when the elements of the belt moved in the radial direction close to the exit of the drive pulley. This paper will also discuss the realization of a method of reducing the unexpected noise.