Torque converters take the place of clutches in heavy machinery and vehicles with automatic transmissions. The converters allow the motor to idle while the vehicle is stopped. A second use for converters is to supply increased torque when the motor is being revved up. This second use is especially beneficial for heavy duty motors for construction or industrial uses.
Parts of a converter
The main parts of torque converters are the housing, impeller, turbine, stator, and transmission fluid. The impeller, turbine, and stator are discs with attached vanes. The vanes are used to direct the flow of the transmission fluid. An industrial converter may employ a series of discs with attached fins to deliver a higher torque multiplier.
How converters operate
Converters provide a fluid coupling between a motor and its load. The initial load usually is a transmission. The transmission, in turn, may power the tires of a vehicle, the propeller of a boat, or industrial machinery.
When the motor is being accelerated, the motor RPM will exceed the transmission RPM. Under these conditions, the converter needs to allow slippage. The converter will also be multiplying the torque received from the motor. As the motor achieves its peak power RPM, the transmission RPM will catch up. At this stage, the converter no longer needs to allow slippage. A lockup clutch may then be triggered to connect the motor directly to the transmission. This matching speed is referred to as the converter’s stall speed. The stall speed (RPM) is frequently one of the main requirements considered when choosing a suitable converter
Twin Disc torque converters
Twin Disc converters are some of the most popular in the heavy machinery world, and can be used with farm tractors, road pavers, cranes, mining trucks, oil-rigs, logging equipment, mission-critical vehicles, watercraft, pumps, and turbines. These converters can handle diesel motors from 30 to 3500 hp.
The company also can provide stripped units for manufacturers who want to provide their own driveline assembly. The company also can provide a modulated input clutch to divide power between PTO drives and torque converters.
Clark torque converter
The Clark torque converter is manufactured for heavy-duty use in industrial applications, as well as custom-built high-performance vehicles, circle track race-cars, and drag racing cars. They can also provide “one-of-a-kind” or prototype converters.
They use a computer controlled manufacturing process and top grade materials and can maintain the precision of most parts to within 0.001 inch. In addition, they have a customer service staff of over 30 people, standing behind their product.
Manitowoc torque converter
The Manitowoc torque converter uses industrial-strength components. The company has years of experience producing and servicing heavy duty, durable equipment. They also manufacture cranes, implementing the Vicon system which uses a constant speed motor to drive two torque converters. This eliminates the need for clutches and brakes.
We’re obviously big fans of torque converters, and we’ll go above and beyond to ensure that yours is installed correctly, and running efficiently.
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