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A simulation method has been developed for calculating the force acting on the elements, bands and pulleys of a metal pushing V-belt for CVTs and the 3-dimensional behavior of the V-belt/pulley system. This method is based on the use of a commercial FEM simulation program. The values calculated with this simulation method showed good quantitative agreement with the experimental data, thereby confirming its validity. As one example of the results calculated with this simulation method, the effect of varying the amount of misalignment on band tension and torque capacity is described.

Three-dimensional computation has been applied to analyze combustion and emission characteristics in direct-injection diesel engines. A computational code called TurboKIVA was used to investigate the effects of the swirl ratio, one of the fundamental factors related to combustion control, on combustion characteristics and NOx and soot emissions. The code was first modified to calculate soot formation and oxidation and the precise behavior of fuel drops on the combustion chamber wall. As a result of improving calculation accuracy, good agreement was obtained between the measured and predicted pressure, heat release rate and NOx and soot emissions. Using this modified version of TurboKIVA, the effects of the swirl ratio on NOx and soot emissions were investigated. The computational results showed that soot emissions were reduced with a higher swirl ratio. However, a further increase in the swirl ratio produced greater soot emissions.