Lego bricks are pretty awesome, they can used to recreate iconic airportslet you Build your dream car and can now be used to demonstrate what’s going on inside your car’s transmission, thanks to one social media user who made it his mission to explain complex engineering using fun plastic toys.
Instagram user Bricks Master Builders has made a name for himself by building intricate models out of Lego bricks. In the past, this has included recreating engines, pistons, and even a working fan to keep himself cool on hot summer days. Now, they have solved the humble CVT problem.
CVT is the type that many automatic cars use instead of a traditional transmission filled with gears and cogs. Instead of stepped gears, CVT uses a pair of cones to provide a theoretically unlimited number of gears. But how is that done?
Yes, Bricks Master Builders has a box of Lego bricks available to show you. For the model, they used two cones made of Lego bricks and connect each one to an axle: one axle simulates the input from the engine and the other axle simulates the output that is normally transmitted to your car’s wheels.
The two cones do not touch each other but are connected by a strip of tape wrapped around each cone. Using a simple Lego stickThe strip moves through the cones, which changes the speed of the output. When the strip is at the thickest part of the inlet cone and the thinnest part of the output cone, it rotates much faster. Conversely, when it is at the thinnest part of the inlet cone and the thickest part of the output cone, it rotates much slower.
It may not be the most complex model made from Lego we’ve ever seen, but it does a pretty good job of showing you what’s going on under the hood. Your beloved Subaru.
If this whets your appetite for more technical explanations, we have a great in-depth look at How Honda Made a CVT for Mountain Bikesand another post here is reviewing Wild technology used to build Koenigsegg seven clutch gearbox
