A torque converter stator has interchangeable blades and has a body member with a central hub and an annular wall. Dovetail openings are located on an outer surface of the annular wall. Each blade has a dovetail pin that is removably received within a respective one of the dovetail openings. A cover plate is removably attached to the body member in order to secure the blades in place within their respective dovetail openings. A heated duct ring is positioned over the outer ends of the blades and allowed to heat shrink into contact with these ends as the duct ring cools and shrinks, thereby securing the duct ring to the remainder of the stator.

A torque converter stator has interchangeable blades and has a body member with a central hub and an annular wall. Dovetail openings are located on an outer surface of the annular wall. Each blade has a dovetail pin that is removably received within a respective one of the dovetail openings. A cover plate is removably attached to the body member in order to secure the blades in place within their respective dovetail openings. A heated duct ring is positioned over the outer ends of the blades and allowed to heat shrink into contact with these ends as the duct ring cools and shrinks, thereby securing the duct ring to the remainder of the stator.

A stator includes a stator body member and a fixing member. The stator body member includes a first disc part, a plurality of first stator blades and a first ratchet portion. The plurality of first stator blades extend outward from the first disc part in a radial direction. The first ratchet portion is provided on a principal surface of the first disc part so as to extend in a circumferential direction. The fixing member is disposed in a non-rotatable state, and includes a second disc part and a second ratchet portion. The second ratchet portion is provided on a principal surface of the second disc part so as to extend in the circumferential direction, and is configured to be engaged with the first ratchet portion.

A transmission includes a torque converter stator with controllable blade angle. The blade angle is adjusted by adjusting the rotational position of a control ring with respect to a stator hub. The stator blades are supported by the stator hob, a locking ring, and an outer ring. The stator blades have teeth that mesh with teeth on the control ring to determine blade angle. A controller adjust the blades by commanding fluid pressures in hydraulic circuits routed to the stator hub. Various circumstances in which the controller would adjust the blade angle are discussed.

A launch device for coupling the rotary output of a prime mover to the rotary input of a driven device. The launch device includes a containment vessel defining a chamber. A driving element, located within the chamber and being rotatable relative to the containment vessel, is configured to be coupled to the output of the prime mover, while a driven element, also located within the chamber and being rotatable relative to the containment vessel, is configured to be coupled to the input of the driven device. The driven element is fluidically coupled to the driving element and is rotationally driven thereby during rotation of the driving element by the prime mover.