The drive was developed by Dr Beier, an Austrian working in Germany. This was a complex
turbo-compound engine that coupled a diesel piston engine together with a gas turbine and axial-compressor
supercharger. Supercharging
boost control was achieved by varying the ratio of this drive. In contemporary use, the Beier variator is most widely used as part of an industrial motor drive. An electric induction motor is driven at its ideal speed, derived from the electrical line frequency, and the variator drive is used to manually adjust its output speed. These are often coupled with a
cycloidal drive to provide an extra-low speed output. == See also ==