192 clutches and power-stop control – Elements – Wear compensators
Patent
1996-06-18
1998-01-13
Pitts, Andrea L.
192 clutches and power-stop control
Elements
Wear compensators
192 7025, 192 8923, 192 8924, F16D 1375
Patent
active
057069247
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a friction clutch, especially for a motor vehicle, and is directed more particularly to a mechanism for compensating for wear in the friction liners, which operates continuously as the said liners become worn, and which thus ensures a clutch travel which remains constant over the course of time.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional friction clutch includes a reaction plate, which may be in two parts so as to constitute a damped flywheel, and which is mounted in rotation on a first shaft, typically a driving shaft such as the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine, and which carries at its outer periphery a cover plate to which at least one pressure plate is attached.
The pressure plate is fixed to the cover plate and reaction plate, for rotation with them, but it is able to be displaced axially under the biasing action of axially acting resilient means which are generally controlled by a metallic diaphragm which bears on the cover plate, while a friction wheel which carries the friction liners at its outer periphery, and which is fixed to a shaft, typically a driven shaft such as the input shaft of the gearbox, for rotation with the latter, is interposed between the pressure plate and the reaction plate in such a way as to be gripped between them when the clutch is in its engaged position.
The diaphragm controlling the axial movement of the pressure plate is actuated by a clutch release bearing which slides axially.
Over the working life of such a clutch, the friction liners, and also the materials against which they engage (i.e. the pressure plate and the reaction plate) become worn, which causes the gripping force between the friction wheel on the one hand, and the pressure and reaction plates on the other hand, to vary as a result of the modifications in the working conditions of the diaphragm.
The clutch travel also varies, as does the force which necessary for disengaging the clutch.
It is known from the document U.S. Pat. No. 4,207,972 to provide a wear compensating device in which a first plate, which is in fact the pressure plate, is in two coaxial parts, one of which is displaceable axially with respect to the other in such a way that the overall thickness of the first plate has a tendency to increase to the extent that the thickness of the friction liners diminishes, so that the working conditions of the diaphragm consequently do not vary.
In that document, the coaxial elements of the first plate are displaceable axially one with respect to the other against the action of a device or mechanism for compensating for wear in the above mentioned friction liners.
The said device includes ramp means which are carried in a complementary manner by two members, one of the members being fixed against rotation while the other member is rotatable.
Initiation of the movement of the said members is controlled by a trigger which is responsive to the state of wear of the friction liners. The said members work between the two parts of the first plate.
Such a device enables wear in the friction liners to be taken up continuously.
However, under severe operating conditions, the pressure plate becomes heated, as do the remainder of the components of the clutch, so that a singular point is passed through with compensation for wear, the pressure plate becoming deformed into a conical shape.
An object of the present invention is to overcome this drawback.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, a clutch of the type described above is characterised in that it includes a rotatable rearming member associated with one of the parts of the first plate and subjected to the action of locking means which are controlled by the trigger, in that first circumferentially acting resilient means and loose coupling means are interposed between the rearming member and the rotatable member of the wear compensating mechanism, and in that the rearming member is subjected to the action of second circumferentially acting re
REFERENCES:
patent: 4207972 (1980-06-01), Zeidler
patent: 5186298 (1993-02-01), Takeuchi
patent: 5564541 (1996-10-01), Gochenour et al.
Pitts Andrea L.
Valeo
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