Rotary shafts – gudgeons – housings – and flexible couplings for ro – Fluid coupling – Including multiple piston-cylinder devices radially spaced...
Utility Patent
1998-11-12
2001-01-02
Browne, Lynne H. (Department: 3629)
Rotary shafts, gudgeons, housings, and flexible couplings for ro
Fluid coupling
Including multiple piston-cylinder devices radially spaced...
C464S068800
Utility Patent
active
06168525
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flexible clutch, and, more particularly, a clutch for a two-mass flywheel of an internal combustion engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
A flexible clutch for a two-mass flywheel is known from German patent document number DE-PS 28 48 748. U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,460 depicts and describes a flexible, disk-type clutch including two half-couplings which are, within the bounds provided, torsionally twistable relative to each other. The two half-couplings are connected to each other through flexible clutch elements. In the outer radial region of an inner compartment there are displacement chambers which can be filled with a damping medium. Another similar clutch has been published in German patent document number DE 28 48 748.
Flexible clutches for a two-mass flywheel have the purpose of assuring running smoothness in drive units with internal combustion engines. This is especially true for vehicles, where smoothness is a prerequisite in all operating ranges and speed ranges. The drive train, particularly, should be free of adverse torsional vibration.
The elasticity of a clutch is selected so that the critical rotational speed associated with the mass systems of the engine and transmission is sufficiently below the operating range. In doing so, high amplitudes and torsional moments in the drive elements should be avoided when traversing through the critical speed range. A substantial contributor to the lowering of torsional vibration is a damping device which has been tuned to the drive train and is an integral part of the clutch. Damping is achieved hydraulically by displacing a damping medium through a defined slot. The problem here is that different torsional vibration signatures exist, depending on the type of engine (gasoline, diesel), number of cylinders, or cylinder arrangement (in-line, V).
While the selection of the number of springs for the clutch is primarily a function of the magnitude of the torque to be transmitted, the damping device, placed in parallel, cannot be sufficiently tuned for critical applications. It has been the experience that large relative angular torsional displacements cause significant amounts of damping medium to escape in an uncontrolled fashion through the axial slot into the inner part of the clutch, without significantly contributing to any damping.
This type of invention further includes an established disk-type clutch, described in German patent document number DE-GM 88 08 004, including one half-coupling that encompasses the other half by forming a sealed inner compartment which can be filled with a damping medium. There are displacement chambers with throttle slots, and the inner disks are segmented by separating walls on their outer periphery, through which radial surfaces on the disks submerge at a certain angular torsional displacement. Thereby, benefits will be realized in terms of damping torsional vibrations as a result of the enhanced matching capability to the operating conditions of the clutch, especially when it comes to matching the idle and full load conditions of the engine.
There are some operating conditions of drive trains that are susceptible to wear and damage of the individual component parts. It is well known that damage of the springs, which are part of the spring pack, is the consequence of the springs being coil-bound, meaning the spring coils are contacting each other at high pressures which, subsequently, leads to spring deformation. Also, a mutual hard contact of those tappet surfaces, which limit the damping chambers in circumferential direction, can lead to damage. This risk can be avoided by making the springs of the spring pack stiffer. This is, however, not desirable because a generally soft spring characteristic is needed in order to lower the resonance frequency as much as possible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a clutch such that the striking moment is increased without having to change the spring design characteristics to match certain operating conditions.
Thereby, the stated problem is overcome in an effective fashion with relatively little design effort. Hard contacts on the applicable limit-stop surfaces at the end-regions of the circumferential backlash are avoided. The spring characteristic of the total system can thereby be relatively soft during the center portion of the angular torsional displacement and relatively hard in the end phase.
As a further measure, the respective tappet can be designed so that it not only embodies an additional energy accumulator but also an additional damping element.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4739866 (1988-04-01), Reik et al.
patent: 4828533 (1989-05-01), Focueur et al.
patent: 5017179 (1991-05-01), Hanke et al.
patent: 5072818 (1991-12-01), Kuhne
patent: 5156067 (1992-10-01), Umeyama
patent: 5573460 (1996-11-01), Toji
patent: 5743371 (1998-04-01), Takehira et al.
patent: 5935007 (1999-08-01), Yang
patent: 5997402 (1999-12-01), Fukushima et al.
Browne Lynne H.
Taylor & Aust P.C.
Thompson Kenneth
Voith Turbo GmbH & Co. KG
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