Flywheel, for motor vehicles

Details Flywheel, for motor vehicles Flywheel, for motor vehicles

1996-12-04

1999-06-29

Lillis, Eileen Dunn

Rotary shafts, gudgeons, housings, and flexible couplings for ro

Torque transmitted via flexible element

Coil spring

464 68, 1922133, 192214, F16D 314

Patent

active

059160250

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to damped flywheels, especially for motor vehicles, of the kind comprising two coaxial masses, one of which, referred to as the first mass, is adapted to be coupled in rotation to a driving shaft, such as the crankshaft of an internal combustion engine, the other one, referred to as the second mass, being adapted to be connected to a driven shaft, such as the input shaft of a gearbox, and of the type in which the two masses are mounted coaxially through an interposed bearing, such as a ball bearing, and in which coupling means are interposed between the two masses so as to couple the second mass to the first mass.
The coupling means may comprise springs acting either circumferentially or radially, or in another version these means may be of a centrifugal type as described in the document FR-A-1 598 557.
In all cases, the second mass constitutes the reaction plate of a friction clutch, and for this purpose it offers a friction surface to the friction disc which is part of the said clutch. Thus the second mass is arranged to be mounted in rotation on a driven shaft through the interposed friction disc, that is to say in a disconnectable manner.
The friction liners of the friction disc tend to become heated in service, and the same is then true for the second mass which defines the reaction plate.
Under severe driving conditions, this second mass may reach very high temperatures, and this is why, in the document FR-A-1 598 557, ventilation holes were provided in the second mass, between the bearing and the friction surface of the second mass, in order to reduce the temperature in the region of the bearing. These holes thus prevent any risk of over-heating of the bearing. They are located close to the bearing.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to make use of these ventilation holes for an additional purpose.
In accordance with the invention, the ventilation holes are open into the base of a groove which is formed in the second mass at the inner periphery of its reaction plate radially outwardly of the bearing, for collecting a lubricating agent such as oil escaping from the centre of the damped flywheel, and the edge of the base of the groove is interrupted by the ventilation holes.
This oil may be oil that has leaked from the crankshaft of the vehicle or from the gearbox of the latter. In another case there may be grease which has escaped from the bearing. The same groove thus prevents contamination of the friction surface of the reaction plate and of the friction liners of the friction disc.
Thus, the ventilation holes have a double function, namely a ventilating function and a function of evacuating leaked oil and/or grease, which collects in the bottom of the collecting groove. Thus, the lubricating agent (i.e. oil, grease, etc.) will be evacuated, together with any contaminants, in a wholly effective way because the holes are open into the base of the groove.
The holes, which extend from one side of the second mass to the other, may be of round form or of circumferentially oblong form. They may be flared towards the first mass, or vice versa.
The following description illustrates the invention with reference to the attached drawings, in which:


BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view in axial cross section taken on the line 1--1 in FIG. 2, of a damped flywheel in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is a view in the direction of the arrow 2 in FIG. 1, and partly in cross section;
FIG. 3 is a partial view, seen in cross section taken on the line 3--3 in FIG. 2.


DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIGS. 1 to 3 show a damped flywheel for a motor vehicle, consisting essentially of a first mass (or first rotary element) 12 and a second mass (or second rotary element) 14, which are mounted for movement of one with respect to the other about an axial axis of symmetry X--X of the assembly.
In this example the masses 12 and 14 are mounted coaxially through an interposed

REFERENCES:
patent: 4782933 (1988-11-01), Jackel et al.
patent: 4856636 (1989-08-01), Meinhard
patent: 4876917 (1989-10-01), Aiki et al.
patent: 5120276 (1992-06-01), Maucher et al.
patent: 5123877 (1992-06-01), Maucher et al.
patent: 5146811 (1992-09-01), Jackel
patent: 5194046 (1993-03-01), Jackel
patent: 5269725 (1993-12-01), Maucher et al.
patent: 5307710 (1994-05-01), Feldhaus et al.
patent: 5493936 (1996-02-01), Stockmann et al.

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