192 clutches and power-stop control – Elements – Casings
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-09
2001-11-06
Lorence, Richard M. (Department: 3681)
192 clutches and power-stop control
Elements
Casings
C192S070160
Reexamination Certificate
active
06311816
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a pressure plate housing for connection to an inertia mass in a clutch of a motor vehicle having a disk-shaped housing cover and a housing wall integrally produced from formed sheet metal, wherein the housing wall projects from the disk-shaped housing, is supportable on the inertia mass, and has recesses for receiving connecting elements.
2. Description of the Related Art
A prior art pressure plate housing is known, for example, from DE 43 13 507 A1 that is completely produced from deep-drawn sheet metal and possesses, in its housing cover close to the housing wall, a ring of recesses through which the connection elements, i.e., screws, are guided during assembly. A center of the housing cover has an aperture through which a thrust device of the clutch is extendable. The inertia mass has threaded holes to receive the screws. In the installed state, the free end of the housing wall of the pressure plate housing is prestressed against the inertia mass by the screws or other connection elements. An advantage of the pressure plate housing that is integrally produced from deep-drawn sheet metal is the particularly cost-effective production and high elasticity compared to a pressure plate housing produced by injection molding.
A disadvantage of the known pressure plate housing is that a distortion-free installation on the inertia mass is very demanding because even slight deviations in the prestress of the connection elements produces a heavy flexural stressing of the housing wall. Furthermore, the known pressure plate housing has very large radial dimensions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to design a pressure plate housing having a housing cover and a housing wall integrally produced from formed sheet metal such that the pressure plate housing can be installed as simply as possible without distortion.
The object of the present invention is achieved by a pressure plate housing having a housing cover and a housing wall, wherein the housing wall is designed recesses for receiving the connection elements.
As a result of this design, the recesses for the connection elements are arranged outside the housing cover. Therefore, the housing wall is not flexurally stressed even with slightly different prestressing of the connection elements. Furthermore, the housing cover according to the present invention does not absorb any prestress forces of the connection elements. Accordingly, the pressure plate housing according to the present invention is simple to install without distortion. If the recesses for the connection elements are arranged in the housing wall, the radial dimensions of the pressure plate housing may be kept particularly low. Moreover, the use of a large number of connection elements of small dimensions instead of a small number of connection elements of large dimensions facilitates further reduction of the radial dimensions of the pressure plate housing according to the present invention. Frictional fitting of the connecting elements, i.e., screws, in the recesses further facilitates the assembly of the pressure plate housing according to the present invention.
To further reduce the risk of distortion of the housing wall, the housing wall may possess flanges designed to rest on the inertia mass, wherein one of the recesses extends through each of the flanges. In this embodiment, the connection elements prestress the flanges against the inertia mass, so that no forces are transmitted into the housing wall or into the housing cover.
The pressure plate housing according to the present invention has particularly small dimensions if a neutral portion of the projecting edge of the housing wall is oriented to point to the center of the flange. Furthermore, the pressure plate housing according to this embodiment has particularly high stability as a result.
The flanges, according to another embodiment of the present invention, may be produced integrally with the housing wall particularly cost-effectively if the flanges are arranged on tongues angled downward from the housing wall.
To further increase the stability of the pressure plate housing according to the present invention, it is helpful if the tongues possess a common collar designed to rest on the inertia mass. In this embodiment, the collar forms a bead which protects the housing wall, especially during transport. As a result, the housing wall may be of particularly thin-walled design.
To further reduce the radial dimensions of the pressure plate housing according to the present invention, the housing wall is arranged perpendicularly to the housing cover and the recesses are arranged within the housing wall. The pressure plate housing according to this embodiment of the present invention may, for example, be drop-forged for this purpose.
The pressure plate housing according to another embodiment of the present invention may be produced particularly cost-effectively if the housing wall possesses a plurality of sheet metal strips angled downward from the housing cover.
Furthermore, the pressure plate housing installed into a clutch permits reliable cooling of the pressure plate combined with especially inexpensive design if the plural sheet metal strips are mutually spaced apart.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, the recesses may be arranged particularly cost-effectively on the sheet metal strips if a partial region of the sheet metal strips is bent to form a sleeve comprising one of the recesses. The sleeve may thus be designed like a strap hinge.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, the recesses for receiving the connection elements may be produced particularly cost-effectively if a partial region of the sheet metal strips is arranged in an encompassing design for the partial lateral delimitation of one of the recesses. As a result, the metal strip only needs, for example, an angle or a U-shaped bend in the region of the recess. This design further contributes to a particularly economical use of material and hence to a light weight of the pressure plate housing according to the invention.
The pressure plate housing according to the present invention is of particularly light weight if the sheet metal strip is designed to taper toward the end of the sleeve remote from the housing cover.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, a large number of recesses may be arranged on the housing wall by arranging one sleeve on each of the two sides of the sheet metal strips. The use of a large number of sleeves allows particularly thin connection elements to be employed. As a result, the connection of the pressure plate housing according to the present invention to the inertia mass becomes particularly rigid, since two connection elements each prestress one of the angled sheet metal strips onto the inertia mass.
Cooling air may be passed under the pressure plate housing according to the invention, in a particularly inexpensive design, if the sheet metal strips are each arranged to extend in the circumferential direction from a radially outer position toward a radially inner position. The result of this arrangement is that the sheet metal strips function as a simple form of fan blades so that the cooling air is conveyed in a radial direction when the pressure plate housing according to the invention is rotated.
The conveyance of the cooling air under the pressure plate housing according to the present invention may be inexpensively effected by arranging the recesses for the connection elements located on both sides of the sheet metal strips on different partial circles.
Forces transmitted into the pressure plate housing according to the invention, in the installed state, may be simply supported on the inertia mass if the housing wall comprises sheet metal strips with radially directed bent-over tabs arranged on the circumferential sides of the sheet metal strips that laterally encompass the recesses and are designed to be supported on the inertia mass and on the housing
Cohen & Pontani, Lieberman & Pavane
Lorence Richard M.
Mannesmann Sachs AG
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