For manual transmission models, the clutch is an important part of the car's power system. It is responsible for cutting off and connecting the power and the engine.
Principle of clutch
The clutch consists of a friction plate, a spring plate, a pressure plate, and a power output shaft. It is arranged between the engine and the gearbox to transmit the torque stored on the engine flywheel to the gearbox to ensure that the vehicle is transmitted to the drive under different driving conditions. The appropriate amount of driving force and torque of the wheel belongs to the category of the powertrain. In the case of semi-linkage, the power input end of the clutch and the power output end is allowed to have a speed difference, that is, through the speed difference to realize the transmission of an appropriate amount of power.
The clutch is divided into three working states, namely, full interlocking without depressing the clutch, half interlocking with partial depressing of the clutch, and non-interlocking when depressing the clutch. When the vehicle is running normally, the pressure plate is tightly squeezed against the friction plate of the flywheel. At this time, the friction force between the pressure plate and the friction plate is the largest, and the relative static friction between the input shaft and the output shaft is maintained, and the speed of the two is the same. . When the vehicle starts, the driver steps on the clutch, and the movement of the clutch pedal pulls the pressure plate back, that is, the pressure plate is separated from the friction plate. At this time, the pressure plate and the flywheel are completely out of contact, and there is no relative friction.
The last one is the semi-interlocked state of the clutch. At this time, the frictional force between the pressure plate and the friction plate is less than the fully linked state. There is a state of sliding friction between the clutch pressure plate and the friction plate on the flywheel. The speed of the flywheel is greater than the speed of the output shaft, and part of the power transmitted from the flywheel is transmitted to the gearbox. At this time, there is a soft connection between the engine and the driving wheels.
In the clutch, there is also an indispensable buffer device. It consists of two disks similar to a flywheel. A rectangular groove is punched on the disk, and a spring is arranged in the groove. Upon impact, the springs between the two discs elastically interact with each other to buffer external stimuli. Effectively protect the engine and clutch. Among the various parts of the clutch, the strength of the pressure plate spring, the friction coefficient of the friction plate, the diameter of the clutch, the position of the friction plate and the number of clutches are the key factors that determine the performance of the clutch. The greater the stiffness of the spring, the higher the friction coefficient of the friction plate. The larger the diameter of the clutch, the better the clutch performance.