Clutch

The cars , so they can function properly, are composed of a lot of small parts, all important and fundamental. One of these parts is the clutch , a mechanical element that is located between the engine and the gearbox , whether it is a manual or automatic car. Being able to know the way it is composed and the way it works is very important in order to avoid misuse of the device.

Clutch Characteristics

Among the main characteristics that can be observed and found in a clutch, the following are mentioned:

• It is in charge of being able to start the march of a car .
• You can connect and disconnect the engine from the rest of the parts that make the car move.
• By the time the engine starts, it can produce 800 revolutions per minute.
• It is controlled by means of a pedal .
• Allows you to change the gears .
• It has mechanical resistance that allows it to transmit torque to the wheels.
• It also has thermal resistance with which it manages to absorb the heat produced by friction.
• It also has progressivity and elasticity which means that its movement can be transmitted without suddenness.
• It has adhesion to prevent it from skidding or losing strength.
• It allows to have speed in the maneuvers.

History

In the history of cars, the clutch has undergone an enormous development in terms of technology . With the appearance of the combustion engine, great changes began to take place and the best way to separate the engine from the gearbox began to be studied . The first clutches that existed were using belts flat of leather which were responsible for exerting tension on the wheels to drive this way the pulley of the motor. When the pulley that tightened the belt was loosened, then the clutch was released .

Little by little, different types of clutches emerged that are based on the principle of coupling through friction. In the 1920s, the dry clutch began to be used which displaced other types that had already been manufactured, and shortly after, the coil spring clutches began to be manufactured .

In the seventies , the manufacture of the diaphragm clutch began, which came to completely replace the entire system of helical springs and levers with a piece known by the name of diaphragm that could do all the complete work.

Types

The types of clutch that exist are:

• Mechanical friction clutch : this type of clutch is the most common and is formed by the steering wheel of the car on which the primary shaft that has a gearbox rests. You can have a single dry disc or you can also have multiple wet or dry discs.
• Hydraulic clutch : it has the union of the two most important parts of the clutch thanks to an oil medium without having a disc. This type of clutch can be found in automatic type boxes.
• Electromagnetic Clutch : These are rare to find and take advantage of the force produced by an electromagnetic field to be able to transmit torque.

Depending on the way in which the pressure is made on the plate to be coupled with the disc, other types of clutch can also be found, which are:

• of spring
• of diaphragm
• Centrifugal

Parties

The parts that a clutch has are the following:

• Friction disc: this is the most important part of the clutch and is coupled to the gearbox by means of a shaft. It can turn as the steering wheel does so and it makes gear changes more easily made.
• Thrust collar: is responsible for separating or joining the disc when the driver disengages or steps on the clutch pedal. Release the pressure on the disc, creating a gap so that the disc can be removed from the flywheel allowing gear changes.
• Flywheel : their function is to transform the movement of the pistons, which is straight, into rotary so that the wheels can rotate in this way.
• Pressure plate : it has a steel disc and is connected to the clutch mechanism housing by means of the springs and on the other hand it is connected to the faces of the clutch disc.
• Casing : is an element that is covering the clutch system by which the steering wheel is fixed inertia by screws.
• Drive mechanism : it has a bute, which is a bearing. It is supported on the clutch diaphragm and works by pushing the blades in order to release or press the disc.

How does it work

The clutch works when, when driving a vehicle, the different movements that take place in its cylinders are transferred to the crankshaft , which is attached to the steering wheel of the car. This is where the movement arrives at the moment in which the disc is coupled through the shaft. The pressure plate then applies an amount of force to it in order to bring power to the engine and then to the wheels of the car. The operation has three important positions that are :

• Clutch position : occurs when the disc is engaged and manages to transmit power to the clutch by joining them with the wheels and the engine.
• Disengagement position : occurs when the clutch pedal is depressed and the disc disengages, this is where gear changes are made.
• Transient position : it is a phase that occurs between the two aforementioned positions in which the clutch softens the mechanical shocks so that when the gear change is made, it is not made abruptly and to prevent inertia from being present .

What is the clutch for

The clutch is a piece that is used to transmit the rotation that occurs in the engine to the gearbox of the car. It is the element that is part of the transmission that is responsible for bringing the force that the engine has to the wheels. The engine is responsible for turning the flywheel while the clutch is coupled to it in order to be able to transmit that turn made to the gearbox, managing to pass the transmission shaft.

Breakdowns

Possible faults can be mentioned for example the slip of the clutch, starts sudden when the pedal is released, the discs glued desembragues remain incomplete , noisy or pedal hardens .

Maintenance

For good maintenance is important to avoid keeping placed foot on the pedal of the clutch or clutch , avoid using the same pedal when the car is not in motion, avoid braking and progress of the car so constant , for example, when it is in a car dam. The Remove speed without using the clutch is a technique that can be learned and give a longer life to the piece. Lastly, avoiding strong starts or races.

Importance

It is a very important part of a vehicle as it is responsible for allowing gear changes to occur in order to put the car in motion. In addition, it is thanks to this piece that a car can start running through the progressive transmission that occurs.