Single-sided wet clutch suitable for narrow space

Abstract

The single-face wet clutch suitable for the narrow space comprises a clutch outer hub and a clutch inner hub, and a plurality of first clutch plates are arranged on the inner side of the clutch outer hub in a bonding mode; a plurality of second clutch plates are arranged on the inner side of the clutch inner hub in a bonding manner; the first clutch plate and the second clutch plate are oppositely arranged in a penetrating mode, and at least one of the contact faces of the first clutch plate and the second clutch plate is a curve face. The single-face clutch can shorten the axial size of the clutch assembly and is suitable for a narrow space with insufficient axial length; the bent clutch plates can enable the clutch plates to be distributed more evenly in the axial direction in the separation state, the combination and separation consistency of the clutch assembly is improved, meanwhile, the guide effect of oil in the radial outer side direction is improved through the bent clutch plates, the oil can be rapidly discharged, the lubricating and cooling effects can be rapidly achieved, the dragging torque is reduced, and the service life of the clutch assembly is prolonged. The product efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of clutch devices, and particularly relates to a single-sided wet clutch applicable to narrow spaces. Background Art

[0002] The wet clutch inside the AT transmission works under oil pressure control. When it is necessary to engage a certain gear, the hydraulic system delivers pressure oil to the hydraulic cylinder of the corresponding clutch, pushing the piston to move, pressing the friction plate and the separator plate (counterpart plate) together, and the engine power is transmitted to components such as the planetary gear set through the clutch to achieve gear shifting. When it is necessary to disengage, the hydraulic system returns the oil, and under the action of the spring force, the friction plate and the separator plate (counterpart plate) separate, and the current power transmission path is interrupted. However, since no measures are taken to evenly distribute the clutch plates after separation, the distribution positions of the clutch plates are different after each engagement and separation, resulting in different performances during the next engagement.

[0003] In a typical wet clutch assembly, the friction plates are connected to the inner and outer hubs of the clutch through internal and external splines. When the wet clutch is not engaged, due to the speed difference between the inner and outer hubs and the drag torque generated by mutual shearing, heat is generated. When the wet clutch needs to engage and transmit torque, the hydraulic system delivers pressure oil to the hydraulic cylinder of the corresponding clutch, pushing the piston to move, pressing the friction plates together. During the engagement process, the friction plates need to squeeze out the ATF lubricating oil between them. At the same time, since the friction material is a porous medium and has compressibility, the response time will be delayed. During the compression process of the friction material, the ATF in the pores of the friction material will also be squeezed out. All kinds of changes during the compression process result in different performances of different friction materials during the engagement process, resulting in different torque changes and engagement times during the clutch engagement process. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a single-sided wet clutch applicable to narrow spaces. The wet clutch has multiple curved single-sided friction plates, and different friction materials are used on different friction plates. Through different permutations and combinations, a customized wet clutch assembly is formed, realizing the customized development of different torque capacities and engagement times of the wet clutch assembly, and improving the controllability and consistency of clutch engagement.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the technical solutions adopted by the present invention include:

[0006] A single-sided wet clutch applicable to narrow spaces, including a clutch outer hub and a clutch inner hub. A plurality of first clutch plates are keyed and arranged on the inner side of the clutch outer hub; a plurality of second clutch plates are keyed and arranged on the inner side of the clutch inner hub;

[0007] The first clutch plate and the second clutch plate are arranged opposite to each other in an interlaced manner, and at least one of the contact surfaces of the first clutch plate and the second clutch plate is a curved surface.

[0008] Optionally, the curved surface is a wavy surface or a polyhedron formed by connecting multiple curved surfaces in a transitional manner.

[0009] Optionally, the number of the wavy surfaces or curved surfaces is 6 - 12.

[0010] Optionally, the bending angle of the curved surface is 5 - 15°.

[0011] Optionally, the first clutch plate is provided with a first friction plate base body, and a first friction layer is adhesively provided on the side surface of the first friction plate base body; the second clutch plate is provided with a second friction plate base body, and a second friction layer is adhesively provided on the side surface of the second friction plate base body; the first friction layer and the second friction layer are in the same direction and are located on the curved surface.

[0012] Optionally, the same direction of the first friction plate base body and the second friction plate base body on the contact surface is a curved surface; the first friction layer and the second friction layer are adhesively provided along the curved surface respectively and form a fitting curved surface.

[0013] Optionally, the radius of curvature of the curved surface is 5 - 10 times the thickness of the first friction plate base body or the second friction plate base body.

[0014] Optionally, the thickness of the bending area of the first friction layer or the second friction layer is greater than the thickness of the non - bending area.

[0015] Optionally, the material of the first friction layer or the second friction layer includes: an organic friction material made of phenolic resin; or a friction improver containing metal powder, metal oxide or composite rubber; ceramics, fibers or resins.

[0016] The advantages of the present invention are as follows:

[0017] ① The single - sided clutch can shorten the axial dimension of the clutch assembly and is suitable for narrow spaces with insufficient axial length; ② The assembly uses a bent single - sided clutch plate. In the separated state, the bent clutch plate can make the clutch plates more evenly distributed in the axial direction, improve the engagement and separation consistency of the clutch assembly. At the same time, the bent clutch plate increases the guiding effect of the oil in the radial outer direction, which can quickly discharge the oil, rapidly exert the lubrication and cooling effects, reduce the drag torque and improve the product efficiency; ③ The arrangement and combination of different friction materials in the assembly realize the customized development of different torque capacities and engagement times of the wet clutch assembly, and improve the controllability and consistency of clutch engagement. Description of the Drawings

[0018] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention and form a part of the specification. Together with the following specific embodiments, they are used to explain the present invention, but do not constitute a limitation to the present invention. In the drawings:

[0019] Figure 1 is the structure of a single-sided wet clutch applicable to narrow spaces according to the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the selection of friction materials in the single-sided wet clutch applicable to narrow spaces according to the present invention;

[0021] Each label in the figure represents:

[0022] 1 - clutch outer hub, 2 - clutch inner hub, 3 - first clutch plate, 31 - first friction plate substrate, 32 - first friction layer; 4 - second clutch plate, 41 - second friction plate substrate, 42 - second friction layer;

[0023] the first friction material a, the second friction material b, the third friction material c, the fourth friction material d, the fifth friction material e. Specific Embodiments

[0024] The following specific embodiments of the present invention are given. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the following specific embodiments, and any equivalent transformation based on the technical solution of this application falls within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0025] The AT transmission uses a multi-plate wet clutch as an element for gear shifting. When the axial length is insufficient, a single-sided clutch plate is often used to reduce the axial length while maintaining a sufficient friction contact surface to transmit a sufficient torque capacity. After separation, the axial distribution positions of the clutch plates are random and the distribution of the clutch plates is extremely uneven, resulting in different engagement and separation performances. At the same time, because the axial length is small, a very small distribution difference will bring a huge performance difference, seriously affecting the consistency performance. And there are various choices for the materials of the wet clutch friction plates. Different friction materials have different friction compression amounts during the clutch engagement process, and the oil guiding time to the radial outside is also different, with different engagement and separation times and torque characteristics. Under different temperatures and loads, the clutch engagement performances are also different.

[0026] The single-sided wet clutch applicable to narrow spaces according to the present invention includes a clutch outer hub 1 and a clutch inner hub 2. A plurality of first clutch plates 3 are keyed and arranged on the inner side of the clutch outer hub 1; a plurality of second clutch plates 4 are keyed and arranged on the inner side of the clutch inner hub 2; the first clutch plates 3 and the second clutch plates 4 are arranged opposite to each other in an interspersed manner, and at least one of the contact surfaces of the first clutch plates 3 and the second clutch plates 4 is a curved surface. By using single-sided bent clutch plates, since the bent clutch can increase the distance between the clutch plates in the non-forced state, the distance between the clutch plates becomes more uniform, improving the separation consistency performance. At the same time, different friction materials are used on different friction plates, and customized wet clutch assemblies are formed through different permutations and combinations. The arrangement and combination of different friction materials in this product enable the customized development of different torque capacities and engagement and separation times of the wet clutch assembly. At the same time, the bent clutch plates will increase the guiding effect of the oil towards the radial outside, quickly exerting the lubrication and cooling effects and reducing the drag torque.

[0027] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the curved surface is a wavy surface or a polyhedron formed by the transitional connection of multiple curved surfaces. In a preferred solution, the number of wavy surfaces or curved surfaces is 6 - 12. In a preferred solution, the bending angle of the curved surface is 5 - 15°. The wet clutch of the present invention uses a bent clutch disc, and the bent clutch disc presents a wavy or bent shape in the tangential direction of the clutch disc, which helps to increase the frictional contact area and heat dissipation performance. At the same time, the drag torque is reduced and the product efficiency is improved. At the same time, in the disengaged state of the clutch, the clutch discs can be more evenly distributed, reducing the risk of clutch disc adhesion, making the disengagement more complete, and improving the engagement consistency when engaged again. When designing the bending shape of the single-sided bent friction plate, factors such as space limitations, mechanical properties, thermal management, and frictional contact characteristics should be comprehensively considered. For the selection of the bending shape, single-curvature bending, multi-curvature bending, and wavy bending can be chosen. Single-curvature bending is suitable for situations where the axial space is limited but the radial space is large; multi-curvature bending bends along multiple directions to form a complex curved surface and is suitable for scenarios with strict space limitations but where the contact pressure distribution needs to be optimized; wavy bending, where the friction plate is designed in a wavy shape, can increase the contact area and improve the heat dissipation performance. At the same time, the choice of the bending radius also affects the performance of the friction plate. The bending radius should not be too small, otherwise it will cause local stress concentration and reduce the fatigue life of the friction plate; the bending radius should not be too large, otherwise the space cannot be fully utilized and the contact pressure distribution may be uneven. Usually, a reasonable bending radius is selected according to space limitations and material properties, which is 5 - 10 times the thickness of the friction plate. The bending angle of the friction plate is usually 5 - 15°, and at the same time, the thickness of the bending area can be appropriately increased to improve strength and stiffness, but stress concentration should be avoided. At the same time, the surface of the friction material can be appropriately treated, such as grooving or perforating, to further improve the heat dissipation and guiding performance. By adjusting the bending angle and curvature, the pressure can be gradually reduced from the center to the outside to form a reasonable pressure gradient, ensuring a uniform contact pressure distribution with the pressure plate and avoiding local overheating or wear. The dimensional tolerances of the bent clutch need to be strictly controlled to ensure the assembly accuracy and contact performance. Usually, stamping or precision casting processes are used. The number of waves or curved surfaces can be determined according to the diameter and bending angle, usually 6 - 12. Too many will affect the frictional contact area, and too few will affect heat dissipation.

[0028] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first clutch disc 3 is provided with a first friction disc base body 31, and a first friction layer 32 is adhesively provided on the side surface of the first friction disc base body 31; the second clutch disc 4 is provided with a second friction disc base body 41, and a second friction layer 42 is adhesively provided on the side surface of the second friction disc base body 41; the first friction layer 32 and the second friction layer 42 face the same direction and are located on a curved surface. In a preferred solution, the same direction of the first friction disc base body 31 and the second friction disc base body 41 on the contact surface is a curved surface; the first friction layer 32 and the second friction layer 42 are respectively adhesively provided along the curved surface and form a fitting curved surface. The engagement and disengagement performance of the clutch is jointly determined by all the clutch discs in the clutch assembly. Clutch discs in different distribution states have very different performances during the engagement process, seriously affecting the engagement and disengagement performance of the clutch. During the engagement process, the piston successively compresses the clutch discs to achieve torque transmission. Clutch discs in different distribution states and different positions will result in different torque transmission curves, affecting the consistency. When the clutch is disengaged, if the distance between two adjacent clutch discs is too tight, torque will continue to be transmitted, resulting in an incomplete disengagement state and affecting the macroscopic performance of the vehicle's torque transmission. At the same time, clutch discs made of different materials have different compression amounts under the same load. Using sintered copper alloy friction materials can reduce the compression amount and improve the response time of the clutch. Clutch discs made of paper-based resin materials have a larger compression amount, which will increase the response time of the system. Clutch discs made of different materials will affect the consistency and controllability of the engagement process.

[0029] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, in a preferred solution, the radius of curvature of the curved surface is 5 to 10 times the thickness of the first friction disc base body 31 or the second friction disc base body 41. In a preferred solution, the thickness of the bent area of the first friction layer 32 or the second friction layer 42 is greater than the thickness of the non-bent area. In order to improve the consistency and controllability during the engagement process, a first friction material is used on the first friction disc among multiple clutch discs, a second friction material is used on the second friction disc, a third friction material is used on the third friction disc, and so on. And customized wet clutch assemblies are formed through different permutations and combinations. Wherein the first friction material is different from the second friction material and the third friction material. Different structures and layouts of the product, the arrangement and combination of different friction materials achieve customized development of different torque capacities and engagement times of the wet clutch assembly.

[0030] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the material of the first friction layer 32 or the second friction layer 42 includes: an organic friction material made of phenolic resin; or a friction modifier containing metal powder, metal oxide, or composite rubber; ceramics, fibers, or resins; In multiple variants, a first type of friction material can be used on one side surface of the external spline friction plate, and the friction material includes but is not limited to sintered copper material. A second type of friction material can be used on one side surface of the internal spline bending friction plate, and the friction material includes but is not limited to paper-based resin material. In multiple variants, at least one of a third type of friction material, a fourth type of friction material, and a fifth type of friction material can also be used on one side surface of multiple internal spline friction plates or external spline bending friction plates respectively. Different structures and layouts, as well as the arrangement and combination between different types of friction materials, enable the customized development of different torque capacities and engagement times of the wet clutch assembly, improving the consistency and controllability of the engagement process.

[0031] Embodiment 1:

[0032] Combined with Figure 2 , in the case of insufficient axial distance, the single-sided clutch structure in the figure can be used, which reduces the axial length while maintaining sufficient friction contact surfaces to meet the torque requirements.

[0033] In this structure and its variants, multiple first clutch plates 3 in the wet clutch structure are connected to the clutch outer hub 1 through external splines and can slide axially in the outer hub; multiple second clutch plates 4 are connected to the clutch inner hub 2 through internal splines and can slide axially in the inner hub. The surface of the bending clutch plate is wavy or curved, which helps to increase the friction contact area and heat dissipation performance. A friction layer is adhered to one side surface of each friction plate substrate, and at least one of the first friction material a, the second friction material b, the third friction material c, the fourth friction material d, and the fifth friction material e can be used as the friction material. In multiple variants, at least two of the first friction material a, the second friction material b, the third friction material c, the fourth friction material d, and the fifth friction material e can be used to produce a mixed effect, thereby obtaining a customized combination of torque capacity and response time, achieving precise control of the engagement time and torque capacity, and improving the consistency and controllability of the clutch assembly.

[0034] It should be noted that Figure 1For illustrative purposes only, many variations of the friction material arrangement can be used on the curved friction plate, including but not limited to using only two different friction materials or using more than two friction materials. Grouped use of different sintered copper materials, or grouped use of different paper-based resin materials, or alternately using sintered copper materials and paper-based resin materials or other friction materials. Different permutations and combinations can meet the torque requirements, temperature requirements, and system response time requirements of different vehicles. In many variations, the friction materials in the friction layer can include: organic friction materials made of phenolic resin; friction modifiers containing metal powders, metal oxides, or composite rubbers; ceramic friction materials composed of copper, iron, tin, silica, graphite, etc. It can also include woven or non-woven fibers. The fibers can be any fibers known to those skilled in the art, including but not limited to glass fibers or ceramic fibers. Various resins known to those skilled in the art can be used, including but not limited to phenolic resin, epoxy resin, and silicone resin, and various fillers can also be used.

[0035] Different structures and layouts, arrangements and combinations between different types of friction materials enable customized development of different torque capacities and engagement times of the wet clutch assembly, helping to improve the consistency and controllability of the product in the engaged and disengaged states.

[0036] Example Two:

[0037] For example, in a six-speed automatic transmission, for a clutch combined in second and sixth gears, according to the torque requirements, a 6-plate single-disc wet clutch assembly is used. The outer diameter of the friction material is 209.2 mm, the inner diameter is 184.8 mm, the minimum thickness of the friction layer is 0.41 mm, and the lubricating oil volume of the clutch disc assembly is 1.5 L / min. To improve the shifting performance and reduce the drag torque, a curved clutch disc is used, with 9 corrugations in the circumferential direction on the entire disc, the maximum corrugation height not exceeding 0.35 mm and the minimum not less than 0.15 mm. The required engagement time of the clutch disc is 0.8 sec. Based on the above requirements, two organic fiber materials, such as aramid, cellulose, etc., are selected and composed with resin and graphite fillers, where the minimum cellulose content is not less than 3.5% and the maximum is not more than 7.9%. These several friction materials have good friction stability and relatively low noise.

[0038] The wet clutch of the present invention selects a curved clutch disc, which has the advantages of increasing the friction contact area and heat dissipation performance. It can effectively reduce the drag torque generated by shearing the hydraulic fluid and improve the product efficiency. At the same time, during the separation process of the curved clutch, the clutch discs can be distributed more evenly, effectively reducing the situation of adhesion caused by too small a clutch distance, making the separation more thorough and improving the separation performance. At the same time, due to the even distribution of the clutch discs, the consistency performance during the re-engagement process is improved, helping to enhance the product performance.

[0039] Although the present invention has been described in detail above with general descriptions and specific embodiments, modifications or improvements can be made to it on the basis of the present invention, which will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, these modifications or improvements made without departing from the spirit of the present invention all fall within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

Claims

1. A single-sided wet clutch applicable to narrow spaces, comprising a clutch outer hub (1) and a clutch inner hub (2), characterized in that, A plurality of first clutch plates (3) are bonded and arranged inside the outer clutch hub (1); A plurality of second clutch plates (4) are bonded and arranged inside the inner clutch hub (2); The first clutch plates (3) and the second clutch plates (4) are arranged opposite to each other in an interlaced manner, and at least one of the contact surfaces of the first clutch plates (3) and the second clutch plates (4) is a curved surface.

2. The single-sided wet clutch applicable to narrow spaces according to claim 1, characterized in that, The curved surface is a wavy surface or a polyhedron formed by the transitional connection of a plurality of curved surfaces.

3. The single-sided wet clutch applicable to narrow spaces according to claim 2, characterized in that, The number of the wavy surfaces or curved surfaces is 6 - 12.

4. The single-sided wet clutch applicable to narrow spaces according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that, The bending angle of the curved surface is 5 - 15°.

5. The single-sided wet clutch applicable to narrow spaces according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that, The first clutch plates (3) are provided with a first friction plate base body (31), and a first friction layer (32) is bonded to the side surface of the first friction plate base body (31); The second clutch plates (4) are provided with a second friction plate base body (41), and a second friction layer (42) is bonded to the side surface of the second friction plate base body (41); The first friction layer (32) and the second friction layer (42) are in the same direction and are located on the curved surface.

6. The single-sided wet clutch applicable to narrow spaces according to claim 5, wherein The contact surfaces of the first friction plate base body (31) and the second friction plate base body (41) in the same direction are curved surfaces; The first friction layer (32) and the second friction layer (42) are respectively bonded along the curved surface and form a bonded curved surface.

7. The single-sided wet clutch applicable to narrow spaces according to claim 5, characterized in that, The radius of curvature of the curved surface is 5 - 10 times the thickness of the first friction plate base body (31) or the second friction plate base body (41).

8. The single-sided wet clutch applicable to narrow spaces according to claim 5, characterized in that, The thickness of the bent area of the first friction layer (32) or the second friction layer (42) is greater than the thickness of the non-bent area.

9. The single-sided wet clutch applicable to narrow spaces according to claim 5, characterized in that, The materials of the first friction layer (32) or the second friction layer (42) include: Organic friction materials made of phenolic resin; Or friction improvers containing metal powders, metal oxides or composite rubbers; Ceramics, fibers or resins.

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