Panel with ventilation channels

Abstract

The invention relates to a plate (10) for use in a transmission member providing the transmission of movement between a motor and a gearbox in a motor vehicle, the subject plate (10) comprising: an annular body (101) having a rotation axis (X) delimited by a cylindrical inner wall (11) and a cylindrical outer wall (12); a friction surface (13); and at least one ventilation channel (20) extending radially from the cylindrical inner wall (11) towards the cylindrical outer wall (12). As an improvement, the channel height (H) in the axial direction, defined between a first wall (21) of the ventilation channel (20) and a second wall (22) of the ventilation channel (20) arranged axially opposite the first wall (21), is set in the form of a widening followed by a narrowing from the cylindrical inner wall (11) towards the cylindrical outer wall (12).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a plate for use in a friction clutch that provides the transmission of movement between a motor and a gearbox in a motor vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the automotive field, in the manual transmission sector, there is a friction clutch positioned between the motor outlet of the internal combustion engine and the transmission shaft, and which provides the power transmission to the gearbox through a friction link.

[0003] In the manual transmission, the friction clutch generally comprises a cover fixed to the flywheel of the internal combustion engine, a plate in rotational connection with the cover and able to frictionally engage the clutch disc. The friction clutch also comprises a diaphragm spring, which is of the Belleville type, axially interposed between the cover and the plate, and able to press the plate onto the clutch disc.

[0004] In said friction clutch, ventilation channels are provided on the plate in order to eliminate the heat generated due to friction. Attempts are made to increase the heat convection performance of said ventilation channels in the most effective way possible. The channels formed in order to increase the heat transfer performance result in a decrease in the explosion-proof property of the related plate. Therefore, a balance must be formed between the explosion-proof property and the cooling performance of the plate.

[0005] In the publication numbered EP3225867B1, a plate for use in a friction clutch is disclosed. The ventilation channels provided on said plate are provided in a curved form from the inner wall towards the outer wall of the plate, and in different directions in a manner that interrupts each other. Thus, the cooling performance of the plate is increased by increasing the air flow in the ventilation channels. SUMMARY

[0006] The present invention relates to a plate for use in a friction clutch, for eliminating the above-mentioned disadvantages and bringing new advantages to the related technical field.

[0007] One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a plate with increased cooling performance for use in a friction clutch.

[0008] In order to realize all the above-mentioned objects and the objects that will be deduced from the following detailed description, the present invention is a plate for use in a transmission member that provides the transmission of movement between a motor and a gearbox in a motor vehicle, the subject plate comprising an annular body having a rotational axis delimited by a cylindrical inner wall and a cylindrical outer wall, a friction surface, and at least one ventilation channel extending radially from said cylindrical inner wall towards the cylindrical outer wall. Thus, the subject plate is characterized in that the channel height in the axial direction defined between a first wall of said ventilation channel and a second wall of the ventilation channel arranged axially opposite to the first wall is provided in a form that first widens and then narrows from the cylindrical inner wall towards the cylindrical outer wall.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the application, the second wall is provided adjacent to the friction face at which friction occurs on the plate.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the application, at least one of the first wall and the second wall is provided in an arc shape.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the application, at least one of the first wall and the second wall is provided in a concave form.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the application, both the first wall and the second wall are provided in a concave form.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the application, the diameter of the concave form of the second wall adjacent to the friction surface is smaller than the diameter of the concave form of the first wall.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the application, a first channel height defined on a side of the ventilation channel closer to the inner wall is greater than a second channel height defined on a side of the ventilation channel closer to the outer wall.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the application, the ratio of the first channel height to a maximum channel height defining a maximum height of the ventilation channel is between 0.7 and 0.85.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the application, the ratio of the first channel height to a maximum channel height defining a maximum height of the ventilation channel is 0.78.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the application, the ratio of the second channel height to a maximum channel height defining a maximum height of the ventilation channel is between 0.50 and 0.65.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the application, the ratio of the second channel height to a maximum channel height is 0.58.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment of the application, in a plane perpendicular to the axis, through the ventilation channel, the ventilation channel is provided in a curved manner from the cylindrical inner wall towards the cylindrical outer wall.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment of the application, in a plane perpendicular to the axis, through the ventilation channel, the ventilation channel is provided in a straight manner from the cylindrical inner wall towards the cylindrical outer wall.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment of the application, in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation, through the ventilation channel, the ventilation channel is implemented in such a way that the channel width increases from the cylindrical inner wall towards the cylindrical outer wall.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment of the application, the plate uses a cast iron material, for example a solution-strengthened ferritic nodular cast iron according to European standard EN 1563.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment of the application, the plate incorporating all or some of the features described above is an inertia plate comprising a bearing surface arranged to press against a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine and a series of holes angularly distributed with respect to the axis of rotation, arranged to allow the passage of a fixing screw.

[0024] A second object of the application is a friction clutch comprising a cover, a diaphragm spring mounted in the cover and a plate incorporating all or some of the features described above, the plate comprising a circular support for providing linear contact with the diaphragm spring. The circular support can be continuous or discontinuous.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment of the application, an additional ring is provided between the cover and the diaphragm spring. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0026] In Figure 1 , a representative cross-sectional view of a plate according to the subject of the application is given.

[0027] In Figure 2a , another representative cross-sectional view of the plate is given.

[0028] In Figure 2b , a detailed view of a representative cross-section of the plate according to the subject of the application is given. Figure 2a

[0029] In Figure 3 , a representative rotational speed-convective coefficient graph of the prior art and of the plate according to the subject of the application is given.

[0030] In Figure 4 , a representative rotational speed-stress graph of the prior art and of the plate according to the subject of the application is given.

[0031] In Figure 5a and 5b , a representative isometric view and a cross-sectional view are given of the plate according to the subject of the application in the case where it is a flywheel.

[0032] In Figure 6a and 6b , a cross-sectional view and a representative isometric view are given of the plate according to the subject of the application in the case where it is a traction cover.

[0033] In Figure 7a and 7b , a cross-sectional view and a representative isometric view are given of the plate according to the subject of the application in the case where it is a clutch.

[0034] In Figure 8 , a cross-sectional view of a friction clutch according to the second object of the application is given, the friction clutch comprising a plate according to the subject of the application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION ​

[0035] In this detailed description, the subject plate 10 is explained with reference to examples without forming any limiting effect, only to make the subject easier to understand.

[0036] In motor vehicles, a transmission member is used to transmit motion between a motor and a gearbox. The transmission member can be a friction clutch, a flywheel or a traction cover.

[0037] On the transmission member, the subject plate 10 is used. The plate 10 has essentially a circular body 101. The circular body 101 rotates on a rotation axis X. One face of the circular body 101 is defined as a friction face 13. In addition, the circular body 101 has a cylindrical inner wall 11 and a cylindrical outer wall 12. There is at least one ventilation channel 20 for reducing the heat formed due to the friction occurring on the friction face 13. The ventilation channel 20 extends from the cylindrical inner wall 11 to the cylindrical outer wall 12. In the subject plate 10; the channel height H defining the height of the ventilation channel 20 on the rotation axis is arranged in the form of first widening and then narrowing towards the cylindrical outer wall 12. In other words, the ventilation channel 20 has a first wall 21 and a second wall 22 arranged opposite to the first wall 21 in the direction of the rotation axis X. The second wall 22 is arranged near the friction face 13. In a possible embodiment of the invention, at least one of the first wall 21 and the second wall 22 is arranged in the form of an arc. In other words, at least one of the first wall 21 and the second wall 22 is arranged in the form of a concave. Thus, the channel height H of the ventilation channel 20 first widens and then narrows from the cylindrical inner wall 11 to the cylindrical outer wall 11. In other words, the ventilation channel 20 has a cross section similar to an airplane wing. In a possible embodiment of the invention, both the first wall 21 and the second wall 22 are arranged in the form of a concave.

[0038] Due to the cross section of the ventilation channel 20, the air speed passing through the ventilation channel 20 increases locally. In other words, the concave form of the first wall 21 and / or the second wall 22 provides faster air movement in that area. Thus, in these parts, the heat convection performance increases.

[0039] As Figure 3 shown, the heat convection performance occurring according to the rotation speed of the subject plate 10 becomes better compared to the plate without channel and compared to the prior art. In other words, since the channel height in the prior art is fixed, there is no regional speed variation effect in the channel. In the subject plate, the change in the channel height causes regional speed variation and heat convection performance increase.

[0040] From Figure 4As can be seen, the stress values generated according to the rotational speed are observed to be the smallest in the plate without channels. In other words, the plate without channels has a higher resistance to burst under the centrifugal effect. When compared with the prior art, the resistance to burst of the subject plate (10) becomes better and approaches the resistance to burst of the plate without channels.

[0041] Thus, with the aid of the subject plate 10, the resistance to burst can be kept at a sufficiently high level, at the same time, the cooling performance can be improved. Since the resistance to burst is higher compared with the prior art, it is shown that a lighter plate 10, which can be produced with less material, can exhibit the same resistance to burst and can have a better cooling performance.

[0042] In a possible embodiment of the invention, the curved diameter of the second wall 22 adjacent to the friction surface 13 is arranged to be smaller than the diameter of the first wall 21. Thus, the path along which the air has to move on the side of the second wall 22 is larger and the air moves in a faster way. Thus, on the side of the friction surface 13, in other words, in the part where heat is generated, a more effective cooling can be provided.

[0043] In another possible embodiment of the invention, the height of the ventilation channel 20 on the side close to the cylindrical inner wall 11 is defined as the first channel height H1 and the height on the side close to the cylindrical outer wall 12 is defined as the second channel height H2. In said embodiment, the first channel height H1 is greater than the second channel height H2. Thus, the air hits the first wall 21 and the second wall 22 and changes direction and the heat convection performance increases.

[0044] In a possible embodiment of the invention, the ratio of the first channel height H1 to the maximum channel height Hmax defined at the widest location of the ventilation channel 20 is between 0.7 and 0.85. In one possible embodiment of the invention, it is 0.78.

[0045] In one possible embodiment of the invention, the ratio of the second channel height H2 to the maximum channel height Hmax is between 0.5 and 0.65. In one possible embodiment of the invention, it is 0.58.

[0046] In a possible embodiment of the invention, the ventilation channel 20 is arranged in a curved form from the cylindrical inner wall 11 towards the cylindrical outer wall 12 at the orthogonal plane passing through the rotational axis X of the ventilation channel 20. Thus, by providing a guidance to the air in the ventilation channel 20, the heat convection performance is improved.

[0047] In another possible embodiment of the invention, on the orthogonal plane passing through the rotational axis X of the ventilation channel 20, the ventilation channel 20 is implemented to have an increasing channel width L from the cylindrical inner wall 11 towards the cylindrical outer wall 12.

[0048] As Figure 5a and5b As can be seen in the subject plate is provided as a component of a flywheel. The plate of the flywheel is provided in a circular form. Between the cylindrical inner wall and the cylindrical outer wall of the circular plate there is a ventilation channel.

[0049] As Figure 6a and 6b As can be seen in the subject plate is provided as a component of a traction cover. The plate of the traction cover has a circular body on which a finger is positioned. Between the cylindrical inner wall and the cylindrical outer wall of the circular plate there is a ventilation channel.

[0050] As Figure 7a and 7b As can be seen in the subject plate is provided as a component of a friction clutch. Figure 8 A friction clutch 30 is shown, which comprises a cover 31 and a diaphragm spring 33 centered on the cover. The diaphragm spring is supported on a ring added to the connecting zone of the cover. The cover can be attached by suitable fixing means to a flywheel or momentum wheel (not shown) which is itself mounted on the output shaft of an engine, for example of the internal combustion engine type (not shown).

[0051] The friction clutch 30 further comprises a plate 10, also called pressure plate, designed to support against a clutch disc (not shown). The plate 10 comprises a circular support 34 for providing linear contact with the diaphragm spring 33. This circular support 34 can be continuous or discontinuous.

[0052] During the disengagement and engagement of the friction disc 30, heat is generated due to the friction generated between the friction surface 13 of the plate 10 and the clutch disc. The heat generated as a result of the relative motion between the disc friction lining surface and the plate 10 according to the invention in contact with it will cause a temperature rise in the pressure disc. In order to expel the heat from the plate 10, a second wall 22 of the ventilation channel 20 is provided in the vicinity of the friction surface 13. The distance between the second wall 22 and the friction surface 13 is between 3 and 12 mm.

[0053] The scope of the present invention is set forth in the appended claims and is not limited to the illustrative disclosure given above in the detailed description. This is because obvious modifications can be made to the foregoing disclosure by those skilled in the relevant art without departing from the main principles of the invention.

[0054] Reference signs

[0055] 10 plate

[0056] 101 circular body

[0057] 11 cylindrical inner wall

[0058] 12 cylindrical outer wall

[0059] 13 friction surface

[0060] 20 ventilation channel

[0061] 21 first wall

[0062] 22 second wall

[0063] 30 friction clutch

[0064] 31 cover

[0065] 32 additional ring

[0066] 33 diaphragm spring

[0067] 34 circular support

[0068] H channel height

[0069] H1 first channel height

[0070] H2 second channel height

[0071] Hmax maximum channel height

[0072] L channel width

[0073] X axis of rotation

Claims

1. A plate (10) for use in a transmission member that provides motion transmission between a motor and a gearbox in a motor vehicle, the plate (10) comprising: An annular body (101) having a rotation axis (X) defined by a cylindrical inner wall (11) and a cylindrical outer wall (12); a friction surface (13); and at least one ventilation channel (20) extending radially from the cylindrical inner wall (11) toward the cylindrical outer wall (12), wherein the axial channel height (H) defined between a first wall (21) of the ventilation channel (20) and a second wall (22) of the ventilation channel (20) arranged axially opposite to the first wall (21) is configured to first widen and then narrow from the cylindrical inner wall (11) toward the cylindrical outer wall (12). The second wall (22) is located near the friction surface (13), and friction on the plate (10) occurs at the friction surface. And it is characterized in that at least one of the first wall (21) and the second wall (22) is arranged in an arc shape.

2. The plate (10) according to claim 1, wherein, At least one of the first wall (21) and the second wall (22) is provided in a concave form.

3. The plate (10) according to claim 1, wherein, Both the first wall (21) and the second wall (22) are arranged in a concave shape.

4. The plate (10) according to claim 3, wherein, The diameter of the concave form of the second wall (22) adjacent to the friction surface (13) is smaller than the diameter of the concave form of the first wall (21).

5. The plate (10) according to claim 1, wherein, The height (H1) of the first channel, which is defined on the side of the ventilation channel (20) near the inner wall (11), is greater than the height (H2) of the second channel, which is defined on the side of the ventilation channel (20) near the outer wall (12).

6. The plate (10) according to claim 5, wherein, The ratio of the first channel height (H1) to the maximum channel height (Hmax) that defines the maximum height of the ventilation channel (20) is 0.7 to 0.

85.

7. The plate (10) according to claim 5, wherein, The ratio of the second channel height (H2) to the maximum channel height (Hmax) that defines the maximum height of the ventilation channel (20) is 0.50 to 0.

65.

8. The plate (10) according to claim 1, wherein, In a plane perpendicular to the axis (X) and passing through the ventilation channel (20), the ventilation channel (20) is arranged in a curved manner from the inner cylindrical wall (11) toward the outer cylindrical wall (12).

9. The plate (10) according to claim 8, wherein, In a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation (X) and passing through the ventilation channel (20), the ventilation channel (20) is implemented with a channel width (L) that increases from the inner cylindrical wall (11) toward the outer cylindrical wall (12).

10. The plate according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the plate is an inertial plate, the inertial plate comprising a support surface arranged to press against the crankshaft of an internal combustion engine and a series of holes angularly distributed relative to the axis of rotation (X), the holes being arranged to allow a fixing screw to pass through.

11. The plate (10) according to claim 1, wherein, In a plane perpendicular to the axis (X) and passing through the ventilation channel (20), the ventilation channel (20) is arranged in a straight line from the inner cylindrical wall (11) toward the outer cylindrical wall (12).

12. A traction machine cover comprising a plate according to any one of claims 1 to 9, the plate of the traction machine cover having a circular body, fingers positioned on the circular body, and a ventilation channel being included between the cylindrical inner wall and the cylindrical outer wall of the circular body.

13. A friction clutch (30) comprising a cover (31), a diaphragm spring (33) mounted inside the cover (31), and a plate (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, the plate (10) comprising a circular support (34) for providing linear contact with the diaphragm spring (33), and an additional ring (32) disposed between the cover (31) and the diaphragm spring (33).

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