Clutch Actuator Bearing Support Radial Decoupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing actuating devices for clutch devices, particularly double clutches, experience high wear due to line contact and radial movement, leading to system damage and potential operational failure.
Innovation Solution
The actuating device features a bearing support with a decoupled radial contact area, designed as a flat surface to reduce pressure and micro-movements, utilizing a two-part design with a support part and a guide disk to shift relative movements away from the force application area, and optimizing material selection for friction pairing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a lever actuator with pivoting movement is used to actuate the bearing support, then the clutch device can be actuated axially, but line contact occurs between the bearing support and lever actuator resulting in high surface pressure and high wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the line contact interface with a curved surface contact between the bearing support and lever actuator. The bearing support features a curved outer surface that contacts a corresponding curved surface on the lever actuator, transforming the contact from linear to areal, thereby distributing the load and reducing surface pressure and wear.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces radial play as an additional degree of freedom between the bearing support and guide sleeve. This radial dimension allows the bearing support to accommodate the pivoting movement of the lever actuator without creating line contact, effectively converting the problem from a 1D axial actuation issue to a 2D contact problem with reduced stress concentration.
2Manufacturing precision
If the bearing support is guided with little radial play on the guide sleeve, then axial displacement is controlled, but the combination of long wear path and high surface pressure causes impermissibly high wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the bearing support into functionally separate zones: a contact area with the lever actuator designed for load bearing with curved surfaces, and a guidance area on the guide sleeve designed for axial movement with controlled radial play. This segmentation allows each area to be optimized for its specific function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the contact geometry parameters between the bearing support and lever actuator from line contact to curved surface contact. By modifying the surface geometry and introducing radial play, the contact pressure distribution is fundamentally altered, reducing peak pressures and extending the wear life of the components.
3Device complexity
If the contact area is designed as line contact for compact design, then space is saved, but high surface pressure and high wear rates result
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs curved contact surfaces between the bearing support and lever actuator that maintain a compact overall design while creating a larger effective contact area. The curved geometry allows the contact zone to be distributed over a broader region without significantly increasing the device envelope, thus reducing surface pressure while preserving compactness.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an actuating device for actuating clutch devices, comprising at least one bearing support, which can be moved axially on a guide sleeve by means of an actuator unit and which acts on a lever system of a clutch and which has an application area for the actuator unit and a bearing area for an engagement/throwout bearing acting on a lever system of the clutch unit. The invention is characterized in that the bearing area and the application area are decoupled from each other in the radial direction, and the contact area is designed and arranged in such a way, between the application area on the bearing support and an area on a lever actuator of the actuator unit that acts thereon, that the contact area is designed as a surface contact in all functional states.