Multi-Disc Clutch Disc Edge-Rolling to Cut Waste
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multiple disk clutches, which consist of steel and friction disks, face inefficiencies in material usage and production costs due to the punching method, leading to significant waste and high tool costs.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves manufacturing disks through vertical edge-rolling, where a metallic material strip is reshaped into an annular disk with a driver contour, reducing waste and allowing for a more material-saving and cost-effective production process, and optionally connecting the end sections with welding or forming methods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the punching method is used to manufacture disks, then the production process is simple, but material waste is significant and tool costs are high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the manufacturing method from punching (subtractive) to vertical edge-rolling (formative), fundamentally altering the process parameters. The material strip is continuously formed and shaped through rolling rather than being cut and discarded, transforming waste-intensive discrete operations into a continuous forming process that minimizes material loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical punching system with a vertical edge-rolling system. Instead of using punches and dies to cut disks from sheets, the invention employs rolling elements that progressively form the disk shape from a material strip, substituting a waste-generating mechanical cutting system with a material-efficient forming system.
2Ease of manufacture
If the punching method is used to manufacture disks, then the production process is simple, but tool costs are high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive punching tools (punches, dies, and associated tooling) with a vertical edge-rolling system. The rolling mechanism uses rotating elements that progressively form the disk, eliminating the need for costly custom-machined punching tools while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through a continuous forming process.
Solution Approach 2:
The vertical edge-rolling system serves multiple functions: it cuts, forms, and shapes the disk in a single integrated process. This multi-functional approach replaces multiple specialized punching tools with a single versatile rolling mechanism, reducing overall tooling costs while maintaining ease of manufacture.
3Loss of substance
If vertical edge-rolling is used to manufacture disks, then material waste is reduced, but the production process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The vertical edge-rolling process is divided into discrete stages: initial cutting, progressive rolling, and final shaping. By segmenting the complex forming process into manageable steps using multiple rolling elements of varying diameters, the patent achieves material efficiency without overwhelming process complexity, as each stage performs a specific function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs curved rolling surfaces and rotating rolling elements to progressively form the flat material strip into a curved disk shape. The use of spherical or cylindrical rolling contact simplifies the complex task of three-dimensional forming by utilizing the natural geometry of the rolling elements to incrementally create the desired disk curvature.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach significantly reduces material waste and tool costs, enabling the production of disks in a more economical and efficient manner while maintaining the functionality of forming a frictionally locking connection in multiple disk clutches.
Implementation Method 1
a linear or preformed (for example, curved) material strip is reshaped plastically, and in one exemplary arrangement, rolled, vertically by a rolling tool about a bending axis to form the annular disk
Data Source
AI summary
Multi-disc clutches are known which usually have a first clutch pack consisting of steel discs and a second clutch pack consisting of friction discs. A disc for a multi-disc clutch is proposed, which has a disc body. The disc body is in a form of an annular disc, and has a driver contour on its inner circumference and/or outer circumference for mounting the disc in a rotationally fixed manner. The disc body is formed by edgewise rolling on the inner circumference thereof.