Differential Clutch Tooth Structure for Durability and Operability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Clutches in rotary machines face a trade-off between durability and operability, as they need to be wide for torque transmission but narrow for relative rotation, making it difficult to improve both simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
A clutch design with a gear and movable clutch member featuring circumferentially arranged teeth, where an internal peripheral wall prevents tooth top faces from contacting the bottom, allowing the clutch to be both durable and operable during vehicle operation by distributing axial forces effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the clutch teeth are formed to be circumferentially wide, then durability is improved, but operability during vehicle running deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a new spatial dimension by adding the internal peripheral wall that extends axially between the clutch teeth. This third-dimensional structure (axial direction) provides additional support and force distribution without changing the circumferential dimensions of the clutch teeth, thereby resolving the contradiction between durability and operability
Solution Approach 2:
The internal peripheral wall acts as an intermediary structure between the clutch teeth and the bottom surface. It mediates the force transmission by distributing axial forces along its surface, preventing direct contact between tooth top faces and the bottom, thereby protecting the clutch teeth while maintaining operational capability
2Ease of operation
If the clutch teeth are formed to be circumferentially narrow, then operability is improved, but durability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The internal peripheral wall adds axial dimension to the clutch structure, providing additional load-bearing capacity that compensates for the reduced circumferential width of the clutch teeth, enabling narrow teeth to maintain durability while improving operability
Solution Approach 2:
The internal peripheral wall serves as a force-distributing intermediary that prevents concentration of axial forces on the clutch teeth, allowing the teeth to be narrower while still maintaining sufficient durability through distributed stress
3Reliability
If axial force acts on the clutch teeth to retain connection, then connection reliability is improved, but stress concentration on teeth increases
Solution Approach 1:
The internal peripheral wall acts as a mediator that intercepts and redistributes the axial force. Instead of the axial force acting directly on the clutch teeth, it is distributed along the internal peripheral wall surface, eliminating stress concentration while maintaining connection reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the axial force transmission function from the clutch teeth by introducing the internal peripheral wall. The teeth are relieved of axial force responsibilities and focus solely on torque transmission, while the internal peripheral wall handles axial force distribution
Data Source
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AI summary
A clutch to be combined with a rotary machine rotating about an axis is comprised of a rotary member including a first face perpendicular to the axis, a first bottom receding in an axial direction from the first face, and plural first clutch teeth being arranged in a circumferential direction and respectively projecting from both the first face and the first bottom; and a clutch member movable in the axial direction relative to the rotary member, the clutch member including a second bottom, plural second clutch teeth being arranged in a circumferential direction and respectively projecting from the second bottom to be respectively engageable with the plural first clutch teeth, and an internal peripheral wall connecting internal ends of the plural second clutch teeth and projecting in the axial direction toward the rotary member.