Sprayed Coating on Stamped Steel Clutch Housing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Standard steel alloys used in friction clutch hubs for automatic transmissions lack sufficient hardness to withstand constant sliding friction from resilient seals, leading to increased drag and fluid leakage due to wear, necessitating complex and costly multi-piece constructions.
Innovation Solution
A stamped steel friction clutch hub with a unitary construction featuring a sprayed-on thin layer of hard steel or ceramic material on the inner surface, providing high hardness and reduced friction, which is then machined to desired dimensions and finish, enhancing sealing and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If standard steel alloys are used for the clutch housing, then the housing can be stamped and manufactured easily, but the surface hardness is insufficient to withstand sliding friction from resilient seals
Solution Approach 1:
The clutch housing combines two materials with different properties: a stamped steel body providing ease of manufacture and structural integrity, and a sprayed hard steel or ceramic coating providing high surface hardness and wear resistance. This composite structure allows the housing to be both easily manufactured and highly reliable in withstanding seal friction.
Solution Approach 2:
The hard coating is applied selectively only to the inner surface area that contacts the resilient seals, rather than the entire housing. This provides high surface hardness precisely where needed to withstand sliding friction, while the rest of the housing maintains the properties of stamped steel for ease of manufacture.
2Reliability
If a multi-piece construction with a separate hard collar is used, then the surface hardness requirement is met, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the housing body and the hard wear-resistant surface into a single component structure. The hard coating is applied directly to the stamped housing, eliminating the need for a separate hard collar or tubular member that would need to be welded or assembled. This reduces the number of parts and assembly steps while maintaining the required surface hardness.
Solution Approach 2:
By using a sprayed hard coating on the stamped housing, the invention creates a composite material structure that provides both the ease of manufacture of stamped steel and the surface hardness of hard steel or ceramic, eliminating the need for multi-piece construction.
3Ease of manufacture
If the stamped steel housing is used without coating, then manufacturing is simple and cost-effective, but wear occurs leading to increased drag and fluid leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The stamped steel housing is combined with a hard sprayed coating to create a composite structure that maintains the manufacturing simplicity of the stamped housing while adding wear resistance and reducing drag and fluid leakage through the high hardness surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The hard coating is applied to the specific inner surface that contacts the seals, providing localized wear resistance and reducing harmful effects like drag and leakage only where they occur, while maintaining the simplicity of the overall stamped housing structure.
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
The solution results in a single-piece clutch hub with improved sealing and extended service life, reducing manufacturing complexity and costs while maintaining the necessary hardness to withstand frictional contact, thus preventing fluid leakage and drag.
Implementation Method 1
The inner surface which is contacted by the resilient seals includes a thin layer of sprayed metal, including steel, steel alloy or a ceramic material
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a stamped steel friction clutch hubs or housings for use in automatic motor vehicle transmissions having a sprayed on hard steel or ceramic coating on wear surfaces. The clutch hub or housing is fabricated of steel which is stamped and of unitary construction. The clutch hub or housing is complexly configured and includes a center through opening having an inner surface which is contacted by a pair of resilient, axially spaced apart seals. The housing also includes a larger diameter portion having female splines which engage male splines on the periphery of a portion of the clutch plates. The inner surface which is contacted by the resilient seals includes a thin layer of sprayed steel or ceramic material that is machined after application to a desired diameter and surface finish.