One-Way Wedge Clutch Radial Ramp Preload Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
One-way wedge clutches experience premature lock-up issues due to non-uniform loading and difficulty in achieving the appropriate preload force, especially as the clutch size increases, leading to hysteresis and inefficient engagement.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates an inner and outer race with radially inwardly and outwardly extending ramps, a wedge plate with chamfers, and a resilient element that applies a force to the wedge plate to ensure uniform loading and engagement, preventing premature lock-up and maintaining efficient operation in both locked and free-wheel modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a wedge plate is used to provide preload force through its spring action, then the clutch can maintain engagement force, but as the clutch diameter increases the wedge plate cannot provide sufficient preload and large hysteresis results
Solution Approach 1:
The clutch is divided into multiple wedge plates (typically three) instead of relying on a single wedge plate's spring action. This segmentation allows the resilient elements to be distributed around the clutch perimeter, providing sufficient preload force even in large diameter clutches where a single wedge plate would be ineffective.
Solution Approach 2:
Resilient elements (springs) are introduced as intermediary components between the wedge plates and the races. These springs directly apply radial forces to maintain engagement, replacing reliance on the wedge plate's own spring action and enabling sufficient preload in large diameter configurations.
2Reliability
If the wedge plate engagement starts at one circumferential end and wraps around, then the wedge plate can engage the races, but concentrated loading occurs at the initiation point causing non-uniform loading
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient elements are positioned at multiple locations around the clutch perimeter rather than concentrated at one point. This creates locally distributed engagement points that progress around the clutch, ensuring uniform loading across all wedge plate-race contact surfaces rather than concentrated stress at a single initiation point.
Solution Approach 2:
The engagement occurs through periodic action of multiple resilient elements acting in sequence around the clutch perimeter. As each resilient element engages its corresponding wedge plate, the loading is distributed uniformly around the clutch, preventing concentrated stress at any single location.
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 ensures uniform loading across the clutch components, preventing premature lock-up and maintaining efficient engagement in both locked and free-wheel modes, even in larger sizes, by using a resilient element to apply axial or circumferential forces that distribute the preload uniformly.
Implementation Method 1
at least one resilient element engaged with the at least one wedge plate. The at least one resilient element urges at least a portion of the at least one wedge plate into contact with the inner race while employing uniform drag
Implementation Method 2
The at least one wedge plate typically includes ramps on the inner diameter; the ramps are operatively arranged to engage correspondingly-shaped ramps on the inner race. Such wedge plates are typically arranged to frictionally engage the outer race via an interference fit
Data Source
AI summary
A one-way wedge clutch, including: an axis of rotation; an inner race having a first radially outwardly facing surface; an outer race located radially outward of the inner race and including a first radially inwardly facing surface with a plurality of radially inwardly extending ramps; at least one wedge plate radially disposed between the inner and outer races and including: at least one second radially inwardly facing surface; and, at least one second radially outwardly facing surface including a plurality of radially outwardly extending ramps engaged with the plurality of radially inwardly extending ramps; and, at least one resilient element: engaged with the at least one wedge plate; and, urging at least a portion of the at least one second radially inwardly facing surface toward at least a portion of the first radially outwardly facing surface.