Flywheels with vibration damping means

Abstract

A split flywheel for reducing the transmission of vibrations from the engine to the drive shaft at certain frequencies of the flywheel is provided. Included are two flywheel elements drivingly connected to one another wherein one of which is connected or can be connected in a driven manner to the engine and the other of which is connected or can be connected in a driven manner to the drive line. The resonant frequency of the split flywheel unit is well below the frequency of engine vibrations which occur during normal traveling, so that only slight amplitudes of vibration occur between the flywheel elements during normal travel operation. However, during start-up of the engine, the resonant frequency of the flywheel is passed through. The drive connection between the elements a slip clutch having a greater friction contact than the maximum torque of the engine, placed in series with a spring mounting and positioned between the two flywheel elements. The slip clutch becomes operative only when the resonant frequency of the flywheel is passed through.

Description

15 16 are loaded against the facing edges of the windows 15.

The intermediate member 7 shaped as an annular disk is arranged between the annular disks 13 and 14. For accommodating the helical springs 16, this intermediate member 7 has windows 17 corresponding to the windows 15 of the annular disks 13 and 14. If the windows 17 and 15 are in alignment with one another--in the axial view of the flywheel--the helical springs 16 are completely relaxed. On the other hand, if the intermediate member is rotated relative to the annular disks 13 and 14 and thus relative to the flywheel element 2, the springs 16 are pressed together between one edge of the windows 17 and the opposite edges of the windows 15.

In the area of the studs 12, the intermediate member 7 has recesses extended sufficiently far in the peripheral direction, so that the intermediate member 7 can rotate as shown relative to the annular disks 13 and 14 or the flywheel element 2.

The intermediate member 7 projects outwards beyond the annular disks 13 and 14 in the radial direction and extends in this radial outer area between two further annular disks 18 and 19 which are connected by means of pins 20 such that they cannot rotate relative to one another but can rotate relative to the intermediate member 7, because the latter has sufficiently large recesses in the area of the pins 20.

The intermediate member 7 is coupled to the annular disks 18 and 19 via helical springs 21 in fundamentally the same way as it is to the annular disks 13 and 14 via the helical springs 16. Accordingly, the helical springs 21 in the windows 22 (of the annular disks) and 23 (of the intermediate member 7) are arranged tangentially to the flywheel axis on the annular disks 18 and 19 and also on the intermediate member 7.

At its radial outer edge, the annular disk 19 is frictionally clamped between laminate 24 which, in turn, are non-rotatably connected to the flywheel element 1.

Moreover, friction laminae 25 are non-rotatably arranged on the flywheel element 1, between which friction laminae 25 is clamped on annular lamina 26 which, by means of extensions 27 angled in the axial direction, is coupled positively to the intermediate member 7, but with clearance in the peripheral direction. For this purpose, the extension 27 project into recesses 28 on the intermediate member 7 which give the extension 27 the said clearance in the peripheral direction. So that the extensions 27 do not impair the mobility of the intermediate member 7 relative to the annular disks 13 and 14 or the flywheel element 2, openings of adequate size are arranged in the annular disk 14 for guiding through the extensions 27.

Moreover, another lamina 29 can be arranged on the annular disk 14, which lamina 29 sits in frictional contact on a friction lining 30 on the flywheel element 1.

In the arrangement shown in FIG. 4, therefore, the laminae 24, together with the annular disk 18, form the slip clutch 5 according to FIG. 1. The spring mounting groups 3 and 4 according to FIG. 1 are formed by the helical springs 21 and 16. The friction laminae 25 and the annular lamina 26 form the slip clutch 8 in FIG. 1, with a clearance of the extensions 27 in the recesses 28 of the intermediate member 7 in FIG. 4 corresponding to the clearance 2 S in FIG. 1. In the arrangement according to FIG. 4, the slip clutch 6 in FIG. 1 is formed by the lamina 29 and by the friction lining 30.

It can be seen from FIG. 4 that an exceptionally compact method of construction is achieved according to these illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

From the preceding description of the preferred embodiments, it is evident that the objects of the invention are attained, and although the invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is to be clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation. The spirit and scope of the invention are to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A split flywheel apparatus for reducing the transmission of vibrations resulting from a transfer of torque from an engine to a transmission line comprising:

a divided flywheel having first and second flywheel elements, said first element having means for be drivingly connected to the engine and said second element having means for be being drivingly connected to said transmission line,

connecting means for drivingly connecting said two flywheel elements together, said connecting means including:

resilient means positioned between said flywheel elements and frictionally connected to said first flywheel element through a first frictional clutch means positioned between said flywheel elements and having frictional contact greater than the maximum transfer torque under normal operating conditions operative only when said normal transfer torque is exceeded, for limiting the torque which can be transmitted under conditions of said maximum torque and,

wherein said resilient means fictionally connected to said first flywheel element is arranged on an intermediate member annular means, said intermediate member means being frictionally connected to said first flywheel element through said first frictional clutch means and notable rotatable with respect to the second flywheel element.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said resilient means includes at least two spring group means connected to one another via said intermediate member means and with a second frictional clutch means being arranged inbetween said intermediate member means and one of said flywheel elements, and wherein said second frictional clutch means is arranged in parallel to at least one of said spring group means.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said second frictional clutch means is arranged in parallel to only one of said spring group means.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said second frictional clutch means comprises more than one frictional clutch wherein each frictional clutch is affected by different clearances.

5. An apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising disk means for connecting said spring group means to said flywheel elements, said disk means having window means for receiving said spring group means in a position tangential to the axis about which said flywheel elements rotate.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said disk means comprises a first and second annular disk arrangement, each annular disk arrangement for accomodating one of said two spring group means.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said spring group means comprises helical springs arranged in a position tangential to the axis about which said flywheel elements rotate, said spring group means being positioned against windows or recesses of said intermediate member means.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein one of said spring group means is positioned against windows or recesses of said second annular disk arrangement, said second disk arrangement being non-rotatably connected to said second flywheel element and the other of said spring group means is positioned against windows or recesses of said first annular disk arrangement, said first disk arrangement being frictionally connected to said first flywheel element.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said spring group means are arranged concentrically to one another at a different radial distance from the axis about which said flywheel elements rotate.

10. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said flywheel elements are directly connected via a friction clutch having a low frictional contact operative between the two flywheel elements when low torques are transmitted.

11. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said frictional clutch means is comprised of more than one frictional clutch and wherein each frictional clutch is affected by different clearances.

12. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said one of said fly-wheel elements is said second fly-wheel element.

13. Apparatus for compensating for fluctuations of torque between the output member of an internal combustion engine and the input member of a change-speed transmission in a motor vehicle, comprising a plurality of coaxial flywheels including a first flywheel arranged to receive torque from the output member of the engine and a second flywheel arranged to transmit torque to the input member of the transmission, said flywheels being rotatable relative to each other; and a plurality of dampers disposed in series and operative to oppose rotation of said first and second flywheels relative to each other, said dampers including first and second slip clutches and an elastic damper, one of said slip clutches having means for transmitting torque to said elastic damper and said elastic damper having means for transmitting torque to the other of said slip clutches.

14. Apparatus for compensating for fluctuations of torque between the output member of an internal combustion engine and the input member of a change-speed transmission in a motor vehicle, comprising a plurality of coaxial flywheels including a first flywheel arranged to receive torque from the output member of the engine and a second flywheel arranged to transmit torque to the input member of the transmission, said flywheels being rotatable relative to each other; and a plurality of dampers disposed in series and operative to oppose rotation of said first and second flywheels relative to each other, said dampers including first and second slip clutches and an elastic damper, one of said slip clutches being operative to oppose all angular movements of said first and second flywheels relative to each other and including an input element having two confronting friction surfaces arranged to rotate with one of said flywheels and an output element disposed between and in frictional engagement with said surfaces, said elastic damper having an input element receiving torque from said output element, an output element arranged to transmit torque to the other of said slip clutches, and at least one energy storing resilient element between the input and output elements of said elastic damper.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the input element of said elastic damper is rigid with the output element of said one slip clutch.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said other slip clutch has an input element which is rigid with the output element of said elastic damper and an output element which is arranged to rotate with the other of said flywheels. 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the output element of said one slip clutch comprises two friction linings which engage said friction surfaces.