1. Industrial Useful Field
This invention relates to a friction clutch suitable particularly for use as an auto clutch.
2. Prior Art
Conventionally, a friction clutch has a clutch disk and a pressure plate for pressing the clutch disk toward an engine-side flywheel. Both the clutch disk and the pressure plate are concentrically arranged in a space defined by and between the flywheel and a clutch cover fixed to the flywheel. Such a friction clutch has a drawback because the pressure plate vibrates relative to the clutch cover, which may lead to the development of abnormal noises from the clutch and/or abnormal vibrations from a lever coupled to a clutch pedal for driving the pressure plate.
As an approach to overcome such a drawback, an arrangement is known which is intended to absorb the vibrational energy of the pressure plate in order to prevent the development of abnormal noises and/or vibrations therefrom (for example, one disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application No. 55-9937, Publication No. 56-111329). That is, between the inner periphery of the clutch cover and the outer periphery of the pressure plate there is interposed a friction material which is to be pressed against either the clutch cover or the pressure plate by means of a resilient member. However, such an arrangement has disadvantages in that it involves a larger number of parts and because the clutch is subject to considerable variations in centrifugal force from the rotation of the clutch cover, which prevents stable operation of the clutch. Moreover, such an arrangement is not easy to set up.
3. Problem of the Prior Art and Object of the Invention
With the aforesaid prior-art arrangement, one difficulty is that it involves a larger number of parts, which means a higher cost; and another difficulty is that it permits no stable clutch operation. A further difficulty is that the arrangement is not easy to set up and accordingly it involves an increased cost of assembling.
It is the object of this invention to overcome these difficulties.
4. Structure of the Invention
In order to accomplish the aforesaid object, this invention provides a friction clutch having a clutch disk and a pressure plate for pressing the clutch disk toward an engine-side flywheel. Both the clutch disk and the pressure plate are concentrically arranged in a space defined by and between the flywheel and a clutch cover fixed to the flywheel. The friction clutch comprises holes bored in the pressure plate, each hole extending in a parallel relation to the center line of the clutch. A roll pin extends in a parallel relation to the center line and is slidably press fitted into each of said the holes. The roll pin is held at both ends between the flywheel and the clutch cover.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds