Prestressed clutch disk

Claim 1

A CLUTCH DISK ASSEMBLY COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) DISK MEANS HAVING AN AXIS, A HUB PORTION ADJACENT SAID AXIS, AND A FLANGE PORTION SPACED FROM SAID AXIS; (B) A PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF RESILIENT, AXIALLY SUPERPOSED, CORRUGATED SHEET MEMBERS, (1) EACH MEMBER OF SAID PAIRS HAVING AN INNER FACE AXIALLY OPPOSITE THE INNER FACE OF THE OTHER MEMBER OF THE PAIRAND AN OUTER FACE, (2) THE CORRUGATION OF EACH MEMBER INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ALTERNATING, RADIALLY EXTENDING RIDGE AND GROOVE PORTIONS IN SAID INNER FACES, SAID RIDGE PORTIONS OF EACH PAIR ABUTTINGLY ENGAGING EACH OTHER, AND THE GROOVE PORTIONS SPACEDLY FACING EACH OTHER, (3) EACH SHEET MEMBER HAVING A LUG PORTION RADIALLY OFFSET FROM SAID FACES TOWARD SAID AXIS; (C) FASTENING MEANS FASTENING SAID LUG PORTIONS TO SAID FLANGE PORTIONS IN SUCH A MANNER THAT SAID INNER AND OUTER FACES ARE RADIALLY OUTWARDLY SPACED FROM SAID FLANGE PORTION AND SAID PAIRS OF RESILIENT SHEET MEMBERS ARE CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED FROM EACH OTHER; (D) TENSIONING MEANS FOR PREVENTING RELATIVE AXIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID GROOVE PORTIONS OF THE MEMBERS OF EACH PAIR AWAY FROM EACH OTHER BEYOND A POSITION IN WHICH SAID ABUTTINGLY ENGAGED RIDGE PORTION TRANSMIT TO EACH OTHER RESILIENT AXIAL STRESSES OF A MAGNITUDE SUFFICIENT TO DEFORM SAID MEMBERS, (1) EACH TENSIONING MEANS INCLUDING A TENSION MEMBER HAVING TWO AXIALLY SPACED PORTIONS, ONE OF SAID PORTIONS BEING FIXEDLY FASTENED TO A GROOVE PORTION OF ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF SAID PAIR, AND THE OTHER PORTION INCLUDING ABUTMENT MEANS ENGAGEABLE WITH THE GROOVE PORTION OF THE OTHER MEMBER FOR PREVENTING SAID AXIAL MOVEMENT; AND (E) TWO ANNULAR FRICTION FACINGS, EACH FACING BEING AXIALLY FASTENED TO ONE MEMBER OF EACH OF SAID PAIRS.