Self-cooling clutch and brake

Claim 2

In combination a disk pack, a shaft to which selected disks of said pack are connected, other disks of said pack interleaved with said selected disks and having other connections, a pressure plate for engaging the disks of said pack, means including a lever for the actuation of said pressure plate, an actuating rod connected with said lever and carrying a piston, a cylinder in which the piston is reciprocable in the course of movement of said rod, a source of coolant, means including valve-controlled ports for admitting coolant from said source to said cylinder and for discharging coolant from said cylinder in the course of piston movement therein, and means leading from said cylinder for the delivery of discharged coolant onto disks of said pack.

Claim 3

A combination brake and clutch including driving and driven shafts and a fixed support, a splined sleeve on the input shaft, a pair of disk packs having selected disks engaged with said sleeve, a first spider having intervening disks of one of said packs engaged with it, said first spider being connected with the driving shaft, a second spider connected with the fixed support and having intervening disks of the second pack connected with it, pressure plate means between said packs, a lever for the actuation of the pressure plate means, said lever being provided with a fulcrum and with a connection to the pressure plate means and having a movable end, a rod having a pintle to which the movable end of the lever is pivoted, separate pistons mounted on the rod for reciprocation therewith, cylinders in which the respective pistons are operatively disposed, a source of coolant having valve-controlled communication with the respective cylinders, a valve-controlled sump means including ports opening to the respective cylinders, and check valves controlling said ports, and valve-controlled duct means leading to points of discharge for delivery of coolant to the respective packs.

Claim 4

A combination brake and clutch including driving and driven shafts and a fixed support, a splined sleeve on the input shaft, a pair of disk packs having selected disks engaged with said sleeve, a first spider having intervening disks of one of said packs engaged with it, said first spider being connected with the driving shaft, a second spider connected with the fixed support and having intervening disks of the second pack connected with it, pressure plate means between said packs, a lever for the actuation of the pressure plate means, said lever being provided with a fulcrum and with a connection to the pressure plate means and having a movable end, a rod having a pintle to which the movable end of the lever is pivoted, separate pistons mounted on the rod for reciprocation therewith, cylinders in which the respective pistons are operatively disposed, a source of coolant having valve-controlled communication with the respective cylinders, a valve-controlled sump means including ports opening to the respective cylinders, and check valves controlling said ports, and valve-controlled duct means leading to points of discharge for delivery of coolant to the respective packs.

Claim 5

A clutch and brake according to claim 2 in which the respective cylinders have fluid pressure actuating connections for the operation of said rod through the respective pistons to engage the pressure plate selectively with the first and second disk packs.

Claim 6

A combination clutch and brake including a housing, aligned driving and driven shafts extending into the housing, a clutch spider connected with the driving shaft, a brake spider connected with the housing, disk packs having selected disks connected respectively with the clutch spider and the brake spider, a sleeve on the driven shaft with which intervening disks of the respective packs are connected, a spool-shaped pressure plate between the respective packs, said plate being operable axially of the driven shaft for delivering pressure selectively upon either of said packs, a yoke lever having one end pivotally connected with said housing and having a bearing ring connecting it with said pressure plate, an actuating rod having pivotal connection with said yoke lever for the oscillation of the yoke lever for selective exertion of thrust through the pressure plate upon either of said packs, a piston mounted on at least one end of the said rod, a cylinder in which the piston is reciprocable, said housing having a sump for coolant, a valve-controlled port opening from said sump into the cylinder, a valve-controlled port leading outwardly from the cylinder, and duct means leading from said last mentioned port to one of said packs for delivering coolant thereto.

Claim 7

A combination clutch and brake including a housing, aligned driving and driven shafts extending into the housing, a clutch spider connected with the driving shaft, a brake spider connected with the housing, disk packs having selected disks connected respectively with the clutch spider and the brake spider, a sleeve on the driven shaft with which intervening disks of the respective packs are connected, a spool-shaped pressure plate between the respective packs, said plate being operable axially of the driven shaft for delivering pressure selectively upon either of said packs, a yoke lever having one end pivotally connected with said housing and having a bearing ring connecting it with said pressure plate, an actuating rod having pivotal connection with said yoke lever for the oscillation of the yoke lever for selective exertion of thrust through the pressure plate upon either of said packs, a piston mounted on at least one end of the said rod, a cylinder in which the piston is reciprocable, said housing having a sump for coolant, a valve-controlled port opening from said sump into the cylinder, a valve-controlled port leading outwardly from the cylinder, and duct means leading from said last mentioned port to one of said packs for delivering coolant thereto.

Claim 8

A combination clutch and brake according to claim 4 in which said rod is provided with fluid-pressure means for actuation thereof in at least one direction.

Claim 9

A combination according to claim 4 in which said rod has means for manually reciprocating it.

Claim 10

A combination according to claim 4 in which a sleeve of said housing encircles the driven shaft and provides an annular chamber which constitutes a part of said duct means, and seals closing said chamber about said shaft.

Claim 11

A combination brake and clutch according to claim 4 in which said rod has pistons at both of its ends and said housing has externally accessible cylinders in which the respective pistons are reciprocable, each of said cylinders having flUid pressure pipes leading thereto, each of said cylinders having valve-controlled ports opening from said sump and duct means including valve-controlled ports leading from the respective cylinders, the duct means leading from both cylinders having discharge connections toward both packs.

Claim 12

A combination clutch and brake comprising a housing, driving and driven shafts in substantial alignment and having bearings in said housing, a clutch spider mounted on the driving shaft within the housing, a brake spider disposed within the housing and connected to the housing and encircling the driven shaft, a splined sleeve upon the driven shaft, a clutch disk pack including disks connected with the clutch spider and interleaved disks connected with said sleeve, a brake disk pack including disks connected with the brake spider and interleaved disks connected with said sleeve, a spool-shaped pressure plate between said packs and axially slidable externally of the sleeve, a bearing encircling the pressure plate, a ring mounted on said bearing, a yoke lever pivoted to the ring, and for which said housing provides a fulcrum, a rod pivoted to the end of the lever opposite said fulcrum and projecting from said housing, a portion of the housing proximate said rod constituting a coolant sump, a cylinder mounted externally at each side of the housing and enclosing respective ends of the rod, valve-controlled means leading to each cylinder from said sump, pistons mounted at the ends of the rod within the respective cylinders, fluid pressure lines leading to the respective cylinders for imposing pressure on the respective pistons for the actuation of said rod, and pressure-controlled duct means leading from the respective cylinders to the vicinity of the respective packs for delivering coolant thereto from said sump as said coolant is displaced in respective cylinders by the piston therein.

Claim 13

A combination clutch and brake comprising a housing, driving and driven shafts in substantial alignment and having bearings in said housing, a clutch spider mounted on the driving shaft within the housing, a brake spider disposed within the housing and connected to the housing and encircling the driven shaft, a splined sleeve upon the driven shaft, a clutch disk pack including disks connected with the clutch spider and interleaved disks connected with said sleeve, a brake disk pack including disks connected with the brake spider and interleaved disks connected with said sleeve, a spool-shaped pressure plate between said packs and axially slidable externally of the sleeve, a bearing encircling the pressure plate, a ring mounted on said bearing, a yoke lever pivoted to the ring, and for which said housing provides a fulcrum, a rod pivoted to the end of the lever opposite said fulcrum and projecting from said housing, a portion of the housing proximate said rod constituting a coolant sump, a cylinder mounted externally at each side of the housing and enclosing respective ends of the rod, valve-controlled means leading to each cylinder from said sump, pistons mounted at the ends of the rod within the respective cylinders, fluid pressure lines leading to the respective cylinders for imposing pressure on the respective pistons for the actuation of said rod, and pressure-controlled duct means leading from the respective cylinders to the vicinity of the respective packs for delivering coolant thereto from said sump as said coolant is displaced in respective cylinders by the piston therein.

Claim 14

A clutch and brake according to claim 9 in which bearings for the driven shaft are spaced and a coolant chamber between said bearings is a part of said duct means and is closed at its ends by seals, said duct means extending into said chamber and thence through said shaft to the locality of respective disk packs and thence radially of said shaft toward said disk packs.