Clutch with wear compensating releasing spring

Claim 2

A vehicle clutch releasing mechanism comprising: A crankshaft being driven with an engine; a flywheel fixedly mounted on said crankshaft; a cover plate fixedly attached to said flywheel; a pressure plate mounted axially and slidably on said cover plate and rotatable in unison with said cover plate; an output shaft mounted on and rotatable relative to said crankshaft; a clutch disc assembly provided between said flywheel and said pressure plate and mounted axially slidably on and rotatably in unison with said output shaft, said disc assembly being provided with a pair of facing elements at each side thereof; said mechanism being characterized by the provision of a releasing means having tongue portions and an annular portion integral therewith being coaxially disposed about said output shaft between said crankshaft and said clutch disc assembly and being made of a ductile material having both ranges of elastic and plastic deformation and being assembled resiliently and immovably in an axial direction in the clutch engaging slate, and adapted for positively urging said clutch disc assembly to move toward said pressure plate during clutch releasing operation and for compensating for the wearing amount of said clutch facing elements by said plastic deformation in dependence upon the wear of said clutch facing elements.

Claim 3

The vehicle clutch releasing mechanism as set forth in claim 1, characterized by an end of each tongue portion being contacted with an inner race of a pilot bearing being provided on said output shaft for supporting an end thereof, while said annular portion is fixedly contacted with a clutch hub comprising in said clutch disc assembly.

Claim 4

A vehicle clutch releasing mechanism comprising: a crankshaft being driven with an engine; a flywheel fixedly mounted on said crankshaft; a cover plate fixedly attached to said flywheel; a pressure plate mounted axially and slidably on said cover plate and rotatable in unison with said cover plate; an output shaft mounted on and rotatable relative to said crankshaft; a clutch disc assembly provided between said flywheel and said pressure plate and mounted axially slidably on and rotatably in unison with said output shaft, said disc assembly being provided with a pair of facing elements of each side thereof; said mechanism being characterized by the provision of a releasing means having tongue portions and a circular disc portion integral therewith being coaxially disposed about said output shaft between said crankshaft and said clutch disc assembly and being made of a ductile material having both ranges of elastic and plastic deformation and being assembled resiliently and immovably in an axial direction in the clutch engaging state, and adapted for positively urging said clutch disc assembly to move toward said pressure plate during clutch releasing operation and for compensating for the wearing amount of said clutch facing elements by said plastic deformation in dependence upon the wear of said clutch facing elements.

Claim 5

A vehicle clutch releasing mechanism comprising: a crankshaft being driven with an engine; a flywheel fixedly mounted on said crankshaft; a cover plate fixedly attached to said flywheel; a pressure plate mounted axially and slidably on said cover plate and rotatable in unison with said cover plate; an output shaft mounted on and rotatable relative to said crankshaft; a clutch disc assembly provided between said flywheel and said pressure plate and mounted axially slidably on and rotatably in unison with said output shaft, said disc assembly being provided with a pair of facing elements of each side thereof; said mechanism being characterized by the provision of a releasing means having tongue portions and a circular disc portion integral therewith being coaxially disposed about said output shaft between said crankshaft and said clutch disc assembly and being made of a ductile material having both ranges of elastic and plastic deformation and being assembled resiliently and immovably in an axial direction in the clutch engaging state, and adapted for positively urging said clutch disc assembly to move toward said pressure plate during clutch releasing operation and for compensating for the wearing amount of said clutch facing elements by said plastic deformation in dependence upon the wear of said clutch facing elements.

Claim 6

The vehicle clutch releasing mechanism as set forth in claim 3, characterized by an end of each tongue portion being contacted with said output shaft, while said circular disc portion is fixedly connected with a clutch hub comprised in said clutch disc assembly.

Claim 7

A vehicle clutch releasing mechanism comprising: a crankshaft being driven with an engine; a flywheel fixedly mounted on said crankshaft; a cover plate fixedly attached to said flywheel; a pressure plate mounted axially and slidably on said cover plate and rotatable in unison with said cover plate; an output shaft mounted on and rotatable relative to said crankshaft; a clutch disc assembly provided between said flywheel and said pressure plate and mounted axially slidably on and rotatably in unison with saie output shaft, said disc assembly being provided with a pair of facing elements at each side thereof; said mechanism being characterized by the provision of a releasing means having an outer stepped annular tubular portion, an inner tubular portion and leg portions being disposed between said outer and inner tubular portions, said outer and inner tubular portions said leg portions being formed integrally with each other, and being coaxially disposed about said output shaft between said crankshaft and said clutch disc assembly and being made of a ductile material having both ranges of elastic and plastic deformation and being assembled resiliently and immovably in an axial direction in the clutch engaging state, and adapted for positively urging said clutch disc assembly to move toward said pressure plate during clutch releasing operation and for compensating for the wearing amount of said clutch facing elements by said plastic deformation in dependence upon the wear of said clutch facing elements.

Claim 8

A vehicle clutch releasing mechanism comprising: a crankshaft being driven with an engine; a flywheel fixedly mounted on said crankshaft; a cover plate fixedly attached to said flywheel; a pressure plate mounted axially and slidably on said cover plate and rotatable in unison with said cover plate; an output shaft mounted on and rotatable relative to said crankshaft; a clutch disc assembly provided between said flywheel and said pressure plate and mounted axially slidably on and rotatably in unison with saie output shaft, said disc assembly being provided with a pair of facing elements at each side thereof; said mechanism being characterized by the provision of a releasing means having an outer stepped annular tubular portion, an inner tubular portion and leg portions being disposed between said outer and inner tubular portions, said outer and inner tubular portions said leg portions being formed integrally with each other, and being coaxially disposed about said output shaft between said crankshaft and said clutch disc assembly and being made of a ductile material having both ranges of elastic and plastic deformation and being assembled resiliently and immovably in an axial direction in the clutch engaging state, and adapted for positively urging said clutch disc assembly to move toward said pressure plate during clutch releasing operation and for compensating for the wearing amount of said clutch facing elements by said plastic deformation in dependence upon the wear of said clutch facing elements.