Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Borgwarner Inc.

Andrew Brian Lovatt

William David Guarino

Brian Christian Orr

Chris Peter Nicholas

Anthony Paskus

Marc Thomas Wilkins

A powertrain includes a transmission case, a transfer case, a front axle housing, and a webbed brace. The transfer case and front axle housing are directly fastened to the transmission case. The webbed brace is directly fastened to the transmission case, the transfer case, and the front axle housing to form a powerplant system. The webbed brace is configured such that a bending frequency of the powerplant system falls within a predefined range.

Brace for powerplant

A chain sprocket assembly for use in a motor vehicle transfer case having an inter-axle differential includes a torque limiting clutch which limits the torque provided to a secondary drive line. The chain sprocket assembly includes a chain receiving hub having a splined interconnection which drives an outer bell housing having internal splines which drive a first set of friction clutch plates. A second set of friction clutch plates are interleaved with the first set of clutch plates and are splined to and drive a stub shaft. The stub shaft also freely rotatably receives the chain hub and functions as the secondary output to drive a secondary drive line. A biasing spring engages the clutch plates and compresses them and achieves a desired maximum torque throughput from the chain to the secondary output shaft. In operation, the chain sprocket assembly will transmit torque to the secondary output shaft and the secondary drive line up to the preset maximum and which threshold the friction clutch packs will slip, thus limiting torque throughput to the preselected level.

Torque limiting chain sprocket assembly

Growing community of inventors

Novi, MI, United States of America

Andrew Brian Lovatt