The Hilliard Corporation

Benjamin J Heater

Brenton H Barron

Steven M Averill

A centrifugal clutch is disclosed including a driver adapted to engage and to be rotated by an input shaft, a drum adapted to engage a driven component, a plurality of shoes located between the driver and the drum, and a plurality of springs, each spring engaged with adjacent shoes for urging the shoes together. The shoes are radially movable between an outward position in which the shoes contact the drum and an inward position in which the shoes are spaced apart from the drum. Each shoe has an asymmetrical contacting member for engaging the drum, the contacting member having a toe protruding circumferentially therefrom in one direction. Each shoe is capable of being independently installed into the clutch with the toe of the contacting member facing either towards or away from the direction of rotation of the driver, provided that the driver remains rotationally balanced. The contacting member of each shoe further includes one or more cavities each adapted to receive at least one weight to enable adjustment of the mass of each shoe and the mass distribution within each shoe.

Growing community of inventors

Corning, NY, United States of America

Benjamin J Heater