Wallace-murray Corporation

Everett George Blair

A fluid shear coupling apparatus is disclosed herein which includes a driving member received within a working chamber defined by a driven member. The driven member is mounted with needle bearings to a shaft portion of the driving member to have the members rotatable about a common axis. The driving and driven members include complementary shaped and positioned fluid shear and thrust surfaces defining fluid shear and thrust chambers, respectively, therebetween and cooperable with shear fluid within the chamber to transmit torque and axial thrust loads between the members. The fluid shear surfaces are defined by interdigitated ridges and grooves. A shear fluid reservoir is located in the central portion of the driven member and passageways lead from an annular groove and cylindrical cavity adjacent the driving member back to the reservoir. A recycle passageway also leads from the annular groove and connects with the working chamber at a radially-inward location to provide recirculation of shear fluid through the working chamber. Several projections and dams are received within the cylindrical cavity and annular groove to provide shear surfaces for transmitting torque between the driving and driven members, and also to facilitate the pumping of the shear fluid from the working chamber back to the reservoir or through the recycle flow path.

Fluid shear coupling apparatus

A shear liquid fan drive coupling for the radiator cooling system of an internal combustion engine of the type wherein a temperature responsive valve controls the degree of rotary coupling between the engine and a radiator cooling fan by controlling the active quantity of shear liquid in a liquid coupling between the engine and the fan. The specific improvement relates to a bi-metal strip for the temperature controlled fluid coupling, the strip being so configured that it cannot be mounted on the housing of the coupling except in a predetermined orientation therewith. In this manner, overheating of the engine due to faulty mounting of the bi-metal strip is precluded.

Temperature responsive fan drive coupling

A fluid coupling of the type adapted for a fan for an automotive cooling system. A driving disc turns within a housing to which the fan is coupled. One face of the disc carries concentric ridges or lands which are positioned to project into complementary concentric channels carried by the housing, with a shear fluid such as a silicone fluid at least partially filling the concentric channels. Secant grooves extend across the top of the interdigitated ridges of the drive disc and of the housing interior to cause the silicone shear fluid to move generally radially. Such fluid circulation increases the useful life of the shear fluid by inhibiting high temperature build-up thereof.

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Plainfield, IN, United States of America

Everett George Blair