Horton, Inc.

Jonathan Ackermann

Samuel Buck

Robert Cayton

A viscous clutch assembly includes a rotationally fixed center shaft, a rotor rotatably supported on the center shaft, a housing rotatably supported on the center shaft, a working chamber, a reservoir carried by the rotor, an electromagnetic coil located at or near a front end of the center shaft, a valve subassembly magnetically operable to control flow of a shear fluid between the reservoir and the working chamber, a flux guide extending axially across a cover of the housing, and a magnetic flux insulating material positioned adjacent to and radially inward from the flux guide. A flux circuit located forward of the rotor connects the electromagnetic coil and the valve subassembly and passes through the flux guide and the center shaft, with the magnetic flux insulating material at least partially surrounded by the flux circuit.

Viscous clutch with front-mounted electromagnetic coil, modular valve and front hub subassemblies for a viscous clutch, and method of making

A clutch assembly includes a stationary journal bracket assembly having a base, a stub shaft that extends axially from the base, and a passage, a threaded bracket journal coupled to the stub shaft and accessible through the passage, pulley bearings supported on the threaded bracket journal, an integrated pulley/shaft including a pulley and a center shaft, and a clutch mechanism. The center shaft includes a cup-like hub and a distal portion that extends axially from the cup-like hub. The cup-like hub is supported on the pulley bearings, located at least partially within a blind hollow interior area of the cup-like hub. The threaded bracket journal is located at least partially within the hollow interior area of the cup-like hub.

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Circle Pines, MN, United States of America

Jonathan Ackermann