Mannesmann Sachs Ag

Fichtel & Sachs Ag

Ruthard Knoblach

Christoph Sasse

Peter Frey

Thomas Bauer

Wolfgang Kundermann

Uwe Dehrmann

Peter Volland

Hans W Wienholt

A hydrodynamic clutch arrangement, particularly a torque converter or fluid coupling, includes a housing arrangement, a turbine wheel provided in the housing arrangement, and a lockup clutch arrangement by which a torque transmitting connection can be produced selectively between the turbine wheel and the housing arrangement. The lockup clutch arrangement includes at least two friction members which are rotatable with one of the housing arrangement and turbine wheel, and at least one counter-friction member which is interposed between the two friction members and is rotatable with the other of the housing arrangement and turbine wheel. A first friction facing on at least one of the friction members at its first side faces the at least one counter-friction member. This at least one of the friction members can be brought into frictional interaction, via a second friction facing, with another counter-friction member on its second side located opposite to the first side. The first friction facing has a larger friction surface area than the second friction facing.

Hydrodynamic clutch arrangement

A hydrodynamic clutch arrangement, particularly a torque converter or fluid coupling, includes a housing arrangement, a turbine wheel provided in the housing arrangement, a lockup clutch arrangement by which a torque transmitting connection can be produced selectively between the turbine wheel and the housing arrangement. The lockup clutch arrangement includes at least two friction members which are rotatable with a one of the housing arrangement and turbine wheel, at least one counter-friction member which is interposed between two friction members and is rotatable with the other of the housing arrangement and turbine wheel and can be brought into contact with friction surface regions of the friction members in friction surface regions of the counter-friction member. The counter-friction member has a substantially ring-shaped counter-friction member body having an outer radius (R ) in a ratio of 1.1:1 to 1.5:1 to an outer radius (r ) of the friction surface region or regions provided on the friction members and/or an inner radius (R ) in a ratio of 0.4:1 to 0.8:1 to an inner radius (r ) of the friction surface region or regions provided on the friction members.

A hydrokinetic torque converter with a lock-up clutch which is located axially between the turbine wheel and the converter housing comprises a piston which, along with the converter housing, defines a chamber. The chamber is connected by means of at least one essentially radial flow guide to a longitudinal hole in the driven shaft. When oil which has been supplied by the converter circuit and has penetrated into the chamber in the vicinity of the friction lining flows through the chamber, the oil can be transported radially inward for discharge by means of the flow guide toward the converter axis, until it can be introduced into the driven shaft inside a ring-shaped zone surrounding the converter-axis which promotes the formation of a vortex when the converter housing is in rotation, and can then be transported via the longitudinal hole in the driven shaft to the reservoir.

Hydrokinetic torque converter with lockup clutch

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Bergrheinfeld, Germany

Ruthard Knoblach