Clutch assembly for planetary-gear trains

Abstract

A pair of hydraulic clutches, serving to connect an input shaft with either of two nested output shafts coaxial therewith, comprise a common die-cast annular carrier in the form of a generally cylindrical sleeve whose inner and outer surfaces are integrally formed with peripherally spaced first and second ribs for the guidance of a first and a second set of annular friction foils, respectively. The carrier has an inner radial flange forming an abutment for one of the friction foils of the first set, the second ribs being axially offset from the first ribs and extending beyond that flange in the form of peripherally separated prongs. The inner sleeve surface diverges outwardly from the region of the flange, with a slight draft as needed for casting; at its wider end the sleeve is fastened to a similarly produced first clutch housing accommodating a first piston normally held spaced apart from the first friction foils by a Belleville spring inserted between the sleeve and that clutch housing. A second clutch housing envelops the part of the sleeve carrying the second friction foils and accommodates a second piston coacting with the latter foils. The flange has gaps open toward the spaces between the second ribs to facilitate the circulation of fluid along the sleeve from a supply channel within the inner output shaft to an outlet port of a surrounding transmission housing.