For vehicles with manual transmission, the clutch is an important part of the vehicle power system, which is responsible for cutting off and connecting the power and engine. When driving on urban roads or complex road sections, the clutch has become one of the most frequently used components. The quality of the clutch application directly reflects the driving level and also plays a role in protecting the vehicle. How to use the clutch correctly and master the principle of the clutch to solve problems with the clutch under special circumstances are what every driver of a manual transmission vehicle should master.
The so-called clutch, as its name implies, uses "separation" and "combination" to transmit an appropriate amount of power. The clutch is composed of friction plate, spring plate, pressure plate and power output shaft. It is located between the engine and gearbox and is used to transmit the torque stored on the engine flywheel to the gearbox to ensure that the vehicle can transmit appropriate driving force and torque to the driving wheel under different driving conditions. It belongs to the category of power assembly. In the case of semi linkage, there is a speed difference between the power input end and power output end of the clutch, that is, a proper amount of power is transmitted through its speed difference.
The clutch is divided into three working states, namely the non linkage when the clutch is depressed, the full linkage when the clutch is not depressed, and the semi linkage when the clutch is partially depressed. When the vehicle starts, the driver steps on the clutch, and the movement of the clutch pedal pulls the pressure plate back, that is, the pressure plate is separated from the friction plate. At this time, the pressure plate does not contact the flywheel at all, so there is no relative friction. When the vehicle is running normally, the pressure plate is tightly pressed against the friction plate of the flywheel. At this time, the friction between the pressure plate and the friction plate is the largest, and the input shaft and output shaft maintain relative static friction, with the same speed. The last one is the semi coupled state of the clutch. The friction between the pressure plate and the friction plate is less than the full coupled state. At this time, the clutch pressure plate and the friction plate on the flywheel are in a sliding friction state. The speed of the flywheel is greater than the speed of the output shaft, and the power transmitted from the flywheel is transmitted to the gearbox. In this state, the engine and driving wheel are equivalent to a soft connection state.
Generally speaking, the clutch plays a role when the vehicle starts and shifts. At this time, there is a speed difference between the first and second shafts of the gearbox. The synchronizer can keep the speed of the first shaft synchronized with the second shaft only after the power of the engine is cut off from the first shaft. After the gear is engaged, the first shaft is combined with the engine power through the clutch, so that the power can continue to be transmitted. In the clutch, there is also an indispensable buffer device. It consists of two discs similar to the flywheel, on which a rectangular groove is punched, and springs are arranged in the groove. When encountering fierce impact, the springs between the two discs act elastically to cushion external stimuli, effectively protecting the engine and clutch.
Among the accessories of the clutch, the strength of the pressure plate spring, the friction coefficient of the friction plate, the diameter of the clutch, the position of the friction plate and the number of clutches are the key factors to determine the performance of the clutch. The greater the spring stiffness, the higher the friction coefficient of the friction plate, and the larger the clutch diameter, the better the clutch performance
