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clutch
Device for quickly and easily connecting or disconnecting a pair of rotatable coaxial shafts. Clutches are usually placed between the driving motor and the input shaft to a machine and provide a convenient means for starting and stopping the machine and permitting the driving motor or engine to be started in an unloaded state (as in an automobile). Mechanical clutches provide either a positive (no-slip) or a friction-dependent drive; centrifugal clutches provide automatic engagement. An overrunning clutch transmits torque in one direction only and permits the driven shaft of a machine to freewheel (continue rotating after the driver stops); on bicycles, such clutches permit the rider to coast without moving the pedals.
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Clutch
A machine element for the connection and disconnection of shafts in equipment drives. If both shafts to be connected can be stopped or made to move relatively slowly, a positive-type mechanical clutch may be used. If an initially stationary shaft is to be driven by a moving shaft, friction surfaces must be interposed to absorb the relative slippage until the speeds are the same. Likewise, friction slippage allows one shaft to stop after the clutch is released.
When positive connection of one shaft with another in a given position is needed, a positive clutch is used. This clutch is the simplest of all shaft connectors, sliding on a keyed shaft section or a splined portion and operating with a shift lever on a collar element. Because it does not slip, no heat is generated in this clutch. Interference of the interlocking portions prevents engagement at high speeds; at low speeds, if connection occurs, shock loads are transmitted to the shafting. Positive clutches may be of the square jaw type (Fig. 1) with two or more jaws of square section meshing together in the opposing clutches, or the spiral jaw type, a modification of the square-jaw clutch that permits more convenient engagement and provides a more gradual movement of the mating faces toward each other.
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When the axial pressure of the clutch faces on each other serves to transmit torque instead of the mating shape of their parts, the clutch operates by friction. This friction clutch is usually placed between an engine and a load to be driven; when the friction surfaces of the clutch are engaged, the speed of the driven load gradually approaches that of the engine until the two speeds are the same. A friction clutch is necessary for connecting a rotating shaft of a machine to a stationary shaft so that it may be brought up to speed without shock and transmit torque for the development of useful work. The three common designs for friction clutches, combining axial and radial types, are cone clutches (Fig. 2), disk clutches, and rim clutches. In a cone clutch, the surfaces are sections of a pair of cones. The disk clutch consists essentially of one or more friction disks connected to a driven shaft by splines. A rim clutch has surface elements that apply pressure to the rim externally or internally.
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In the overrunning type of clutch, the driven shaft can run faster than the driving shaft. This action permits freewheeling as the driving shaft slows down or another source of power is applied. Effectively this is a friction pawl-and-ratchet drive, wherein balls or rollers become wedged between the sleeve and recessed pockets machined in the hub (Fig. 3). The clutch does not slip when the second shaft is driven, and is released automatically when the second shaft runs faster than the driver. The centrifugal clutch employs centrifugal force from the speed of rotation. This type of clutch is not normally used because it becomes unwieldy and unsafe with increasing size. Clutch action is also produced by hydraulic couplings, with a smoothness not possible with a mechanical clutch. Automatic transmissions in automobiles represent a fundamental use of hydraulic clutches. See Torque converter
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Magnetic coupling between conductors provides a basis for several types of clutches. The magnetic attraction between a current-carrying coil and a ferromagnetic clutch plate serves to actuate a disk-type clutch. Slippage in such a clutch produces heat that must be dissipated and wear that reduces the life of the clutch plate. Thus the electromagnetically controlled disk clutch is used to engage a load to its driving source. See Brake
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