Design and Performance Study of Clutch Disc Assembly of Wide-Angle, Large-Hysteresis, Multistage Damper

Abstract The clutch is an important component of the vehicle driveline system. One of its major functions is to attenuate or eliminate the torsional vibration and noise of the driveline system caused by the engine. Based on experiments of vibration damping under different vehicle conditions, the structure and functional principle of a clutch-driven disc assembly for a wide-angle, large-hysteresis, multistage damper is investigated in this study using an innovative combined approach. Furthermore, a systematic integration of key technologies, including wide-angle low-stiffness damping technology, large-hysteresis clutch technology, a novel split pre-damping structure technology, damping structure technology for component cushioning, and multistage damping structure technology, is proposed. The results show that the total torsional angle of the wide-angle large-hysteresis, multistage damper is more than twice that of the traditional clutch damper. The multistage damping design allows a better consideration of various damping requirements under different vehicle conditions, which can effectively address problems of severe idle vibrations and torsional resonance that occur under idled and accelerated conditions. Meanwhile, the use of a large-hysteresis structure and wear-resistant materials not only improves the vibration damping performance, but also prolongs the product service life, consequently resulting in multi-faceted optimization and innovative products.