FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to clutches and, more particularly, to a multi-plate clutch
assembly having an Aluminium intermediate plate.

BACKGROUND

As is generally known, a clutch is a device that facilitates engagement and disengagement
of a driving shaft with a driven shaft. In applications where high torque output is required, multiplate
clutches are used. As the name suggests, a multi-plate clutch includes multiple clutch
plates which make frictional contact with a flywheel of an engine in order to facilitate
transmission of power between an engine shaft and a transmission shaft of a vehicl15 e.
Generally, an intermediate plate is provided between each pair of clutch plates to separate
the clutch plates from each other. It also increases the torque capacity of the multi-plate clutch
by increasing contact friction area. Such intermediate plates are usually formed of steel. Now,
20 for manufacturing a steel intermediate plate, a blanking operation is performed on a work-piece.
In terms of the equipment, a power press along with high electrical power supply is required to
perform the blanking operation. After the blanking operation, a stamping operation is performed
to maintain flatness of the plate. Therefore, a complex process is executed to manufacture the
existing multi-plate clutches. Further, inconvenience associated with handling of such heavy
25 equipment for manufacturing the multi-plate clutch is significant.
Also, performance of the multi-plate clutch gradually decreases over time owing to wear
and tear of sub-components, for example, owing to fading of friction material due to less heat
dissipation between the friction material and the steel intermediate plate. Moreover, an overall
30 weight of the existing multi-plate clutches is heavy. Therefore, handling of the multi-plate
clutches for installation as well as maintenance purposes is inconvenient.
SUMMARY
35
3
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts, in a simplified format, that
are further described in the detailed description of the invention. This summary is neither
intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the invention and nor is it intended for
determining the scope of the invention.
5
In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a multi-plate clutch assembly for a vehicle is
disclosed. The multi-plate clutch assembly includes a first clutch plate adapted to be pressed
against a flywheel. The multi-plate clutch assembly includes a second clutch plate adapted to be
coupled with the first clutch plate. The second clutch plate is adapted to be pressed in a direction
towards the flywheel, by a pressure plate. The multi-plate clutch assembly further includes a10 n
intermediate plate disposed between the first clutch plate and the second clutch plate. The
intermediate plate is formed of Aluminium.
In another embodiment of the present disclosure, a multi-plate clutch assembly for a
15 vehicle is disclosed. The multi-plate clutch assembly includes a first clutch plate adapted to be
pressed against a flywheel. The multi-plate clutch assembly includes a second clutch plate
adapted to be coupled with the first clutch plate. The second clutch plate is adapted to be pressed
in a direction towards the flywheel, by a pressure plate. The multi-plate clutch assembly includes
a friction material adapted to be disposed on a surface of at least one of the first clutch plate and
20 the second clutch plate. The multi-plate clutch assembly further includes an intermediate plate
disposed between the first clutch plate and the second clutch plate. The intermediate plate is
formed of Aluminium.
To further clarify advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular
25 description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof,
which is illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only
typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope.
The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the
accompanying drawings.
30
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
4
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become
better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the
accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings,
wherein:
5
Figure 1 illustrates a multi-plate clutch assembly having at least one Aluminium
intermediate plate, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
Figure 2 illustrates a graph depicting a relationship between a torque output of the multiplate
clutch assembly and a number of usage cycles, according to an embodiment of the present
10 disclosure.
Further, skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for
simplicity and may not have been necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the flow charts
illustrate the method in terms of the most prominent steps involved to help to improve
15 understanding of aspects of the present invention. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of
the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the drawings by
conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent
to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the drawings
with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the
20 description herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
25 For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference
will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be
used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of
the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated
system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein
30 being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention
relates. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same
meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skilled in the art to which this invention
belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not
intended to be limiting.
5
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to
the accompanying drawings.
The present disclosure relates to a multi-plate clutch assembly having an intermediate 5 iate plate
formed of Aluminium. The Aluminium intermediate plate may be disposed between each pair of
clutch plates of the multi-plate clutch assembly. The multi-plate clutch assembly may include,
but is not limited to, a first clutch plate, a second clutch plate, and the Aluminium intermediate
plate disposed between the first clutch plate and the second clutch plate. Each of the first clutch
10 plate and the second clutch plate may include splines disposed circumferentially around an outer
surface. Further, the Aluminium intermediate plate may include splines disposed
circumferentially around an inner surface.
Figure 1 illustrates a multi-plate clutch assembly 100, according to an embodiment of the
15 present disclosure. The multi-plate clutch assembly 100 may be installed in a vehicle. In an
embodiment, the multi-plate clutch assembly 100 may be disposed in at least one of a twowheeler
vehicle and a three-wheeler vehicle.
In the illustrated embodiment, the multi-plate clutch assembly 100 may include, but is not
20 limited to, a pressure plate 104, a first clutch plate 106, a second clutch plate 108, a third clutch
plate 110, an intermediate plate 102-1 disposed between the first clutch plate 106 and the second
clutch plate 108, an intermediate plate 102-2 disposed between the second clutch plate 108 and
the third clutch plate 110, and a clutch housing 112. In an embodiment, the first clutch plate 106,
the second clutch plate 108, and the third clutch plate 110 may collectively be referred to as the
25 clutch plates 106, 108, 110. Similarly, the intermediate plate 102-1 and the intermediate plate
102-2 may collectively be referred to as the intermediate plates 102. Further, the intermediate
plate 102-1 and the intermediate plate 102-2 may individually be referred to as the intermediate
plates 102, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
30 In the present embodiment, the multi-plate clutch assembly 100 is shown to include three
clutch plates 106, 108, 110 and two intermediate plates 102. As would be appreciated by a
person skilled in the art, in other embodiments, the multi-plate clutch assembly 100 of the
6
present disclosure may include more or less number of clutch plates and corresponding
intermediate plates, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
The multi-plate clutch assembly 100 may also include at least one thrust spring 114 and at
least one nut 116 adapted to adjust tension in the at least one thrust spring 114. In the illustra5 ted
embodiment, the multi-plate clutch assembly 100 includes four thrust springs 114, out of which
two thrust springs, namely, a thrust spring 114-1 and a thrust spring 114-2, are visible in Figure
1. Further, the multi-plate clutch assembly 100 includes four nuts 116, namely, a nut 116-1, a nut
116-2, a nut 116-3, and a nut 116-4. Each nut 116 may be operated to adjust tension in a
10 corresponding thrust spring 114.
In an embodiment, the first clutch plate 106 may be adapted to be pressed against a
flywheel (not shown). Further, the second clutch plate 108 may be adapted to be coupled with
the first clutch plate 106. Similarly, the third clutch plate 110 may be adapted to be coupled with
15 the second clutch plate 108. Further, the second clutch plate 108 and the third clutch plate 110
may be adapted to be pressed in a direction towards the flywheel, by the pressure plate 104. The
movement of the pressure plate 104 may be controlled by a pedal (not shown). When the pedal
is pressed, for example, by an operator, the pressure plate 104 may apply pressure on the clutch
plates 106, 108, 110 and in turn, on the intermediate plates 102 through the thrust springs 114.
20
In particular, the pressure plate 104 may apply the pressure on the third clutch plate 110 as
it is closer to the pressure plate 104 than the other clutch plates 106, 108. The applied pressure
may then translate to the intermediate plate 102-2, the second clutch plate 108, the intermediate
plate 102-1, and the first clutch plate 106. The first clutch plate 106 may then be pressed against
25 the flywheel. Further, the thrust springs 114 may be operated so as to maintain a frictional
contact of the pressure plate 104 with the clutch plates 106, 108, 110.
Further, each intermediate plate 102 may be formed of Aluminium. In an embodiment, the
intermediate plate 102 may hereinafter interchangeably be referred to as the Aluminium
30 intermediate plate 102, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In an
embodiment, the Aluminium intermediate plate 102 may be formed by die-casting.
7
In an embodiment, each of the first clutch plate 106, the second clutch plate 108, and the
third clutch plate 110 may include splines 118 formed circumferentially around an outer edge.
Further, each of the intermediate plates 102 may include splines 120 formed circumferentially
around an inner edge. The splines 118 and the splines 120 may assist the corresponding
components in engaging with other components during installation and op5 eration.
In an embodiment, the multi-plate clutch assembly 100 may also include a friction material
(not shown) disposed on a surface of at least one of the first clutch plate 106, the second clutch
plate 108, and the third clutch plate 110. In an embodiment, the friction material may be
10 disposed on the surface in form of at least one friction pad. In another embodiment, the friction
material may be disposed on the surface in form of a coating.
In an embodiment, the multi-plate clutch assembly 100 may be adapted to be disposed in a
four-wheeler vehicle by making minor modifications to the construction of the multi-plate clutch
15 assembly 100, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
The present disclosure offers the multi-plate clutch assembly 100 having the Aluminium
intermediate plate 102 instead of the steel intermediate plate as used in the existing multi-plate
clutch assemblies 100. Firstly, owing to light density of Aluminium material in comparison to
20 steel material, weight of Aluminium intermediate plate 102 and Aluminium friction material and
in turn, an overall weight of the multi-plate clutch assembly 100 is significantly reduced.
Therefore, convenience with regard to handling of the multi-plate clutch assembly 100, for
example, for installation and maintenance purposes, is ensured.
25 Further, the friction material used in the multi-plate clutch assembly 100 to accommodate
for the Aluminium intermediate plate 102 may be a paper-based material. In another
embodiment, the friction material may be a cork-based friction material, without departing from
the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, a coefficient of friction of either of the paperbased
material or the cork-based material is significantly improved as well. Also, considering
30 that die-casting is a relatively easier and simple process of manufacturing, manufacturing of the
multi-plate clutch assembly 100 is convenient.
8
Furthermore, when the multi-plate clutch assembly 100 of the present disclosure is
subjected to testing on a clutch test rig, minimal torque variation is observed. In other words,
minimal performance degradation is observed over repeated use of the multi-plate clutch
assembly 100. In fact, the performance of the multi-plate clutch assembly 100, for example, in
terms of torque output, doesn’t exhibit any variation over 5000 cycles of usage of the multi-5 i-plate
clutch assembly 100.
Figure 2 illustrates a graph 200 depicting a relationship between a torque output of the
multi-plate clutch assembly 100 and a number of usage cycles, according to an embodiment of
10 the present disclosure. As shown, dynamic torque (kg-m) and the number of usage cycles are
plotted along an Abscissa, i.e., X-axis, and an Ordinate, i.e., Y-axis of the graph 200,
respectively. As illustrated, the torque output of the multi-plate clutch assembly 100 of the
present disclosure may vary between 4.91 kg-m to 5.24 kg-m over 5000 usage cycles of
endurance testing. Therefore, effectively, a uniform output is received from the multi-plate
15 clutch assembly 100 resulting into an overall smooth operation as well.
Also, during testing, any degradation or fading of the friction material is not witnessed.
The reduction in degradation or fading of the friction material may be because of high heat
dissipation between the friction material and the Aluminium intermediate plate 102. Owing to
20 the aforementioned advantages, the multi-plate clutch assembly 100 of the present disclosure
offers high performance and durability. In addition, an overall cost of the multi-plate clutch
assembly 100 of the present disclosure is significantly less than the cost of existing multi-plate
clutch assemblies.
25 Further, although, the multi-plate clutch assembly 100 is explained with respect to
implementation in a vehicle, it is equally implementable in any application requiring power
transmission, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the multiplate
clutch assembly 100 of the present disclosure is light weight, easy to manufacture,
convenient to install, maintenance-friendly, cost-effective, efficient, durable, consistent in
30 performance, and flexible for wide range of applications.
While specific language has been used to describe the present subject matter, any
limitations arising on account thereto, are not intended. As would be apparent to a person in the
9
art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the
inventive concept as taught herein. The drawings and the foregoing description give examples of
embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements
may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be
split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another
embodiment.

We Claim:

1. A multi-plate clutch assembly (100) for a vehicle comprising:
a first clutch plate (106) adapted to be pressed against a flywheel;
a second clutch plate (108) adapted to be coupled with the first clutch 5 ch plate (106),
wherein the second clutch plate (108) is adapted to be pressed in a direction towards the
flywheel, by a pressure plate (104); and
an intermediate plate (102) disposed between the first clutch plate (106) and the
second clutch plate (108), wherein the intermediate plate (102) is formed of Aluminium.
10
2. The multi-plate clutch assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the Aluminium
intermediate plate (102) is formed by die-casting.
3. The multi-plate clutch assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a friction
15 material disposed on a surface of at least one of the first clutch plate (106) and the second
clutch plate (108).
4. The multi-plate clutch assembly (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the friction material
is disposed on the surface in form of at least one friction pad.
20
5. The multi-plate clutch assembly (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the friction material
is disposed on the surface in form of a coating.
6. The multi-plate clutch assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the multi-plate
25 clutch assembly (100) is adapted to be disposed in at least one of a two-wheeler vehicle
and a three-wheeler vehicle.
7. A multi-plate clutch assembly (100) for a vehicle comprising:
a first clutch plate (106) adapted to be pressed against a flywheel;
30 a second clutch plate (108) adapted to be coupled with the first clutch plate (106),
wherein the second clutch plate (108) is adapted to be pressed in a direction towards the
flywheel, by a pressure plate (104);
11
a friction material adapted to be disposed on a surface of at least one of the first
clutch plate (106) and the second clutch plate (108); and
an intermediate plate (102) disposed between the first clutch plate (106) and the
second clutch plate (108), wherein the intermediate plate (102) is formed of Aluminium.
5
8. The multi-plate clutch assembly (100) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the friction material
is disposed on the surface in form of at least one friction pad.
9. The multi-plate clutch assembly (100) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the friction material
is disposed on the surface in form of a coatin10 g.
10. The multi-plate clutch assembly (100) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the Aluminium
intermediate plate (102) is formed by die-casting.