End disk of a multi-disk clutch, assembly, and method of manufacturing an assembly

Abstract

An end disk of a multi-disk clutch is described, which has a ring plate, the ring plate having a central opening and at least one axial impression on a front side via which a corresponding projection is formed on the opposite front side.

Claims

1. An end disk of a multi-disk clutch, comprising: a ring plate having a central opening and at least one axial impression on one front side, via which a corresponding projection is formed on the opposite front side, wherein the end disk has a multi-tooth profile on a radially inner peripheral edge or on a radially outer peripheral edge, wherein a plurality of radially spaced apart circumferential, annular impressions and associated projections run annularly around the central opening.

2. The end disk according to claim 1, wherein the impressions and the associated projections run centrically to central axis of the end disk.

3. The end disk according to claim 1, wherein the impressions are concentric with each other.

4. The end disk according to claim 1, wherein all of the projections define a plane outer surface arranged in a radial plane to a central axis of the end disk.

5. An assembly of a plurality of end disks of a multi-disk clutch, comprising: each end disk having a ring plate which has a central opening and at least one axial impression on one front side, via which a corresponding projection is formed on the opposite front side, wherein the plurality of end disks are made of sheet metal and each end disk has the same sheet metal wall thickness, wherein a respective axial extension of the projection is different when comparing the plurality of end disks with each other, and wherein the plurality of end disks has identical geometries except for the different axial extension of the projection and corresponding different axial depth of the impression.

6. A method of manufacturing an assembly of a plurality of end disks of a multi-disk clutch, each end disk having a ring plate which has a central opening and at least one axial impression on one front side, via which a corresponding projection is formed on the opposite front side, the plurality of end disks being made of sheet metal and each end disk has the same sheet metal wall thickness, a respective axial extension of the projections being different when comparing the plurality of end disks with each other, the method comprising: providing ring plates of sheet metal, which all have same sheet metal wall thickness and same external dimensions, and manufacturing the plurality of end disks with different axial disk thickness by producing impressions of different depths and thus projections which differ in their axial extent by means of a forming tool which penetrates the plurality of end disks at different depths.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1A shows a top view of a disk pack according to the prior art,

(2) FIG. 1B shows a cross-section of the disk pack according to the prior art,

(3) FIG. 2A shows a top view of a disk pack according to the invention,

(4) FIG. 2B shows a cross-section of the disk pack according to the invention,

(5) FIG. 3A shows a top view of a first embodiment of an end disk according to the invention,

(6) FIG. 3B shows a cross-section of the first embodiment of the end disk according to the invention,

(7) FIG. 4 shows a top view of a second embodiment of the end disk according to the invention,

(8) FIG. 5A shows a top view of a third embodiment of the end disk according to the invention, and

(9) FIG. 5B shows a cross-section of the third embodiment of the end disk according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(10) FIG. 1 shows a disk pack 10 according to the prior art. Here, the disk pack is shown in a compressed state.

(11) The disk pack 10 comprises a plurality of disks 12, 14, 16, 18, which are each configured as a ring plate and alternately have an internal toothing 20 or an external toothing 22. Disk carriers are omitted for simplification.

(12) The various ring plates are arranged axially, i.e. in a direction parallel to a central axis 11, one behind the other and each have an opening 13.

(13) The two outermost disks 12, 14 are referred to as end disks 12, 14 and have different toothings 20, 22.

(14) One of the two end disks 12, 14 can also be configured as a disk carrier base, in particular as a flat disk carrier base, so that the disk pack 10 only comprises one end disk 12, 14.

(15) The two end disks 12, 14 can be made of the same material, such as sheet metal, or of different materials.

(16) The internally toothed end disk 12 has a plurality of internally toothed intermediate disks 16, and the externally toothed end disk 14 has a plurality of externally toothed intermediate disks 18.

(17) The intermediate disks 16, 18 are provided between the end disks 12, 14 and can, for example, be configured as steel disks coated with friction material. Intermediate disks having an identical toothing 20, 22 are made of the same material. The disks 16 form a disk group just like the disks 18.

(18) The disks 16 of one disk group are radially offset by B.sub.1 with respect to the disks 18 of the other disk group.

(19) In the axial direction, the disks 16 of one disk group are each arranged between two disks 18 of the other disk group.

(20) In the embodiment considered here, only the end disk 14 is positioned directly adjacent to the next associated intermediate disk 18.

(21) The disk pack 10 must have a predetermined total thickness D.sub.LP. This total thickness D.sub.LP can vary from disk pack 10 to disk pack 10.

(22) To compensate for tolerances of the individual intermediate disks 16, 18 and to maintain the predetermined total thickness D.sub.LP, the end disks 12, 14 of usual disk packs 10, as in FIG. 1, are each ground to a specific disk thickness D.sub.EL.

(23) Alternatively, end disks 12, 14 having specific pre-fabricated disk thicknesses D.sub.EL are inserted into the disk pack 10.

(24) In order to reduce the manufacturing and storage costs of such end disks 12, 14, end disks 52, 54 according to FIG. 2 are inserted in a disk pack 50.

(25) Here too, one of the two end disks 52, 54 can be configured as a disk carrier base, in particular as a flat disk carrier base, so that the disk pack 50 only comprises one end disk 52, 54. However, the two end disks 12, 14 shown in FIG. 2 should show that the special end disk explained below can be an inner end disk or an outer end disk.

(26) FIG. 2 shows the disk pack 50 in a compressed state. The same reference numbers are used for the features known from FIG. 1, and in this respect, reference is made to the above explanations.

(27) In contrast to the disk pack 10 in FIG. 1, the end disks 52, 54 of the disk pack 50 each have impressions 56 on their outer side facing away from the intermediate disks 16, 18, which each form a projection 58 on the inner side facing towards the intermediate disks 16, 18.

(28) Only the circularly configured projections 58 each have a front-side contact surface 60 in contact with one of the intermediate disks 16, 18 in the compressed state of the disk packet 50.

(29) The impressions 56 and associated projections 58 can be worked into the end disk 52, 54 using a forming tool. These can have various shapes. Depending on the required disk thickness D.sub.EL or the total thickness D.sub.LP, end disks 52, 54 with a required axial depth T.sub.E of the impressions 56 and a corresponding axial extension E.sub.V of the projections 58 are used.

(30) In FIG. 1, the disk thickness D.sub.EL corresponds to the sheet metal wall thickness D.sub.B of the end disks 12, 14. In the embodiment according to FIG. 2, the disk thickness D.sub.EL corresponds to the sheet metal wall thickness D.sub.B plus the depth T.sub.E or axial extension E.sub.V of the impressions 56 or the projections 58, respectively.

(31) Various embodiments of end disks 52 having differently shaped impressions 56 and projections 58 are described below.

(32) FIG. 3 shows the first embodiment of the end disk 52 according to FIG. 2 in a top view and in cross-section. FIG. 3 b) shows the impression 56 and the associated projection 58 in detail.

(33) The circular impressions 56 and the associated circular projections 58 are inserted so as to be centered circumferentially in the end disk 52. This means that all impressions 56 and associated projections 58 have (essentially) the same distance from the central axis 11.

(34) The circumferential distance between respectively adjacent impressions 56 and projections 58 is identical in this embodiment.

(35) A second embodiment of the end disk 52 is shown in FIG. 4.

(36) In this embodiment, the impressions 56 and the associated projections 58 have an oval shape.

(37) The oval surfaces each have an oblique longitudinal central axis 62, which is oriented obliquely to a respective radially extending straight line 64 intersecting the longitudinal central axis 62.

(38) An angle α between the longitudinal central axis 62 and the straight line 64 defines an orientation of the oval impressions 56 and of the associated projections 58.

(39) The angle is between 0° and 90°, preferably between 30° and 45°.

(40) The cross-section of the second embodiment of the end disk 52 is similar to that of the first embodiment according to FIG. 3 b).

(41) FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the end disk 52.

(42) Here, the impressions 56 and the associated projections 58 run in a ring around the opening 13 of the end disk 52, in particular centrically to the central axis 11 of the end disk 52.

(43) More specifically, the third embodiment has two radially spaced apart circumferential, annular impressions 56 and associated projections 58, which run concentrically with each other.

(44) In all embodiments, the flat, front-side contact surfaces 60 of all projections 58 of an end disk 52, 54 define a flat outer surface P (e.g., FIGS. 2B, 3B, 5B), which are all located in a common radial plane to the central axis 11 of the end disk 52, 54.

(45) The radial plane is always perpendicular to the central axis.

(46) In a method of manufacturing the end disks 52, 54, sheet metal-like ring blanks are provided in a first step, which all have the same sheet metal wall thickness D.sub.B and the same external dimensions.

(47) Optionally, these ring plate blanks can already have the internal or external toothing 20 or 22.

(48) Alternatively, the internal or external toothing 20 or 22 can also be attached to the ring plate only in the following steps.

(49) In a further step, the impressions 56 and the associated projections 58 are worked into the ring plate blank by means of a forming tool, in particular always by means of the same forming tool.

(50) Here, different impressions 56 and associated projections 58 of a different depth T.sub.E or extension E.sub.V are produced in that the forming tool penetrates into the end disks 52, 54 at different depths. The end disk thickness D.sub.EL can thus be adjusted individually.

(51) By manufacturing end disks 52, 54 having impressions 56 and axially projecting projections 58 of different depths and from identical sheets, an assembly in the form of a modular system is created which allows to associate the end disk 52, 54 having the optimum thickness with a disk pack.