How the Clutch Works

For manual transmission models, the clutch is an important component of the car's power system. It is responsible for disconnecting and connecting the power and the engine. When driving on urban roads or complex roads, the clutch has become one of the most frequently used components. The quality of the clutch directly reflects the level of driving and also protects the vehicle. How to use the clutch correctly and master the principle of the clutch to use the clutch to solve problems in special circumstances are what every driver of a manual transmission model should master.
The so-called clutch, as the name suggests, is to use "off" and "on" to transmit the right amount of power. The clutch consists of a friction plate, a spring plate, a pressure plate, and a power output shaft. It is located between the engine and the gearbox. It is used to transfer the torque stored on the engine flywheel to the gearbox to ensure that the vehicle transmits the right amount of driving force and torque to the drive wheel under different driving conditions. It belongs to the category of powertrain. When semi-clutched, the power input and power output ends of the clutch are allowed to have a speed difference, that is, the speed difference is used to achieve the transmission of the right amount of power.
The clutch is divided into three working states, namely, non-connected when the clutch is pressed, fully connected when the clutch is not pressed, and semi-connected when the clutch is partially pressed. When the vehicle starts, the driver presses the clutch, and the movement of the clutch pedal pulls the pressure plate backward, that is, the pressure plate is separated from the friction plate. At this time, the pressure plate and the flywheel are completely out of contact, and there is no relative friction. When the vehicle is driving 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 the output shaft maintain relative static friction, and the two have the same speed. The last one is the semi-connected state of the clutch, and the friction between the pressure plate and the friction plate is less than the full-connected state. At this time, there is a sliding friction state between the clutch pressure plate and the friction plate on the flywheel, the speed of the flywheel is greater than the speed of the output shaft, and part of the power transmitted from the flywheel is transmitted to the gearbox. In this state, the engine and the drive wheel are equivalent to a soft connection state.
Generally speaking, the clutch plays a role when the vehicle starts and shifts gears. At this time, there is a speed difference between the first and second shafts of the gearbox. The engine power must be cut off from the first shaft before the synchronizer can keep the speed of the first shaft synchronized with the second shaft. After the gear is engaged, the first shaft is combined with the engine power through the clutch to continue to transmit power. In the clutch, there is also an indispensable buffer device. It consists of two discs similar to flywheels facing each other, with rectangular grooves on the discs and springs arranged in the grooves. When encountering fierce impact, the springs between the two discs have elastic effects on each other, buffering external stimuli and effectively protecting the engine and clutch.
Among the various 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 that determine the performance of the clutch. The greater the stiffness of the spring, the higher the friction coefficient of the friction plate, the larger the diameter of the clutch, and the better the clutch performance.