Heavy-Duty, Long-Life, Dry Clutches

With respect to heavy-duty clutches, many design refinements have been made providing improved life and operating characteristics. A large part of the paper is devoted to a technical analysis of two-plate clutches from the viewpoint of torque capacity and energy absorption. Vehicle test data indicate that the amount of energy converted to heat by the clutch during a normal vehicle start is extremely low. Vehicle start ability is the major factor influencing clutch facing life.