How a clutch works

If you drive a manual transmission car, you may be surprised to find out that your car
has more than one clutch in it. And it turns out that folks with automatic transmission
cars have clutches, too.

The clutch is an essential part of manual transmission systems. The hidden parts
include a clutch plate, typically of 8" to 10" diameter, with friction material on both
faces and splined to the gearbox input shaft. The clutch diaphragm is bolted to the
engine flywheel; it is essentially a very strong spring which can clamp the clutch plate
to the engine flywheel and force it and thus the gearbox input shaft to rotate with the
engine. A clutch disengagement mechanism can release the diaphragm and allow the
clutch plate and the engine to rotate independently for the purpose of changing gear.

The clutch pedal is connected to the disengagement mechanism either by a cable or,
more commonly, by a hydraulic system. Either way, pushing the pedal down operates
the disengagement mechanism which puts pressure on the fingers of the clutch
diaphragm via a throwout bearing and causes the diaphragm to release the clutch
plate. With a hydraulic mechanism, the clutch pedal arm operates a piston in the
clutch master cylinder. This forces hydraulic fluid through a pipe to the clutch slave
cylinder where a another piston operates the clutch disengagement mechanism. The
alternative is to link the clutch pedal to the disengagement mechanism by a cable.

A clutch can last the life-time of the vehicle but it is vulnerable to misuse and to
misadjustment. Problems arise from various causes: oil can get onto the clutch plate
past leaking engine or gearbox oil-seals and make it slip. (Water has the same effect
which is why a four wheel drive should have a sealed clutch housing; this should have
a drain-hole which must be plugged when wading.) Excessive heat can cause the
diaphragm to loose its gripping power - possibly due to a driver "riding the clutch" to
excess (if you rub your hands together they get warm; imagine what 10's or 100's of
horsepower can do). The clutch throwout bearing is usually a sealed-for-life unit and
is only intended for intermittent loading. It can fail through "old age" but this is
greatly accelerated by a driver resting a foot on the clutch pedal and keeping it under
permanent, if light, load.

Hydraulic clutches
Hydraulic clutches are usually self adjusting: The friction material on the clutch plate
gradually wears down. The position where the disengagement mechanism begins to
take up therefore changes and the clutch mechanism must adjust to compensate.
Hydraulic mechanisms rely on the diaphragm to return the hydraulic fluid through the
master cylinder and into its reservoir as it pushes the disengagement mechanism and
the slave-cylinder piston back. The master cylinder contains a valve to allow this to
happen fully but the valve is open only when the clutch pedal is fully raised -
otherwise the disengagement mechanism would never operate. Resting a foot on the
clutch pedal full-time therefore prevents the clutch from self-adjusting, puts load on
the throwout bearing and can cause it to fail prematurely. Similar problems can occur
from resting a foot (long-term) on the pedal of a cable-operated clutch.

Hydraulic and cable-operated clutches are adjusted so there is a little essential "play"
(check the manual) before the pedal starts to operate the disengagement mechanism.
In a hydraulic clutch this ensures that it can self adjust. In a cable-operated clutch it
ensures that the throwout bearing is under no load unless actively changing gears;
manual adjustment may be necessary every few months as the clutch plate wears or
the cable stretches.

The fluid level in the reservoir of a hydraulically operated clutch should be checked
weekly and the fluid should be replaced annually because it is hygroscopic and water
causes corrosion. The slave and master cylinder seals can fail and it is a good idea to
carry spares (and hydraulic fluid) if travelling in remote locations. Racing drivers can
change gear without a clutch and you can too in an emergency to drive a vehicle
without using the clutch. The starter motor is powerful enough to start a vehicle in
first gear on the flat or even up a slight slope, although it is not recommended as
common practice! (Also useful if stuck with a dead engine on a railway crossing when
the express is due.) Running up to say 3000rpm in first gear, back off the throttle to
take all load off the transmission and put the gearbox into neutral. Get the engine to
about 2000rpm (assuming adjacent gears are in the ratio 3:2) and, with care, you
should be able to engage 2nd gear with no clutch. Other gear changes are managed
similarly. The engine must be turned off and the process repeated if you have to come
to a halt. There will probably be a good deal of gears "grating" but with care, "feel"
and lots of patience this can get you back to civilisation.

Manual Transmission clutch

The manual transmission clutch is a device used to connect and
disconnect engine power flow to the transmission at the will of the
driver. A driver operates the clutch with a clutch pedal inside the
vehicle. This pedal allows engine power flow to be gradually applied
when the vehicle is starting out from rest and interrupts power flow to
avoid gear clashing when shifting gears. Engagement of the clutch allows for power
transfer from the engine to the transmission and eventually to the drive wheels.
Disengagement of the clutch provides the necessary halt of power transfer that allows
the engine to continue running while no power is supplied to the drive wheels.
Engagement and disengagement of the clutch is controlled by a pedal and clutch
linkage that must be properly adjusted. The machined surfaces of the flywheel and
pressure plate must be flat and free of cracks and scores in order to adequately clamp
the clutch disc. Clutch slippage, vibration, and noise is minimized by the proper
alignment of engine and transmission/ transaxle and of the clutch components.
What Can Go Wrong With a Clutch?
The most common problem with clutches is that the friction material on the disc
wears out. The friction material on a clutch disc is very similar to the friction material
on the pads of a disc brake, or the shoes of a drum brake -- after a while it wears
away. When most or all of the friction material is gone, the clutch will start to slip,
and eventually it won't transmit any power from the engine to the wheels.

The clutch only wears while the clutch disc and the flywheel are spinning at different
speeds. When they are locked together, the friction material is held tightly against the
flywheel, and they spin in sync. It is only when the clutch disc is slipping against the
flywheel that wearing occurs. So if you are the type of driver who slips the clutch a
lot, you will wear out your clutch a lot faster.

Another problem sometimes associated with clutches is a worn throwout bearing. This
problem is often characterized by a rumbling noise whenever the clutch engages.

Faults and Possible Causes:

Clutch slip:
Oil on clutch plate, or water (e.g. from wading).
Worn clutch plate (replace).
Weak clutch diaphragm spring (replace).
Difficulty engaging gears:
Insufficient travel - adjust clutch.
Clutch fluid level low (check for leaks), or air in system (bleed).
Slave or master cylinder seals failed (replace and check cylinders too).
Clutch plate sticking on splines and dragging.
Clutch diaphragm dragging, e.g. broken finger.
Judder on releasing clutch:
Oil on clutch plate.
Warped clutch plate (replace).
Noise when clutch pedal lightly depressed:
Clutch throwout bearing failing (replace).
Noise when clutch pedal fully depressed:
Failed spigot bearing for gearbox input shaft in flywheel.
Don't: rest foot on clutch pedal while driving, slip or ride the clutch for long periods,
use old or contaminated hydraulic fluid.

Do: check clutch hydraulic fluid levels weekly, replace clutch fluid annually or more
often, fit wading plug to drain hole in clutch housing for water crossings and remove
afterwards.
Relevant spares for outback travel: clutch slave and master-cylinder seals or seal
"kits", suitable spanners to fit and to bleed system, bottle of fresh hydraulic fluid.

State-of-the –art Clutch system.

Twin – Plate Clutch : A twin-plate clutch comprises an annular intermediate plate

interposed between a fly wheel and a pressure plate, a first clutch disc interposed
between the intermediate plate and the fly wheel, and a second clutch disc interposed
between the intermediate plate and the pressure plate, wherein the first clutch disc is
provided with facings fixed to an outer circumferential portion of a disc plate thereof
under a condition of no cushioning function in an axial direction of the first clutch
disc, and the second clutch disc is provided with cushion springs fixed to an outer
circumferential portion of a disc plate thereof and facings fixed on both sides of the
cushion springs. With this arrangement, an amount of axial movement of the second
clutch disc of the twin-plate clutch is rendered small, thereby suppressing increase in
a pedal stroke and reducing wear between a clutch hub of the second clutch disc and
an input shaft. Further, it is possible to easily carry out semi-engagement operation of
the clutch owing to the provision of cushioning function in an axial direction of the
second clutch disc.

Equipped in: Volkswagens GTI, Audis and most recently Bugatti Veyron.

Twin- Clucth Sportronic Shift Transmission. ( TC-SST)

The TC-SST, for all its capability, uses a less complex structure than a conventional
torque converter automatic transmission. It is the advanced electronic and hydraulic
controls that allow the precision operation required to make the transmission suitable
for a road car. Essentially, the TC-SST is a manual transmission that can select two
gears at a time: one gear is engaged by one of the two wet multi-plate clutches, and
the other is pre-selected, awaiting to be engaged by the second wet multi-plate clutch.
The gear change is made ๛ either manually or automatically depending on mode
selected ๛ when the clutches are "swapped," which occurs simultaneously, with no
perceptible lag time. The two clutches are electro-hydraulically operated. Up shifts
and downshifts occur in just a fraction of a second, the longer interval necessary for
the engine control module to "blip" the throttle to match engine and transmission
speeds.
In principal, the TC-SST behaves like two three-speed manual transmissions
operating on the same output shaft. The odd-number gears and even-number gears are
on separate input shafts, and each shaft is connected to an individual clutch. The odd
and even gear shafts are linked via a transfer gear, which results in a shorter overall
transmission length. The transmission ECU, sensors and solenoids are all housed
within the transmission valve body.
The TC-SST is equipped with transmission oil cooler. As do many manual
transmissions, the TC-SST uses automatic transmission fluid (ATF).

Equipped in : Mitsubishi Evolution X ( 2008)

EGME 335 research on Clutch system

Jitphum Sirivechapun

“ State of the art Clutch system’’

DUAL-plate clutch
Most people know that cars come with two basic transmission types: manuals, which
require that the driver change gears by depressing a clutch pedal and using a stick
shift, and automatics, which do all of the shifting work for drivers using clutches, a
torque converter and sets of planetary gears. But there's also something in between
that offers the best of both worlds -- the dual-clutch transmission, also called the
semi-automatic transmission, the "clutchless" manual transmission and the automated
manual transmission.
In the world of racecars, semi-automatic transmissions, such as the sequential
manual gearbox (or SMG), have been a staple for years. But in the world of
production vehicles, it's a relatively new technology -- one that is being defined by a
very specific design known as the dual-clutch, or direct-shift, gearbox.
This article will explore how a dual-clutch transmission works, how it compares to
other types of transmissions and why some predict that it is the transmission of the
future.

Hands-On or Hands-Off
A dual-clutch transmission offers the function of two manual gearboxes in one. To
understand what this means, it's helpful to review how a conventional manual gearbox
works. When a driver wants to change from one gear to another in a standard stick-
shift car, he first presses down the clutch pedal. This operates a single clutch, which
disconnects the engine from the gearbox and interrupts power flow to the
transmission. Then the driver uses the stick shift to select a new gear, a process that
involves moving a toothed collar from one gear wheel to another gear wheel of a
different size. Devices called synchronizers match the gears before they are engaged
to prevent grinding. Once the new gear is engaged, the driver releases the clutch
pedal, which re-connects the engine to the gearbox and transmits power to the wheels.
So, in a conventional manual transmission, there is not a continuous flow of power
from the engine to the wheels. Instead, power delivery changes from on to off to on
during gearshift, causing a phenomenon known as "shift shock" or "torque interrupt."
For an unskilled driver, this can result in passengers being thrown forward and back
again as gears are changed.
A dual-clutch gearbox, by contrast, uses two clutches, but has no clutch pedal.
Sophisticated electronics and hydraulics control the clutches, just as they do in a
standard automatic transmission. In a DCT, however, the clutches operate
independently. One clutch controls the odd gears (first, third, fifth and reverse), while
the other controls the even gears (second, fourth and sixth). Using this arrangement,
gears can be changed without interrupting the power flow from the engine to the
transmission. Sequentially, it works like this:

Drivers can also choose a fully automatic mode that relinquishes all gear-changing
duties to the computer. In this mode, the driving experience is very similar to that
delivered by a conventional automatic. Because a DCT transmission can "phase out"
one gear and "phase in" a second gear, shift shock is reduced. More importantly, the
gear change takes place under load so that a permanent flow of power is maintained