The main functions of automobile clutch

The clutch is an important part of the transmission system. The power generated by the engine must first be transmitted to the clutch, then transmitted to the gearbox to reduce speed and increase torque, and then transmitted to the wheels. It only matches the manual transmission. There is also a clutch inside the automatic transmission, but the structure is very different.

The clutch has the following main functions:

① Ensure the smooth start of the car. When the car starts, the driver slowly lifts the clutch pedal to engage the master and slave parts of the clutch gradually. When the driving force is sufficient to overcome the starting resistance of the car, the car gradually accelerates from a standstill to achieve a smooth start.

② Ensure smooth gear shifting of the transmission. During the driving process of the car, the transmission system needs to continuously change gears to adapt to the changing driving conditions. For ordinary gear transmissions, the gear pairs of different gears must exit or enter meshing when shifting gears. This requires pressing the clutch pedal before shifting gears to interrupt the power transmission of the engine so that the original gear pair exits meshing and the speed of the meshing part of the new gear pair gradually equalizes, so the impact is reduced when entering meshing, making the shifting work smooth.

③ Prevent the transmission system from overloading. When a car is in emergency braking, if there is no clutch, the engine will drop sharply due to its rigid connection with the transmission system, and all its moving parts will generate a large inertia torque, which will cause the transmission system to overload and damage its parts. With a clutch, when the load on the transmission system exceeds the maximum torque that the clutch can transmit, the clutch will eliminate this danger through relative movement (slip) between the master and slave parts, thereby achieving the purpose of overload protection.