Clutch is a mechanical device that provides for the transmission of power (and therefore usually motion) from one component (the driving member) to another (the driven member).
Clutch arranged between the engine and gearbox
A clutch is a releasable coupling connecting the adjacent ends of two coaxial
shafts. It is said to be engaged or, in, when the shafts are coupled, and
disengaged, or out, when they are released. Mechanical clutches fall into two
main categories: positive engagement and progressive engagement.
The former is either positively disengaged, so that no torque can be
transmitted from the driving to the driven shaft, or positively engaged, in
which case the shafts rotate together, connected by some mechanical devices
such as splines, keys or dogs. In contrast, the progressive type is gradually
engaged, so that the speed of the driving shaft falls while, simultaneously,
that of the driven shaft rises from its initial stationary state until both are
rotating at equal speeds.
Positive engagement clutches are unsuitable for connecting the engine to
the gearbox, though they are used inside gearboxes. In this chapter, however,
we are dealing with the interconnection between the engine and gearbox, so
descriptions of this type will be left until later.
For road vehicles, a progressive engagement clutch of the friction type is
interposed between the engine and the gearbox. As mentioned in Chapter 23,
it can be either in an entirely separate housing, with a short shaft in front
connecting it to the engine, and another behind to connect it to the gearbox.
Alternatively, it can be integral with either unit, or indeed with both. In the
latter case it is in either a single or a multi-piece housing, the pieces being
bolted together to form a single engine-and-transmission unit. The housing
for the clutch can be one of the pieces or, alternatively, it can be integral with
either the engine crankcase or the gearbox housing.
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