US Patent: 814,132
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| Clutch mechanism
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Patentee:
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| Henry Selby Hele-Shaw (exact or similar names) - Liverpool, county Lancaster, England |
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Patent Dates:
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| Applied: |
Dec. 16, 1903 |
| Granted: |
Mar. 06, 1906 |
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Jeff Joslin
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Description: |
| This invention, granted to a professor of engineering at Liverpool University College, is the multi-plate clutch, as used in virtually all automotive clutches since leather-lined clutches were found to be inadequate. The Hele-Shaw design used a stack of plates that weren't flat but rather were V-shaped in cross-section, where each side of the V formed a conical frustrum when stacked. These plates were stamped from mild steel and were lubricated with oil. The working mechanism was not friction, but rather relied on the properties of viscous thin films, which was Professor Hele-Shaw's area of expertise. The number of plates was proportional to the engine's horsepower (a 1908 Grand Prix car had 64 plates in its clutch). Eventually asbestos-based clutch linings would be developed that permitted the return to simpler friction clutches. Another disadvantage of Hele-Shaw's clutch is that the viscous coupling tended to spin its output shaft even when the clutch was fully disengaged, which led to jerky starts from a standstill, especially when the old was cold and hence more viscous. |
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