Monday, August 1, 2011

Main Clutch

This is the clutch complete with the throw out fork with its linkage to the clutch lever. This clutch follows the prototype designs toggle action but I have made the clutch plate with four lug to fit into four keyways in the flywheel . In full size the plate is driven by reinforced rubber straps. The full size flywheel is relatively narrow and light weight.The flywheel in the model will be 130 mm in diameter and 40 mm thick to maximise its inertia for the engine to run at 650 r.p.m.The wide flywheel is not visible under the sheet metal cover.
The assembled clutch.The internal drive spline is a commercial part shrunk into the body









The components of the clutch.
The main frame was machined from 100 mm en25 bar with a cermet tip tool . A very tedious job on a small lathe.This frame is threaded for the spider which allows for adjustment for wear of the clutch plate .Note the bronze bush which is the bearing for the clutch plate. The clutch plate was profiled from 3.2 mm gauge plate. The plate is faced with leather.To assemble the clutch the plate is fitted first, next the splined nut which is pinned to the frame ,then the drive plate( which has a matching spline) is placed
over the nut. The spider assembly is scewed on top, adjusted to give appropriate pressure and clamped.
This image shows the spider which was first threaded in the lathe so that it could be mounted on the frame for machining. It has four slots for the cams .In one of the slots there is slit to the thread. A bolt across this slit clamps the spider



This is one half of the actuating trunion.

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