A study of thermal behavior for automotive dry clutch disc component

Abstract

Clutch system is among the main systems inside a vehicle and comprise of flywheel, clutch disc/plate and friction material, pressure plate, clutch cover, diaphragm spring and the linkage necessary to operate the clutch. The clutch engages the transmission gradually by allowing certain slippage between the flywheel and the transmission input shaft. However, the slipping mechanism of the clutch generates heat energy due to friction between the clutch disc and the flywheel. At high sliding velocity, excessive frictional heat is generated which lead to high temperature rise at the clutch disc surface, and this causes thermo-mechanical problems such as thermal deformations which can lead to thermal cracking, coning effect and other mode of failure of the clutch disc component. In this project, the thermal behavior of a commercial automotive dry clutch disc is studied using Finite Element (FE) analysis. The thermal analysis was performed using ABAQUS/CAE finite element software in both steady state and transient condition to determine the temperature distribution on the disc surface. The results provide better understanding of the automotive clutch disc thermal characteristics and help to improve the current clutch disc design and performance.