How Does The Clutch Work in Vehicles?

Cars and Motorcycles are formed by the combination of many Mechanical principles. Knowing and understanding these will be a great support for your control over the vehicle. I will tell you about cars what the clutch is and what it is used for. At the end of the vehicles, you will learn the working logic of the clutch, its usage areas and what it is.

What is Clutch in Vehicles :

The clutch is a part that helps us transfer the power we produce in the engine to the wheels. The clutch between the engine and the transmission transfers the power from the engine to the transmission and from the transmission to the wheels. We control this transfer function with the clutch pedal, that is, we determine when the engine will give power to the wheels or when it should not give power with the clutch pedal.

How does the clutch work in vehicles ?

We have stated that the flywheel carries the power coming from the engine. The clutch is a set of discs connected to the flywheel. As seen in the images, there is a clutch disc between the flywheel and the pressure plate. The disc that provides friction is this clutch disc. Thanks to the pedal, we separate this clutch disc from the flywheel. The separation is the diaphragm spring. When we press the pedal, there is pressure on the middle part of the diaphragm spring. When pressure is applied to the middle part of the diaphragm spring, it is a spring that opens from its outer part. When it is opened from its outer part, the pressure plate does not apply force to the clutch disc and the power of the engine is not transferred to the transmission.

Why is a clutch needed in vehicles?

The power of the engine comes from a large gear called the flywheel, and this gear rotates continuously while the engine is running. It is necessary to provide a connection between this rotating part and the wheels that do not rotate or rotate at different speeds. During the first movement, the clutch transmits the movement of the engine to the wheels slowly and smoothly, allowing the vehicle to move smoothly. Since releasing the clutch pedal suddenly will cause this power to be transferred suddenly, either the engine power will not be enough or the vehicle will move jerkily or skidding. In cases where the vehicle is moving, it is necessary to interrupt the movement between the engine and the transmission in order to change gears so that the gears can be separated from each other easily.

Clutch use of vehicles on hills :

To lift vehicles on a hill or to move at very slow speeds, instead of releasing the clutch pedal completely, we hold it at the grip point of the vehicle. When the clutch reaches 75-80%, the engine sound starts to scream and asks you to give gas to move. This point means that the clutch disc does not fully hold on to the flywheel, does not fully transfer the movement of the flywheel, rotates with friction and allows the vehicle to stay in place on a hill or move a little on a flat road. However, since this movement is a constant friction, it causes premature wear of the clutch disc. Therefore, even if this situation occurs constantly, it should not be used.

Note :

Clutch is a system that separates the engine and transmission. It provides the driver with stopping the vehicle, shifting gears and acceleration control. This system uses friction force to transfer power.