Segment and laminated mechanical clutch race for permanently engaged starter one way clutch

A system for fabricating an race of a mechanical clutch assembly, wherein the race is formed from a plurality of first race layers alternated with a plurality of second race layers, the plurality of first race layers having a plurality of first layer arcuate segments connected by first layer interlocking joints and the plurality of second race layers having a plurality of second layer arcuate segments connected by second layer interlocking joints, the system comprising:

• a stamping station receiving a metal sheet and stamping the metal sheet to form a stamped sheet having alternating pluralities of first layer arcuate segments and second layer arcuate segments, wherein the plurality of first layer arcuate segments are identical to each other, the plurality of second layer arcuate segments are identical to each other, and the plurality of first layer arcuate segments are not identical to the plurality of second layer arcuate segments;
• a separator station for receiving the stamped sheet and sequentially separating the plurality of first layer arcuate segments and the plurality of second layer arcuate segments from the stamped sheet;
• and
• an indexing and accumulator station for receiving the plurality of first layer arcuate segments and the plurality of second layer arcuate segments from the separator station, assembling the plurality of first layer arcuate segments into the plurality of first race layers and the plurality of second layer arcuate segments into the plurality of second race layers, and alternately stacking the plurality of first race layers and the plurality of second race layers to form the race.

An race for a mechanical clutch assembly, comprising:

• two first race layers each comprising three first layer arcuate segments each defining an arc of approximately 120° and having a first layer segment first end and a first layer segment second end that are configured so that the first layer segment first end of one of the three first layer arcuate segments and the first layer segment second end of an adjacent one of the three first layer arcuate segments engage to form a first layer interlocking joint to hold the three first layer arcuate segments together;
• and
• two second race layers each comprising three second layer arcuate segments each defining an arc of approximately 120° and having a second layer segment first end and a second layer segment second end that are configured so that the second layer segment first end of one of the three second layer arcuate segments and the second layer segment second end of an adjacent one of the three second layer arcuate segments engage to form a second layout interlocking joint to hold the three second layer arcuate segments together,
• wherein the two first race layers are alternated with the two second race layers, wherein the two first race layers and the two second race layers have the same shape when the three first layer arcuate segments and the three second layer arcuate segments, respectively, are assembled, wherein the three first layer arcuate segments are identical to each other, the three second layer arcuate segments are identical to each other, and the three first layer arcuate segments are not identical to the three second layer arcuate segments so that the first layer interlocking joints are not aligned with the second layer interlocking joints when the two first race layers and the two second race layers are joined together and aligned for use in the mechanical clutch assembly.