Friction plate and clutch assembly including the same

A clutch assembly comprising:

• a housing defining a clutch interior;
• a shaft disposed in said clutch interior and having a length and an axis extending along said length;
• and
• a friction plate disposed in said clutch interior, said friction plate comprising:
• a core plate defining a bore extending along an axis and adapted to receive and be rotatably coupled to the shaft, with said core plate comprising:
• an interior core surface defining said bore;
• an exterior core surface radially spaced from said interior core surface with respect to said axis such that said exterior core surface surrounds said interior core surface about said axis;
• a first clutch face extending between said interior core surface and said exterior core surface and facing a first direction along said axis;
• and
• a second clutch face extending between said interior core surface and said exterior core surface and facing a second direction opposite said first direction along said axis;
• and
• a friction material disposed on at least one of said first and second clutch faces;
• wherein said core plate is a solid unbent body and comprises a spline portion having a first thickness defined between said first and second clutch faces with respect to said axis, and a friction portion having a second thickness defined between said first and second clutch faces with respect to said axis, and wherein said first thickness is greater than said second thickness.

A method of making a core plate of a friction plate for use in a clutch assembly, said method comprising:

• blanking a coil stock material to form an inner diameter;
• coining the coil stock material until a desired thickness is reached;
• blanking the coil stock material to remove distortion from the inner diameter;
• and
• blanking the coil stock material to form an outer diameter.