Radial freewheel clutches and pawls

Abstract

A freewheel clutch includes a race including circumferentially spaced notches, each including first and second flanks, and a pawl including a leg having relatively radial inner and outer surfaces, side surfaces extending between the radial inner and outer surfaces, a thickness between the radial inner and outer surfaces, and a width between the side surfaces greater than the thickness. The pawl also includes a knuckle at a forward portion of the leg and having a forward end surface engageable with one of the flanks of the notches of the race in a detent position of the pawl with respect to the race, and being configured in cooperation with the notches of the race to restrain the pawl from advancing into the detent position at rotational speeds exceeding a detent-blocking rotational speed of the race relative to the pawl.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.