Friction clutch unit

In a friction clutch assembly for selectively connecting a motor and a transmission by rotationally locking them to one another and disconnecting them from one another through a disengaging system acting upon parts of a clutch and against spring-biasing forces, the disengaging system including a guide member slidable along a guidance path located at the transmission side of the clutch assembly, disengaging means acting upon the guide member for sliding the same along the guidance path, antifriction bearing means having a bearing race connectible with the clutch at the motor side and a bearing race connected to the guide member at the transmission side, means for effecting the connection between the first-mentioned bearing race and parts of the clutch, at least part of the disengaging system being preassemblable, as a first sub-assembly, on the guidance path at the transmission side, the clutch being preassemblable as a second sub-assembly at the motor side, and a locking device including respective matching components lockable one with the other and carried by the first and second sub-assemblies, respectively, and means for effecting, during connection of the motor and the transmission, and at least in direction of disengagement, a force-locking connection between the preassembled first and second sub-assemblies, one of the matching components of the locking device comprising an annular detent formed in one of said first and second preassembled subassemblies and the other of the matching components of the locking device comprising at least one member having an annular configuration supportable by a conical section of the other of said first and second preassembled sub-assemblies and being spring-loadable in axial direction so as to project from the conical section toward said annular detent in radial direction, said member having said annular configuration being initially displaceable in radial as well as axial direction along said conical section until it is snappable into said annular detent so as to connect the bearing means to the clutch.