US 4,378,865 AGranted

Rubber and viscous/rubber torsional dampers and method of making the same

AssigneeHoudaille Industries, Inc.

InventorRonald L. McLean

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Abstract

A rubber or rubber/viscous torsional damper assembly of the type having an annular inertia mass mounted for relative torsional damping movement on an annular body portion of a rotor disk has elastic rings fixedly secured to the rotor body portion and pressing against a substantial radial width of axially inwardly facing surface area within a chamber in the inertia mass under preload compression. Annular ribs on the rings fits in annular grooves at the radially inner sides of the surface areas and substantially restrain the elastic rings against radially inward extrusion flow displacement, so that the preload compression is maintained radially outwardly relative to the ribs. Additional grooves adjacent to the radially outer sides of the surface areas receive complementary ribs on the rubber rings for controlling against radially outward rubber displacement in the viscous/rubber damper assemblies.

Claims19

Dependent claims

In a torsional damper assembly including a rotor disk having a radially outer annular body portion and an annular inertia mass having an annular chamber with a radially inwardly directed annular opening through which said annular body portion is received into said chamber, and elastic ring means of substantial width having substantially planar radially extending surfaces at least one of which is fixedly secured to said body portion and another such surface pressing against a substantial radial width of axially inwardly facing surface area within said chamber of the inertia mass under preload compression between said surface area and said body portion, the improvement comprising:

and annular groove of minor width in the radially inner side portion of said surface area and close to said annular opening;
an abrupt substantially right-angular radially outwardly facing annular shoulder at the radially inner side of said groove;
an annular rib protruding from said another radially extending surface of said elastic ring means of minor radial extent relative to the radial extent of said ring means adjacent to the radially inner diameter of said elastic ring means and complementary to and fitting in said groove and having a substantially right-angular radially inwardly facing shoulder engaging said groove shoulder;
said shoulders cooperating for restraining said elastic ring means against radially inward extrusion flow displacement toward said opening, so that said preload compression is maintained radially outwardly relative to said rib.

1 more element

A method of making a torsional damper assembly including a rotor disk having a radially outer annular body portion and an annular inertia mass having a radially inwardly opening annular chamber in which said annular body portion is received, comprising:

providing said rotor disk and said inertia mass as separate parts wherein said inertia mass has a substantial radial width of surface area facing toward said annular body portion;
providing an annular concentric groove of minor width in the radially inner portion of said surface area close to the opening from said chamber;
forming an abrupt substantially right angular radially outwardly facing annular shoulder at the radially inner side of said groove;
securing to said body portion annular elastic ring means of substantially the same width as, and engaging said surface area and having substantially planar radially extending surfaces;
providing an annular rib of minor radial extent relative to the elastic ring means' radial extent on one of said elastic ring means' radially extending surfaces adjacent to its radially inner diameter and complementary to and adapted to fit in said groove and forming a substantially right angular radially inwardly facing shoulder on said rib complementary to said groove shoulder;
assembling said annular body portion and said annular inertia mass by engaging said elastic ring means against said surface area and receiving said annular rib in said annular groove and squeezing said elastic ring means between said body portion and said surface area and thereby placing said elastic ring means under preload compression;
and by the coaction of said rib shoulder and said groove shoulder restraining said elastic ring means against radially inward flow displacement extrusion and thereby maintaining said preload compression.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.