Friction clutch and diaphragm spring therefor

A diaphragm spring having radially innermost and outermost edge faces and comprising an annular main section having an innermost and an outermost part;

• a plurality of prongs extending from said outermost part, said prongs including arms and said main section having slots inwardly adjacent to said arms;
• and reinforcing elements provided on at least some of said prongs, said reinforcing elements being integral with the respective prongs and extending into said main section across at least one of said parts.

A diaphragm spring having radially innermost and outermost edge faces and comprising an annular main section having an innermost and an outermost part;

• a first and a second group of prongs extending outwardly from said outermost part, discrete prongs of said first group alternating with pairs of prongs of said second group, as considered in the circumferential direction of said main section;
• and reinforcing elements provided on at least some of said prongs and extending into said main section across at least one of said parts but terminating short of at least one of said edge faces.

A diaphragm spring having radially innermost and outermost edge faces and comprising an annular main section having an innermost and an outermost part;

• a plurality of prongs extending from at least one of said parts, said prongs including arms extending from said outermost part;
• at least one additional prong between each pair of arms, as considered in the circumferential direction of said main section, each of said additional prongs having a free end portion and said arms merging into said main section radially inwardly of the free end portions of the neighboring additional prongs;
• and reinforcing elements provided on at least some of said prongs and extending into said main section across at least one of said parts but terminating short of at least one of said edge faces.

A diaphragm spring having radially innermost and outermost edge faces and comprising an annular main section having an innermost and an outermost part;

• a plurality of prongs extending from at least one of said parts, said prongs including at least one group of prongs extending outwardly from the outermost part of and merging into said main section, said main section constituting or forming part of a first hollow conical frustum and said group of prongs constituting or forming part of a second hollow conical frustum, the conicity of said conical frusta being different and at least one of said conical frusta being flexible with reference to the other of said conical frusta in the regions of merger of the prongs of said group into said main section;
• and reinforcing elements provided on at least some of said prongs and extending into said main section across at least one of said parts but terminating short of at least one of said edge faces.

A diaphragm spring having radially innermost and outermost edge faces and comprising an annular main section having an innermost and an outermost part;

• a plurality of prongs including arms extending outwardly from said outermost part, said main section having slots inwardly adjacent to said arms and connecting portions outwardly adjacent to said slots and integral with the respective arms, said connecting portions constituting torsion bars which allow for flexing of said arms with reference to said main section and/or vice versa;
• and reinforcing elements provided on at least some of said prongs and extending into said main section across at least one of said parts but terminating short of at least one of said edge faces.

A diaphragm spring having radially innermost and outermost edge faces and comprising an annular main section having an innermost and an outermost part;

• a plurality of prongs including arms extending outwardly from said outermost part and lugs extending outwardly from said outermost part and alternating with said arms, as considered in the circumferential direction of said main section, each of said arms being flanked by a pair of lugs and said main section having slots inwardly adjacent to said arms, said slots being disposed radially inwardly of and extending between the respective pairs of lugs, as considered in the circumferential direction of said main section;
• and reinforcing elements provided on at least some of said prongs and extending into said main section across at least one of said parts but terminating short of at least one of said edge faces.

A diaphragm spring having radially innermost and outermost edge faces and comprising an annular main section having an innermost and an outermost part;

• a plurality of prongs including arms extending outwardly from said outermost part and lugs extending outwardly from said outermost part and alternating with said arms, as considered in the circumferential direction of said main section, each of said arms being flanked by a pair of lugs and said main section having slots inwardly adjacent to said arms, said slots extending in the circumferential direction of said main section and extending beyond the respective arms, as considered in the circumferential direction of said main section, between the imaginary extensions of the respective pairs of lugs toward the axis of said main section;
• and reinforcing elements provided on at least some of said prongs and extending into said main section across at least one of said parts but terminating short of at least one of said edge faces.

A diaphragm spring having radially innermost and outermost edge faces and comprising an annular main section having an innermost and an outermost part;

• a plurality of prongs including an annulus of tongues extending inwardly from said innermost part and constituting with said main section at least a portion of a first hollow conical frustum, said prongs further including lugs and arms extending outwardly from said outermost part and said arms constituting or forming part of a second hollow conical frustum whose conicity exceeds that of said first conical frustum;
• and reinforcing elements provided on at least some of said prongs and extending into said main section across at least one of said parts but terminating short of at least one of said edge faces.

A diaphragm spring having radially innermost and outermost edge faces and comprising an annular main section having an innermost and an outermost part;

• a plurality of prongs including arms extending outwardly from said outermost part and having inner ends which are flexible relative to and integral with said main section, said arms including first and second portions which are respectively subject to greater and lesser bending stresses when the spring is installed in a friction clutch or the like, said first portion of each of said arms having a first moment of resistance and said second portion of each arm having a lesser second moment of resistance;
• and reinforcing elements provided on at least some of said prongs and extending into said main section across at least one of said parts but terminating short of at least one of said edge faces.

A diaphragm spring having first and second major surfaces and radially innermost and outermost edge faces and comprising an annular main section having an innermost and an outermost part;

• a plurality of prongs extending from said outermost part;
• and reinforcing elements provided on at least some of said prongs, said reinforcing elements being integral with the respective prongs and extending into said main section across at least one of said parts, said reinforcing elements including at least one first reinforcing element extending from one of said major surfaces and at least one second reinforcing element extending from the other of said major surfaces, said first reinforcing element merging into said second reinforcing element.

A diaphragm spring having radially innermost and outermost edge faces and comprising an annular main section having an innermost and an outermost part;

• a plurality of prongs extending from said outermost part;
• and reinforcing elements provided on at least some of said prongs, said reinforcing elements being integral with the respective prongs and extending into said main section across at least one of said parts, each of said reinforcing elements having a first end portion nearer to said outermost edge face and a second end portion nearer to said innermost edge face, said spring further having a hole at one end portion of at least one of said reinforcing elements.