Clutch, particularly for an automotive vehicle

A clutch, particularly for an automotive vehicle, of the kind generally comprising a first clutch part coupled with a first shaft for rotation therewith and a second clutch part coupled with a second shaft for rotation therewith, an annular friction disc or a plurality of annular friction discs spaced apart axially, said friction disc or discs being mounted around said first clutch part, said second clutch part comprising a pressure plate and a reaction plate for axially gripping said friction disc or discs between them, control means associated with said pressure plate and adapted to act upon said pressure plate to urge it towards the reaction plate, said clutch further comprising a cam mechanism adapted for variable expansion in response to variation in the transmitted torque, said cam mechanism comprising two parts defining a gap between them, spacing means coupling said parts of said cam mechanism to each other, said cam mechanism being coupled to one of said first and second shafts for rotation therewith, said clutch being further characterised by a cam mechanism housing disposed outside the space defined between said pressure plate and said reaction plate, means coupling said cam mechanism to one of said clutch parts for rotation therewith, and means mounting said cam mechanism housing to said fixed support means, said housing carring a detector for detecting longitudinally acting forces associated with said cam mechanism, and a monitoring unit to which said detector is connected, for monitoring control pressure exerted by said control means on said pressure plate.