Friction clutch or friction brake

A friction ring for use in fluid-lubricated clutches, brakes and synchronizing equipment, the friction ring comprising:

• a curved metal sheet substrate which is continuous without any joints and having an inner surface and an outer surface;
• and
• a layer of sprinkled, sintered, and thereafter compressed friction material bonded onto at least one surface of the substrate, the friction ring being formed by reshaping a flat metal sheet substrate having the sprinkled, sintered, and compressed friction material bonded thereto.

A synchronizing ring for use in clutches, brakes and synchronizing equipment having fluid-lubricated, curved surfaces, the synchronizing ring having a friction facing capable of exhibiting practically unchanging friction and wear behavior during use, the ring comprising a curved metal sheet substrate having an inner surface and an outer surface and, as the friction facing, a layer of a sprinkled, sintered, and thereafter compressed friction material bonded onto at least one surface of the metal sheet substrate, the friction material comprising a powdered mixture of a metallic friction material and a non-metallic inorganic friction material.

A synchronizing ring for use in a fluid-lubricated automotive friction clutch or friction brake, the friction clutch or friction brake having a first body having a control outer surface, the first body being rotatably mounted for rotation about a first axis, a second body having a conical inner surface, the second body being rotatably mounted for rotation about a second axis, the first and second axes being coincident, one of the first and second bodies further being mounted so that it can be reciprocally moved parallel to the axes, the synchronizing ring being disposed between the first and second bodies so that when the reciprocally mounted body is moved toward the outer body the synchronizing ring engages both bodies, wherein for the improvement the synchronizing ring comprises:

• a curved metallic element which is continuous without any joints and which has an inner and an outer face approximately parallel to each other;
• a layer of sprinkled, sintered, and subsequently compressed friction material bonded onto at least one face of the metallic element.