Apparatus for reducing vehicle drive train vibrations

Apparatus for compensating for fluctuations of torque between the output member of an internal combustion engine and the input member of a change-speed transmission in a motor vehicle, comprising a plurality of coaxial flywheels including a first flywheel arranged to receive torque from the output member of the engine and a second flywheel arranged to transmit torque to the input member of the transmission, said flywheels being rotatable relative to each other;

• and a plurality of dampers disposed in series and operative to oppose rotation of said first and second flywheels relative to each other, said dampers including first and second slip clutches and an elastic damper, one of said slip clutches being operative to oppose all angular movements of said first and second flywheels relative to each other and including an input element having two confronting friction surfaces arranged to rotate with one of said flywheels and an output element disposed between and in frictional engagement with said surfaces, said elastic damper having an input element receiving torque from said output element, an output element arranged to transmit torque to the other of said slip clutches, and at least one energy storing resilient element between the input and output elements of said elastic damper;
• wherein the input element of said elastic damper is rigid with the output element of said one slip clutch;
• wherein said other slip clutch has an input element which is rigid with the output element of said elastic damper and an output element which is arranged to rotate with the other of said flywheels;
• wherein the output element of said one slip clutch comprises a disc-shaped flange having a radially outer portion between said friction surfaces and a radially inner portion constituting the input element of said elastic damper, the output element of said elastic damper including two coaxial discs having radially outer portions flanking the radially inner portion of said flange and radially inner portions constituting the input element of said other slip clutch.

Apparatus for compensating for fluctuations of torque between the output member of an internal combustion engine and the input member of a change-speed transmission in a motor vehicle, comprising a plurality of coaxial flywheels including a first flywheel arranged to receive torque from the output member of the engine and a second flywheel arranged to transmit torque to the input member of the transmission, said flywheels being rotatable relative to each other;

• and a plurality of dampers disposed in series and operative to oppose rotation of said first and second flywheels relative to each other, said dampers including first and second slip clutches and an elastic damper, one of said slip clutches being operative to oppose all angular movements of said first and second flywheels relative to each other and including an input element having two confronting friction surfaces arranged to rotate with one of said flywheels and an output element disposed between an in frictional engagement with said surfaces, said elastic damper having an input element receiving torque from said output element, an output element arranged to transmit torque to the other of said slip clutches, and at least one energy storing resilient element between the input and output elements of said elastic damper;
• wherein the input element of said elastic damper is rigid with the output element of said one slip clutch;
• wherein said other slip clutch has an input element which is rigid with the output element of said elastic damper and an output element which is arranged to rotate with the other of said flywheels;
• wherein the input element of said other slip clutch is rotatable relative to said other flywheel and said other flywheel comprises means for limiting the extent of rotary movement of the input element of said other slip clutch relative to said other flywheel;
• wherein said limiting means comprises a pair of spaced-apart surfaces provided on said other flywheel and a further projection provided on the input element of said other slip clutch between the projections of said pair of projections.

Apparatus for compensating for fluctuations of torque between the output member of an internal combustion engine and the input member of a change-speed transmission in a motor vehicle, comprising a plurality of coaxial flywheels including a first flywheel arranged to receive torque from the output member of the engine and a second flywheel arranged to transmit torque to the input member of the transmission, said flywheels being rotatable relative to each other;

• and a plurality of dampers disposed in series and operative to oppose rotation of said first and second flywheels relative to each other, said dampers including first and second slip clutches and an elastic damper, one of said slip clutches being operative to oppose all angular movements of said first and second flywheels relative to each other and including an input element having two confronting friction surfaces arranged to rotate with one of said flywheels and an output element disposed between and in frictional engagement with said surfaces, said elastic damper having an input element receiving torque from said output element, an output element arranged to transmit torque to the other of said slip clutches, and at least one energy storing resilient element between the input and output elements of said elastic damper;
• wherein the input element of said elastic damper is rigid with the output element of said one slip clutch;
• wherein said other slip clutch has an input element which is rigid with the output element of said elastic damper and an output element which is arranged to rotate with the other of said flywheels;
• wherein the output element of said other slip clutch comprises two confronting friction surfaces arranged to rotate with said other flywheel and the input element of said other slip clutch comprises at least one disc which is disposed between and is in frictional engagement with said surfaces;
• wherein the output element of said other slip clutch comprises two coaxial discs one of which is movable axially toward the other of said discs and means, particularly one or more fastening means for non-rotatably securing said discs to said other flywheel;
• wherein the input element of said other slip clutch has at least one recess receiving and securing means with freedom of limited angular movement of the input element of said other slip clutch relative to said other flywheel.