Pressure plate for a vibration damper assembly having built in lash

A damper assembly for a torque converter having a rotary input and a rotary output;

• a rotary input member coupled to said rotary input and rotatable therewith about an axis of rotation;
• at least two symmetrically spaced drive pins attached to said rotary input member offset from said axis of rotation;
• a first annular pressure plate disposed adjacent to said rotary input member, said annular pressure plate having at least two arcuate slots, each arcuate slot receiving a respective one of said at least two drive pins, said at least two arcuate slots having a circumferential length greater than the diameter of said drive pins permitting a first predetermined angular displacement of said pressure plate relative to said rotary input member about said axis of rotation, said annular pressure plate further having a first layer of friction material having a low coefficient of friction on a side facing said rotary input member and a second layer of friction material having a high coefficient of friction disposed on the opposite side;
• a driven member attached to said rotary output, said driven plate disposed adjacent to said annular pressure plate on the side opposite said rotary input member;
• means for resiliently connecting said driven member to said rotary input member;
• and
• means for resiliently biasing said driven member in a direction towards said rotary input member causing said rotary input member to frictionally engage said first layer of friction material on said annular pressure plate and said driven member to frictionally engage said second layer of friction material.

A damper assembly for a torque converter having a rotary input and a rotary output comprising:

• a rotary input member coupled to said rotary input, said rotary input member having an axis of rotation;
• three drive pins attached to said rotary input member, said three drive pins symmetrically disposed about said axis of rotation;
• a retainer plate spaced from said rotary input member, said retainer plate attached to said rotary input member about its periphery;
• a driven member disposed intermediate said rotary input member and said retainer plate concentric with said axis of rotation, said driven member coupled to said rotary output;
• a first pressure plate disposed between said rotary input member and said driven member, said first pressure plate having three arcuate slots, a first layer of friction material disposed on one side engageable with said rotary input member and a second layer of friction material disposed on an opposite side engageable with said driven member, each of said three arcuate slots receiving a respective one of said drive pins and having a width selected to permit a predetermined angular rotation of said first pressure plate relative to said rotary input member;
• a second pressure plate disposed intermediate said driven member and said retainer plate, said second pressure plate having three arcuate slots, a first layer of friction material disposed on one side and a second layer of friction material disposed on the opposite side engageable with said driven member, each of said three arcuate slots receiving a respective one of said three drive pins and having a width selected to permit a second predetermined angular rotation of said second pressure plate relative to said rotary input member;
• a resilient member disposed between said second pressure plate and said retainer plate resiliently biasing said second layer of said first and second pressure plates into frictional engagement with said driven member and said first layer of friction material into frictional engagement with said rotary input member;
• and
• a plurality of springs resiliently connecting said driven member to said rotary input member.

A pressure plate for a vibration damper assembly comprising:

• a flat annular plate having at least three arcuate slots symmetrically disposed about an outer periphery, said arcuate slots having a circumferential width greater than the radial width;
• a first layer of friction material bonded on one side of said annular plate;
• and
• a second layer of friction material bonded on the side of said annular plate opposite said one side;
• wherein
• said first layer of friction material has a lower coefficient of friction than said second layer of friction material.