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US 6,668,891 B2Granted
Unitary, circumferentially edge wound friction material clutch plate, and method of making same
AssigneeBorgWarner Inc.
InventorDean A. Collis
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A friction material has a plurality of connected sections defined by a plurality of notches therebetween. Each notch has an apex which compensates for tear and compression of the friction material when the friction material is circumferentially placed on a flat surface of an annular core plate. In certain embodiments, a multiple linked loading device places the notched friction material adjacent a core plate to form a clutch plate.
Claims23
An apparatus for making a notched friction material comprising:
- a stamping die for producing at least one first predetermined length of friction material;
- a multiple link loading device comprising a plurality of links, each link having at least one vacuum port through which a vacuum is formed when the multiple linked loading device is adjacent the first predetermined length of the friction material;
- an encircling apparatus operatively connected to the multiple link loading device for moving the links into a circular shape;
- and
- at least one translation device operatively connected to the multiple link loading device for moving the encircling apparatus in a direction toward a bonding nest and for placing the length of friction material adjacent the bonding nest;
- the bonding nest being positioned for receiving the first length of friction material, the vacuum ports in the multiple link loading device being capable of reversing the vacuum pressure such that the first length of friction material is deposited in a circular shape in the bonding nest.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.