Damper disc assembly having a friction mechanism with improved friction elements and spring members for vibration dampening, the spring members having improved spring seats

Abstract: A damper disc assembly comprising: a power input rotary member (5) formed with a first recess (5e) on an inner radial surface thereof; a power output rotary member (2) formed with a second recess (2d) on an outer radial surface thereof, said power output rotary member (2) disposed adjacent to said power input rotary member (5) for relative rotary displacement with respect thereto; an elastic member (6) disposed within both said first (5e) and second (2d) recesses; a seat body (33) formed with a first support portion (43) and a second support portion (44), said second support portion (44) having an axial thickness greater than an axial thickness of said first support portion (43); wherein a first of said seat body (33) is disposed at a first end of said elastic member (6) and a second of said seat body (33) is disposed at a second end of said elastic member (6) within said first (5e) and second (2d) recesses elastically coupling said power input rotary member (5) and said power output rotary member (2), and where said first support portion (43) of said first of said seat body (33) is in a radially outward position and said second support portion of said first seat body is in a radially inward position, and said second support portion (44) of said second of said seat body (33) is in a corresponding radially outward position and said first support portion of said second seat body is in a radially inward position, said first recess (5e) is angularly offset from said second recess (2d).

Description: The present invention refers to a damper disk assembly according to the preamble portion of claim 1. Such a damper disk assembly is pre-known from FR-A-2 624 236. This reference discloses a spring seat body having contacting surfaces both being of a generally V-shaped cross-section. The present invention relates to a damper disc assembly that employs both elastic members and friction members for dampening vibration. In particular the invention relates to an improved friction member and improved spring seats used with the elastic members. A clutch disc assembly for use in, for example, an automotive vehicle is typically provided with a disc-like power input plate, an power output hub formed with a radially extending flange, and coil springs disposed between the power input plate and the power output hub so as to limit the relative displacement between them. Alternatively, a separate hub/intermediate plate type damper disc assembly may also be provided. In this type of damper disc assembly, the conventional flange portion is separated from the hub portion and coil springs of low rigidity couple the separated flange and the hub portion. In the separate hub/intermediate plate type damper disc assembly, the coil springs for coupling the separated flange and the hub portion are disposed within a receptacle formed in the flange portion of the hub side and a receptacle formed in the separated flange. Spring seats are provided on opposite sides of the coil spring. The end surface on the outer circumferential side in the circumferential direction of the spring seat is in contact with the receptacle portion of the flange portion of the hub side and the receptacle portion of the separated flange, respectively. In the conventional spring seat used in the clutch disc assembly described above, the portion which the receptacles of the separated flange and the flange portion of the hub contact is made a slanting surface with V-shaped cross section. This slanting surface gradually lowers from the radially opposite sides to the inner circumferential side of the spring seat. In other words, the bottom of two of the slanting surfaces extends in the axial direction of the spring seat. The receptacle portion of the flange portion of the hub side and the receptacle portion of the separated flange extend towards the circumferential inner side and are in contact with each of two slanting surfaces, respectively. When assembling a damper disc, the spring seat is typically already attached to opposite ends of the coil spring. The operators in the assembling line position the spring seats and coil spring within the space defined by the receptacle of the flange portion of the hub and the receptacle of the separated flange. At this time, the spring seat must be properly oriented for installation so that the slanting surface with V-shaped cross section corresponds to each slanting portion of receptacles of the flange portions of the hub side and the separated flange. In other words, the orientation of the spring seats is critical during installation. For example, if the spring seat turned by 90 degrees with respect to the correct orientation, it can not be installed. For this reason, the operators need to be careful about the orientation of the spring seats during installation. The necessity of proper orientation is an opportunity for error and may contribute to operational inefficiencies during assembly. In other clutch disc assemblies a disc-like power input plate is provided along with a power output hub having a flange integral with its outer circumferential portion, and coil springs disposed between the power input plate and the flange so as to limit the relative displacement therebetween. The flange is provided with window holes formed by, for instance, die-cutting for receiving coil springs. The circumferentially opposite ends of the coil springs are in contact with the respective edge of the window hole. Support portions for supporting the circumferencially opposite ends of the coil spring is formed on the power input plate. With this configuration, when the power input plate are rotated, the torque is transmitted to the hub through the coil springs. Alternatively, a separate hub/intermediate plate type clutch disc assembly have also been provided. In this type of clutch disc assembly, the conventional flange portion is separated from the hub portion and is couple to it by mean of the coil springs. In this type of clutch disc assembly, a larger twist angular displacement can be produced, and further, two levels of the characteristics of torsion can be obtained. A pair of the spring seats is disposed on the opposite ends of the small coil spring. The flange portion and the hub portion are provided with gear teeth which are circumferentially spaced apart from each other and the gear teeth of the flange portion and the gear teeth of the hub engage together with each other. In the above described clutch disc assembly described above, the gear teeth of the hub portion are offset toward on the negative side (in the direction opposite to the rotational direction) by positioning off center between each of the gear teeth of the flange portion in a torsion free state. In other words, the amount of twist angular displacement of the hub portion with respect to the flange portion is larger on the positive side (in the rotational direction) and smaller on the negative side. Such a configuration, under certain conditions, causes unpleasant sounds. It is possible to reduce these sounds by altering the characteristics of twist angular displacement depending on the type/model of the automotive vehicles. Altering the characteristics of twist angular displacement can be carried out by modifying the configurations of the flange portion and the hub portion, however, the production costs associated with manufacturing modified parts is prohibitive. The above described clutch disc assembly also includes a hysteresis torque generating mechanism which includes friction elements which can be is pressing contact with the flange of hub and conical springs for pressing the friction elements against the flange. It is desirable that the friction elements of the hysteresis torque generating mechanism are not rotatable relative to either one of the power input plate or the flange for stabilizing the hysteresis torque. Further, in view of operation efficiency, it is desirable that the hysteresis torque generating mechanism is integrally attached to either one of the power input plate or the power output hub. The friction element with engaging portion engagable with the power input plate and prohibiting the relative rotation with respect to it has been provided. In this device, the friction element and conical spring are integrally mounted to the power input plate by means of the engaging portion. With this arrangement, the friction element always rotates relative to the power output hub during operation, so that the hysteresis torque generated is stabilized. Further, since the friction element and conical spring are integrally mounted to the power input plate, the devices are portable as one unit, thereby enhancing operation efficiency. The engaging portion of the friction element described above is elastic and its inter-fitting portion which axially extends is configured to be inter-fitted into the aperture formed on the power input plate. For this reason, the friction element of this type is normally formed by resin molding. However, since the friction element of resin generally has a low friction coefficient, the sufficient amount of the friction force can not be obtained and, especially, the shock upon speedup/slowdown can not be efficiently absorbed. Also, in the initial condition, since the friction elements do not uniformly contact the power input plate, the friction coefficient becomes unstable. As a result, the desirable amount of the hysteresis torque can not be obtained. It is an object of the present invention to provide a damper disk assembly which reduces the possibility of errors during assembly, which is easy to manufacture and fail safe and reliable in operation. According to the invention the object is solved by the combination of features of the main claim. The sub-claims disclose further advantageous developments of the invention. In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a damper disc assembly includes a power input rotary member formed with a first recess on an inner radial surface thereof and a power output rotary member formed with a second recess on an outer radial surface thereof, the power output rotary member disposed adjacent to the power input rotary member for relative rotary displacement with respect thereto. An elastic member is disposed within both the first and second recesses. A seat body is formed with a first support portion and a second support portion, the second support portion having an axial thickness greater than an axial thickness of the first support portion. A first seat body is disposed at first end of the elastic member and a second seat body is disposed at a second end of the elastic member within the first and second recesses elastically coupling the power input rotary member and the power output rotary member. Where the first support portion of the first seat body is in a radially outward position and the second support portion of the second seat body is in a corresponding radially outward position, the first recess is angularly offset from the second recess. Preferably, the elastic member is a coil spring. Preferably, the power input rotary member is further formed with a plurality of first protrusions which extend radially inwardly and the power output rotary member is formed with a plurality of second protrusions which extend radially outwardly such that the first and second protrusions extend between one another defining a predetermined gap therebetween in the circumferential direction. Fig. 1 is a side sectional view showing a clutch disc assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a part elevation, part cutaway view of the clutch disc assembly depicted in Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow VIII of Fig. 1, and Fig. 1 is a section view taken along the line VII-VII in Fig. 2; Fig. 3 is an end view of a hub shown removed from the clutch disc assembly depicted in Figs. 1 and 3, shown on a slightly enlarged scale; Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of the hub taken along the line X-X in Fib. 3; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of the clutch disc assembly showing the portion A in Fig. 1 on a slightly enlarged scale, with details of a friction mechanism of the clutch disc assembly; Fig. 6 is an elevational view of a first friction washer shown removed from the friction mechanism depicted in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view of the first friction washer taken along the line XIII-XIII in Fig. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 8 is an elevational view of a second friction washer shown removed from the friction mechanism depicted in Fig. 5 ; Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view of the second friction washer taken along the line XV-XV in Fig. 8, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 10 is a cross sectional view of the second friction washer taken along the line XVI-XVI in Fig. 8, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 11 is a fragmentary view of the hub and a sub-plate of the clutch disc assembly depicted in Figs. 1 and 2, showing the engagement between the hub and the sub-plate and coil springs disposed therebetween; A clutch disc assembly 1' according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in Fig. 1. The clutch disc assembly 1' is used to selectively transmit torque from an engine (not shown) located on the left side of Fig. 1 to a transmission (not shown) located on the right side of Fig. 1. In Fig. 1, line O-O designates a rotary axis of the clutch disc assembly 1'. Also, R1 in Fig. 2 and Fig. 11 indicates a rotational direction of the clutch disc assembly 1'. The clutch disc assembly 1' includes a hub 2' which serves as a power output element, a clutch disc 3 and a retaining plate 4 which serve as power input elements, a sub-plate 5 which serves as an intermediate element, small coil springs 6 disposed between the sub-plate 5 and the hub 2' so as to limit the relative displacement between them, large coil springs 7 disposed between the plates 3,4 and the sub-plate 5 so as to limit the relative displacement between them, and a friction resistance generating mechanism 8 to produce the predetermined amount of friction force upon the relative rotation between the plates 3 and 4 and the hub 2'. A hub 2' which is connectable to a shaft (not shown) of the transmission is disposed at the center of the clutch disc assembly 1'. The hub 2' includes a cylindrical boss 2a which axially extends and a flange portion 2b integral with the outer circumference of the boss 2a. A plurality of protrusions 2c are formed at regular intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer circumference of the flange portion 2b. As shown in Figs. 3 and 11, cutaways 2d for receiving the circumferentially opposite ends of the small coil spring 6, described below, are formed at two diametrically opposite positions in the flange portion 2b. Further, the spline hole 2f which is spline-engaged with the shaft (not shown) of the transmission is formed on the inner circumferential side of the boss 2a. A sub-plate 5 is disposed on the outer circumferencial side of the flange portion 2b of the hub 2'. The sub-plate 5 is a disc-shaped plate. The sub-plate 5, as is shown in Fig. 2, includes four extending portions 5a which radially outwardly extend. Each of the extending portions 5a is provided with a window hole 5b which extend in the circumferential direction. Outside cutaway 5c are provided between each of the extending portions 5a. Inwardly extending protrusions 5d are formed on the inner circumeferential side of the sub-plate 5 at the positions corresponding to the portions between each of the protrusions 2c of the hub 2'. A predetermined space is provided between the protrusion 2c and the inside protrusion 5d, as is shown in both Figs. 2 and 11. This allows the hub 2' and the sub-plate 5 to rotate relative to each other by a predetermined angle. As is shown in both Figs. 2. and 11, inside receptacles 5e are formed on the inner circumference of the sub-plate 5 at positions corresponding to the cutaways 2d of the hub 2'. Small springs 6 are disposed within the space defined by the cutaways 2d and the inside receptacles 5e. Seat members 40 are disposed on the opposite ends of the small spring 6. As shown in detail in Fig. 11, the seat member 40 includes a seat portion 41 of the disc-shaped and an inserted portion 42 extending from the seat portion 41 to the inside of the small coil spring 6. The seat portion 41 includes a first support portion 43 and a second support portion 44 which extends in the circumferential direction further than the first support portion 43 in the circumferential direction. In other words, the second support portion 44 is thicker than the first support portion 43 extending away from the spring 6. In the seat member 40 on the R1 side, the first support portion 43 is supported by the inside receptacle 5e and the second support portion 44 is supported by the cutaway 2d, while in the seat member 40 on the R2 side, the first support portion 43 is supported by the cutaway 2d and the second support portion 44 is supported by the inside receptacle 5e. As a result, the phase of the cutaway 2d is shifted on the R1 side with respect to that of the inside receptacle 5e, as is explained in greater detail below. Also, with the configuration shown in Fig. 11, the protrusion 2c of the hub 2' in a torsion free state is disposed at a central position between each adjacent inwardly extending protrusions 5d. Further, the hub 2' can rotate relative to the sub-plate 5 from a torsion free state by a displacement angle of 5 degrees in either the R1 direction or the R2 direction. It should be understood that the seat member 40 may include at least one slanting portion similar to the slanting portions 37 and 38 described above with respect to the first embodiment for retention of the seat member 40 within the receptacles 2d and 5e. The phase, as mentioned above, refers to two related aspects of the hub 2' and the sub-plate 5. Specifically, as is shown in Fig. 11, the inwardly extending protrusions 5d and the protrusions 2c are shaped such that the protrusions 2c fit uniformly within the gaps between adjacent extending protrusions 5d. In the embodiment, the protrusions 2c are centered between adjacent extending protrusions 5d. However, in the first embodiment the protrusions 2c are off-center between adjacent extending protrusions 5d. The shift from being centered in the embodiment to being off-center, is a phase shift. Further, the inside receptacle 5e and the cutaways 2d have generally the same circumferential length but, in the embodiment in Fig. 11, the inside receptacles 5e and the cutaways 2d are offset from one another due to the orientation of the seat members 40, described above. The orientation of the seat members 40 have caused a phase shift between the inside receptacle 5e and the cutaways 2d in the second embodiment without any change in the orientation or re-design of the inside receptacle 5e and the cutaways 2d or the inwardly extending protrusions 5d and the protrusions 2c. Because of the shape and orientation of the seat members 40, the inside receptacle 5e and the cutaways 2d are offset. Hereinafter, the orientation of the seat members 41 as shown in Fig. 11 will be referred to as out-of-phase, since the first support portion 43 and the second support portion 44 are not symmetrically installed in the inside receptacle 5e and the cutaway 2d. In an alternate condition (not shown but similar to that in the first embodiment) where the first support portion 43 and the second support portion 44 are symmetrically installed in the inside receptacle 5e and the cutaway 2d will hereinafter be referred to as in-phase. Hence the term out-of-phase refers to the condition where the inside receptacle 5e and the cutaway 2d are not circumferentially aligned in a torsion free state. The term in-phase refers to the condition where the inside receptacle 5e and the cutaway 2d are circumferentially aligned in a torsion free state. Therefore, the second embodiment, as shown in Fig. 11 is out-of-phase. It should be appreciated that, with respect to the orientation shown in Fig. 11, if only one of the seat members 41 is reversed (rotated 180°) the phase of the second embodiment will be shifted to an in-phase condition. If the embodiment is shifted to an in-phase condition, the protrusion 2c of the hub 2' will be shifted toward the R2 direction between each of the inwardly extending protrusions 5d of the sub-plate 5 in a torsion free state. In other words, the hub can rotate relative to the sub-plate 5 in a torsion free state by the angle of 7 degrees on the R1 side while the angle of 3 degrees on the R2 side. That is, the embodiment here effects the alteration of the characteristics of torsion of the conventional construction which includes the hub 2' and the sub-plate 5 which are connected to each other through the small coil spring 6 by modifying the configuration of the seat member 40. In this manner, modifying the configuration of the seat member 40 can be carried out easier and less costlier than that of the changing the cutaway portion in the hub or in the receptacle portion of the sub-plate. Further, each of the seat members 40 has the same configuration thereby reducing the manufacturing cost. The characteristics of the twist angular displacement to be set are not limited to this embodiment but can be varied. A clutch plate 3 and retaining plate 4 are disposed on opposite sides of the sub-plate 5. The plates 3 and 4 are substantially a pair of disc-like plates which are rotatably engaged with the outer periphery of boss 2a of the hub 2'. The plates 3 and 4 are fixed to each other at their outer peripheral portions by contact pins 11. Each contact pin 11 passes through an outside cutaway 5c of the sub-plate 5. A predetermined space is kept in the circumferential direction between the contact pin 11 and the outside cutaway 5c, so that the plates 3, 4 and the sub-plate 5 are rotatable relative to each other. A frictional surface portion 10 is disposed on the outer peripheral portion of the clutch disc 3. The frictional surface portion 10 includes an annular cushioning plates 12 and a plurality of frictional facings 13. An annular portion 12a of the cushioning plates 12 is fixed to the clutch plate 3 by the contact pin 11. A plurality of cushioning portions 12b are formed on the outer peripheral side of the cushioning plates 12. Frictional facings 13 are fixed on the opposite sides of the cushioning portion 12b. A flywheel (not shown) on the engine side is disposed on the left side of Fig. 1 with respect to the frictional facings 13. When the frictional facings 13 are in pressing contact with the flywheel by means of the pressure plate (not shown), the torque on the engine side is inputed to the clutch disc assembly 1'. The clutch plate 3 and the retaining plate 4 are provided with window holes 3a and 4a at the positions corresponding to the window holes 5b of the sub-plate 5, respectively. The large coil spring 7 is disposed within the space defined by the window holes 3a and 4a. Holding portions 3b and 4b raised axially outwardly on the radially opposite sides of respective window hole 3a and 4a. Total four large coil springs 7 are used in this clutch disc assembly 1', and each of them is disposed within each of the window holes 5b. A coil spring 58 of smaller diameter is disposed inside the large coil spring 7. The circumferential opposite ends of the coil springs 7 and 58 are in contact with the circumferential opposite ends of the respective window holes 5b, 3a and 4a. The radial movement and the axial movement of the large coil springs 7 described above are restricted by the holding portion 4b of the retaining plate 4 and the holding portion 3b of the clutch plate 3. Four apertures 3c and four apertures 4c which are engaged with a portion of the friction resistance generating mechanism 8 (described below) are formed so as to be circumferentially spaced apart from one another on the inner side of the clutch plate 3 and the retaining plate 4, respectively. The friction resistance generating mechanism 8 will now be described. The friction resistance generating mechanism 8 is composed of the annular members each of which is disposed between the inner circumferential portion of the clutch plate 3 and the inner circumferential portion of the retaining plate 4 in the axial direction and on the outer peripheral side of the boss 2a. The friction resistance generating mechanism 8 includes a first friction washer 14, a second friction washer 15, a first conical spring 16, a second conical spring 17 and a third friction washer 18. The first friction washer 14 is a disc-like member made of a resin material. The inner circumferential edge of the first friction washer 14, as shown in Fig. 5, is adjacent to the boss 2a. Also, one side surface of the first friction washer 14 is in contact with the flange portion 2b of the hub 2' and the side surfaces on the transmission side of the protrusion 2c. The first friction washer 14, as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, includes a disc portion 14a and an annular extending portion 14b which extends from the inner circumferential side of the disc portion 14a to the transmission side. The annular extending portion 14b is provided with an annular groove 14c on its transmission side. Four of radially outwardly extending projections 14d are formed on the outer periphery of the disc portion 14a. The first conical spring 16 is disposed between the first friction washer 14 and the retaining plate 4 in the axial direction, as is shown in Figs. 2 and 5. The outer circumferential end of the first conical spring 16 is supported by the retaining plate 4 and the inner circumferential end of the first conical spring 16 is in contact with the annular groove 14c formed on the annular extending portion 14b of the first friction washer 14. The first conical spring 16 is disposed in a compressed state and urges the first friction washer 14 toward the flange portion 2b and the protrusion 2c of the hub 2'. The conical spring 16 is provided with a plurality of cutaways on its outer circumference. These cutaways are provided for the purpose of restraining the variation of the urging force of the first conical spring 16 upon the deformation of the first conical spring due to the wear of the friction washer 14. The second friction washer 15, as is apparent from Figs. 8, 9 and 10, is a disc-like member, is generally disposed in the same plane as the first friction washer 14, as is shown in Fig. 5. The second friction washer 15 is concentric with the first friction washer 14 on the outer circumferential side of the first friction washer 14. The second friction washer 15 is composed of the same material and has generally the same friction coefficient as the first friction washer 14. The second friction washer 15 includes a disc portion 15a and an annular extending portion 15b which extends from the inner circumferential side of the disc portion 15a to the transmission side. The side surface on the engine side of the disc portion 15a is in contact with the inner circumferential end surface of the sub-plate 5. Four recesses 15e are equidistantly formed in the circumferential direction on the end surface on the transmission side of the annular extending portion 15b. The projection 14d of the first friction washer 14 is engaged with the recess 15e so as not to rotate relative to it in the circumferential direction but to be movable to it in axial directions. A predetermined space is provided between the projection 14d and the recess 15e. The annular extending portion 15b is provided with four projections which extends towards the transmission side between each of the recesses 15e. These projections include two snap projections 15c and two bar-shaped projections 15d. In this embodiment, the same kind of the projections are arranged so as to be facing to each other. The snap projection 15c is divided into two sections by an axially extending slit and is provided with a hook-shaped snap at its tip end. The snap projection 15c is engaged with the aperture 4c formed on the retaining plate 4. The second washer 15 is difficult to remove from the retaining plate 4 in the axial direction by means of the snap portion formed on the snap projection 15c. The bar-shaped projection 15d is engaged with another aperture 4c formed on the retaining plate 4. The second conical spring 17 is disposed between the second friction washer 15 and the retaining plate 4 in the axial direction. The second conical spring 17 is provided with a plurality of cutaways on its inner periphery, as can be seen in Fig. 5. These cutaways are provide to restrain the variation of the urging force of the second conical spring 17 upon the its deformation due to the wear of the second washer 15. The second conical spring 17 is disposed in a compressed state. The outer circumferential end of the second conical spring 17 is in contact with the retaining plate 4 and the inner circumferential end of the second conical spring 17 or the projection 17b is in contact with the side surface on the transmission side of the annular extending portion 15b of the second friction washer 15. With this arrangement, the second conical spring 17 urges the second friction washer 15 toward the side surface on the transmission side of the sub-plate 5. At this time, the urging force of the second conical spring 17 is set to be larger than that of the first conical spring 17. The cutaways 17a of the second conical spring 17 coincide with the snap projections 15c, the bar-shaped projections 15d and the recesses 15e so as not to interfere with one another. The third friction washer 18 is disposed between the inner circumferential portion of the clutch plate 3 and the flange portion 2b of the hub 2' and the inner circumferential end of the sub-plate 5, as is shown in Fig. 5. The third friction washer 18 is composed of generally the same material and has generally the same friction coefficient as the first friction washer 14 and the second friction washer 15. The side surface on the transmission side of the third friction washer 18 is in contact with the side surface of the flange portion 2b and the side surface of the inner circumferential end portion of the sub-plate 5. Also, the side surface on the engine side of the third friction washer 18 is in contact with the clutch plate 3. The outer circumferential portion of the third friction washer 18 is provided with snap projections 18a (see Fig. 1) which extend toward the engine side in the axial direction and are engaged with the apertures 3c formed on the clutch plate 3. The snap projections 18a are configured identical to the above mentioned snap projections 15c of the second friction washer 15. An annular extending portion 18b which axially extends toward the engine side is forced on the inner circumferential portion of the third friction washer 18. The outer circumferential portion of the annular extending portion 18b is in contact with the inner circumferential end of the clutch plate 3. The operation of the clutch disc assembly 1' will now be described. When the frictional facings 13 are pushed against the flywheel (not shown) on the engine side, the torque of the flywheel on the engine side is inputed to the clutch plate 3 and the retaining plate 4. This torque is transmitted to the hub 2' through the large coil springs 7, the coil springs 8, the sub-plate 5 and the small coil springs 6 and is further outputed to the shaft (not shown) on the transmission side. The torsional vibration is transmitted from the flywheel (not shown) on the engine side to the clutch disc assembly 1' causes the regularly relative rotation between the plates 3 and 4 and the hub 2'. Each of the coil springs 6, 7 and 8 are then compressed. The friction generated causes a hysteresis-like vibration dampening response which is defined by the relationship between the twist angular displacement and the torsional torque is generated in the friction resistance generating mechanism 8. When a small twist vibration is transmitted from the flywheel (not shown) on the engine side to the clutch disc assembly 1' producing a small angular displacement, the small coil spring 6 is compressed in the circumferential direction and the first friction washer 14 and the third friction washer 18 is slidably moved along the flange portion 2b and the projections 2c of the hub 2'. In this case, the twist vibration of the small angular displacement is effectively attenuated by the characteristics of the low rigidity/low hysteresis torque. When a relatively large twist vibration which produces a large angular displacement is transmitted to the clutch disc assembly 1', the small coil springs 6 are compressed and the sub-plate 5 and the hub 2' are rotated together, a relative rotation is generated between these components and the plates 3 and 4. At this time, the large coil springs 7 and the coil springs 8 are compressed and the first frictional washer 14 is slidably moved along the flange portion 2b of the hub 2', the second frictional washer 15 is slidably moved along the side surface on the inner circumferential side of the sub-plate 5, and the third frictional washer 18 is slidably moved along the side surface on the flywheel side of the flange portion 2b of the hub 2' and the side surface on the flywheel side of the inner circumferential side of the sub-plate 5. In this embodiment, the urging force of the second conical spring 17 is set to be larger than that of the first conical spring 16 thereby producing the larger friction force. Due to the above-described high rigidity/large friction characteristics, the twist vibration of large angular displacement may be effectively attenuated. With the above structure, since the proper friction characteristics can be obtained depending on the type of the twist vibration, the clutch disc assembly 1' can effectively attenuate the twist vibration. ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION In the spring seat according to the present invention, the phase of the power input rotary element can be made different from that of the power output rotary element in a torsion free state by shifting the first supported surface supported by the power input rotary element with respect to that of the second supported surface supported by the power output rotary element. This method for altering the phase of the power input rotary element and power output rotary element is carried out readily and inexpensively.

Claims: A damper disc assembly comprising: a power input rotary member (5) formed with a first recess (5e) on an inner radial surface thereof; a power output rotary member (2') formed with a second recess (2d) on an outer radial surface thereof, said power output rotary member (2') disposed adjacent to said power input rotary member (5) for relative rotary displacement with respect thereto; an elastic member (6) disposed within both said first (5e) and second (2d) recesses; at least two seat bodies (41) wherein a first of said seat bodies (41) is disposed at a first end of said elastic member (6) and a second of said seat bodies (41) is disposed at a second end of said elastic member (6) within said first (5e) and second (2d) recesses elastically coupling said power input rotary member (5) and said power output rotary member (2'); wherein said first recess (5e) is angularly offset from said second recess (2d), characterized in that said seat bodies (41) are formed with a first support portion (43) and a second support portion (44), said second support portion (44) having an axial thickness greater than an axial thickness of said first support portion (43); where said first support portion (43) of said first of said seat bodies (41) is in a radially outward position and said second support portion of said first s.eat body is in a radially inward position, and said second support portion (44) of said second of said seat bodies (41) is in a corresponding radially outward position and said first support portion of said second seat body is in a radially inward position. The damper disc assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that said elastic member (6) comprises a coil spring. The damper disc assembly according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that said power input rotary member (5) is further formed with a plurality of first protrusions (5d) which extend radially inwardly: said power output rotary member (2') is formed with a plurality of second protrusions (2e) which extend radially outwardly such that said first (5d) and second (2e) protrusions extend between one another defining a predetermined gap therebetween in the circumferential direction.

Inventors: IMANAKA HIDEYUKI, KITAMURA YOSHITAKA, NAGANO TAMIO, NAKANISHI SABURO, UEHARA HIROSHI, IMANAKA, HIDEYUKI, KITAMURA, YOSHITAKA, NAGANO, TAMIO, NAKANISHI, SABURO, UEHARA, HIROSHI
Applicants: EXEDY CORP, EXEDY CORPORATION
Application year: 1996
Main classification: F16F15
IPC codes: F16F15