Flex plate and flywheel configuration

Abstract: A flywheel assembly 1 includes a flexible plate 3 and a flywheel 2. The flexible plate 3 has a rigidity in a rotation direction and flexibility in a bending direction, and is coupled at its radially inner portion to a crankshaft 100. An elastic plate body of the flexible plate 3 is provided at its inner periphery with a cylindrical support portion 16 projected away from the crankshaft 100. The flywheel 2 is fixed at its outer peripheral portion to an outer peripheral portion of the flexible plate 3. The flywheel 2 is provided at its inner periphery with a cylindrical portion 13 projected toward the flexible plate 3 and radially overlapping the cylindrical support portion 16.

Description: The present invention relates to a flywheel assembly, and in particular to a flywheel assembly having a flexible plate for damping a bending vibration transmitted from a crankshaft of an engine. Combustion energy from an engine is converted into a torque by the arrangement of a crankshaft in the engine in a manner well known in the art. The torque is transmitted to a flywheel, and is further transmitted to a transmission via a clutch. The combustion process within the engine is such that the energy transmitted to the crankshaft exerts a bending force on the crankshaft. Bending of the crankshaft causes a vibration of a flywheel attached to an end of the crankshaft. A counter-force thereof is transmitted to an engine block, and is further transmitted to a body of a vehicle via an engine mount to vibrate the body. This causes noises during acceleration of the vehicle. In order to reduce such noises during acceleration, it is necessary to reduce vibrations of the flywheel. For this purpose, flywheel assemblies have also been employed that are coupled to an end of a crankshaft via a flexible plate. The flexible plate has a high rigidity in the rotating direction (or circumferential direction) and a predetermined flexibility in the bending direction (or generally axial directions). In the conventional flywheel assembly described above, the flywheel body is carried by the crankshaft only via the flexible plate. Therefore, it may rotate in an imbalance state when the flywheel itself is inclined with respect to its rotation axis due to bending forces. A lower rigidity of the flexible plate can reduce the bending vibration more effectively. Particularly, it is possible to shift a resonance point from a practical operation region by reducing the rigidity of the flexible plate, and thereby noises during acceleration of the engine can be further reduced. However, the operation of a clutch usually requires a force to be exerted on the clutch assembly to disengage the clutch from transmitting torque. Typically, the disengaging force is applied in a direction that is ultimately exerted on the crankshaft of the engine. In other words, the disengaging force is generally axially oriented and is applied to a clutch -assembly. The force, or release load, is then transmitted to the flywheel and the flex plate and further transmitted to the crankshaft of the flywheel. Consequently, if the rigidity of the flex plate in the axial or bending direction were excessively low, the flywheel would axially move toward the crankshaft an excessive extent during the clutch release operation, which would reduce a disengaging efficiency of the clutch. DE 44 02 257 A1 describes a flywheel assembly for receiving a torque from a crankshaft. The flywheel assembly includes a flexible plate and the flywheel. The flexible plate has a rigidity in a rotation direction and flexibility in a bending direction, and is coupled to the crankshaft. Furthermore, the flywheel is fixed to the flexible plate. It is an object of the present invention to prevent inclination of a flywheel with respect to its rotational axis to reduce noises during acceleration. Another object of the present invention is to reduce noises during acceleration without reducing a disengaging efficiency of the clutch. According to the invention, the objects are solved by the combination of features of claim 1. The sub-claims contain further preferred embodiments of the invention. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a flywheel assembly receives a torque from a rotation member. The flywheel assembly includes a flexible plate and a flywheel. The flexible plate has a circular plate body having flexibility in a bending direction and coupled at its inner peripheral portion to the rotation member, and a cylindrical support portion projected from an inner periphery of the circular plate body away from the rotation member. The flywheel has a rotation plate having an outer peripheral portion fixed to an outer peripheral portion of the circular plate body, and a cylindrical portion projected from an inner periphery of the rotation plate toward the flexible plate and radially overlapping with the cylindrical support portion. A torque of the rotation member is transmitted to the flywheel via the flexible plate. When a bending. vibration is transmitted from the rotation member, the flexible plate elastically bends in the axial direction to absorb the bending vibration. Since the cylindrical support portion of the flexible plate and the cylindrical portion of the flywheel radially overlap each other, the flexible plate restricts radial motion and inclination of the flywheel. Consequently, the flywheel is suppressed from keeping the inclined state during rotation. Preferably, the cylindrical portion is arranged radially inside the cylindrical support portion. Preferably, the cylindrical portion and the cylindrical support portion are in contact with each other. This improves an accuracy of centering between the flywheel and the flexible plate. Preferably, the cylindrical portion and the cylindrical support portion are arranged to cause frictional sliding in accordance with a relative movement between the flexible plate and the flywheel. When the flywheel assembly receives, for example, a bending vibration, a frictional sliding occurs between the cylindrical portion and the cylindrical support portion, so that the bending vibration is rapidly damped. Preferably, the cylindrical support portion has a corrugated section formed by drawing. This increases a rigidity of the cylindrical support portion, which allows reduction in radial thickness of the cylindrical support portion. Preferably, the cylindrical support portion is provided at its inner peripheral surface with a contact surface in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion. This improves-an accuracy of centering between the flexible plate and the flywheel. Preferably, the flywheel assembly further includes a plurality of circumferentially arranged fixing members for fixing the inner peripheral portion of the circular plate body to the rotation member. Portions of the cylindrical support portion projected radially outward are disposed between the fixing members. According to this structure, the cylindrical support portion can be arranged closer to the fixing members, so that a space can be utilized effectively. Preferably, the rotation plate is provided at a side remote from the flexible plate with a friction surface to be pressed against a friction member of a clutch disk. The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, schematic cross section of a flywheel assembly in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, elevational view of the flywheel assembly depicted in Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow II in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, elevational view of the flywheel assembly depicted in Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow III in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, cross section of a portion of the flywheel assembly depicted in Fig. 1, shown on an enlarged scale; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, schematic cross section of a flywheel assembly in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary schematic cross section of a flywheel assembly in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 7 is a fragmentary, elevational view, similar to Fig. 2, showing the flywheel assembly depicted in Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a fragmentary, cross section of a portion of the flywheel assembly depicted in Fig. 6, shown on an enlarged scale; DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment Figs. 1 and 2 show a flywheel assembly 1 of a first embodiment of the invention. The flywheel assembly 1 is provided for transmitting a torque from a crankshaft 100 of an engine to a clutch apparatus (not shown). In Fig. 1, O-O represents a rotation axis of the flywheel assembly 1. The flywheel assembly 1 is attached to an end of the crankshaft 100, and is basically formed of a flexible plate 3 and a flywheel 2. The flexible plate 3 is made of a circular metal sheet. An inner peripheral portion of the flexible plate 3 is fixed to an end of the crankshaft 100 by bolts 5. An annular member 6 is interposed between heads of the bolts 5 and an inner peripheral portion of the flexible plate 3. An outer peripheral portion of the flexible plate 3 is fixed to an outer peripheral portion of the flywheel 2 by a plurality of bolts 4. The flexible plate 3 has a high rigidity in the rotation direction but is flexible and elastically deformable in the bending direction. The flexible plate 3 is provided at its inner periphery with a cylindrical support portion 16 extending away from the engine, i.e., toward the flywheel 2. Also, the flexible plate 3 is provided with a drawn portion 17 which is located radially outside the bolts 5 and projects toward the flywheel 2. The drawn portion 17 has an annular form. As shown in Fig. 4, the drawn portion 17 has a plurality of extruded portions 18 extending in the circumferential direction. The extruded portions 18 project toward the flywheel 2 and have cut tip ends. The flexible plate 3 is provided at its radially middle portion with eight circular holes 19 which are circumferentially equally spaced from each other, as shown in Fig. 3. Bending characteristics of the flexible plate 3 can be changed by changing the number, size, position, configuration and others of the circular holes 19. The flywheel 2 is made of a substantially circular cast member. The flywheel 2 is provided at its radially outer portion with a friction surface 11, which is opposed to the transmission and is to be pressed against a friction facing (not shown) of a clutch disk assembly of the clutch apparatus. The flywheel 2 is provided with air holes 12 which are located radially inside the friction surface 11 and axially extend through the flywheel 2. Each air hole 12 extends in the circumferential direction of the flywheel 2, and has a section diverging toward the engine. The air holes 12 are formed correspondingly to the circular holes 19 of the flexible plate 3, respectively. The flywheel 2 is further provided at a portion radially inside the air holes 12 with bolt head escape holes 14 for avoiding interference with heads of the bolts 5. The flywheel 2 is provided at its inner peripheral portion with a cylindrical portion 13 extending toward the engine. The cylindrical portion 13 is loosely fitted into the cylindrical support portion 16. Therefore, the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 13 is in contact with or slightly spaced from the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical support portion 16. This improves an accuracy of centering between these members. Although the cylindrical portion 13 has a spherical outer peripheral surface, it may have a cylindrical outer peripheral surface which is in contact with the cylindrical support portion 16 without a gap. Further, the flywheel 2 has an annular contact portion 15, which corresponds to the extruded portions 18 formed at the drawn portion 17, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. Air which flows through air holes 12 and circular holes 19 formed at the flywheel 2 and the flexible plate 3, respectively, cools the flywheel 2. Therefore, even when friction heat is generated at the friction surface 11, the likelihood of the flywheel 2 attaining a high temperature and overheating is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce abnormal wear of the friction facing and early deterioration of intended characteristics, that are typically caused by excessive heat concentrations in a flywheel. The operation of the flywheel assembly 1 will be described below. Damping of Bending Vibration The crankshaft 100 receives a bending vibration due to a combustion force of the engine. When this bending vibration is transmitted to the flexible plate 3, the flexible plate 3 bends in the bending direction to cause frictional sliding between the cylindrical support portion 16 and the cylindrical portion 13, so that the bending vibration is rapidly damped. When the flexible plate 3 bends only to a small extent, the flexible plate 3 entirely bends, so that it exhibits a low rigidity. Particularly, the flexible plate 3 is thin and has the circular holes 19, so that it has a low rigidity. When the flexible plate 3 bends to a large extent, the extruded portions 18 formed at the drawn portion 17 are partially brought into contact with the contact portion 15 of the flywheel 2. Thereafter, the flexible plate 3 bends around the contact portion 15, and exhibits a high rigidity. Owing to provision of the drawn portion 17, a portion of the flexible plate 3 which bends to the highest extent is shifted radially outward compared with a conventional structure, so that a stress is effectively dispersed radially outward compared with the conventional structure. This increases a life-time of the flexible plate 3. Bearing of Release Load When the release operation of the clutch apparatus (not shown) is performed; a release load acts on the flywheel 2. This moves the flywheel 2 toward the engine. Thereby, the contact portion 15 is brought into the extruded portions 18 formed at the drawn portion 17. Thereafter, the release load is transmitted from the flywheel 2 to the crankshaft 100 via the drawn portion 17. In this manner, axial movement of the flywheel 2 is significantly restricted, so that the disengaging efficiency of the clutch is improved. Further, the crankshaft can directly bear the release load, so that the flexible plate 3 can be thinner than that in the prior art. Consequently, the flexible plate 3 can have an improved function of damping the bending vibration. Other Effects Since the cylindrical support portion 16 of the flexible plate 3 restricts the radial movement of the rotating flywheel 2, deflective rotation which may be caused by imbalance can be suppressed. Consequently, a vibration due to the deflective rotation can be suppressed. Further, if a radially inner portion of the flexible plate 3 should be cut or broken in the vicinity of the bolts 5, the flywheel 2 will be supported by the cylindrical support portion 16, and thus will be prevented from radially disengaging the crankshaft 100. Since the cylindrical support portion 16 and the cylindrical portion 13 are friction fitted together such that they slide with respect to one another, the flywheel 2 has an improved accuracy of centering with respect to the flexible plate 3. According to the flywheel assembly of the invention, when a release load acts on the flywheel, the flywheel moves a predetermined distance, and then is brought into contact with the drawn portion of the flexible plate. Thereby, the flywheel is supported by the crankshaft via the projection of the flexible plate. Since the projection restricts the axial movement of the flywheel in this manner, reduction in disengaging efficiency of the clutch can be prevented. Since the flexible plate is provided at its circular plate body with the drawn portion, stress concentrations in the flexible plate are dispersed, so that portions of the flexible plate other than the drawn portion can have a reduced thickness while suppressing breakage thereof. According to the structure in which the circular plate body is provided at a portion radially outside the drawn portion with a plurality of holes, the portion radially outside the drawn portion can have a reduced rigidity. According to the structure in which the drawn portion projects toward the flywheel to ensure a gap between the drawn portion and the flywheel, the drawn portion restricts the axial movement of the flywheel, so that reduction in disengaging efficiency of the clutch can be prevented. According to the structure in which the flexible plate and the flywheel have the cylindrical support portion and the cylindrical portion radially overlapping each other, the flywheel is restricted from radially moving and inclining with respect to the flexible plate. Second Embodiment In the flywheel assembly 110 shown in Fig. 5, a drawn portion, such as the drawn portion 17 described in the first embodiment, is not formed at the flexible plate 30. Therefore, the flywheel 2 moves toward the engine and its inner peripheral portion is brought into contact with the end of the cylindrical support portion 16 of the flexible plate 30 when a release load acts on the flywheel 2. Thereafter, the release load is transmitted to the crankshaft 100 via the cylindrical support portion 16. Since the axial movement of the flywheel 2 is small as described above, the disengaging efficiency of the clutch is improved. Third Embodiment Figs. 6, 7 and 8 show a flywheel assembly 121 of a third embodiment of the present invention. The flywheel assembly 121 is provided for transmitting a torque from a crankshaft 100 of an engine to a transmission (not shown) via a clutch apparatus. In Fig. 6, O-O represents a rotation axis of the flywheel assembly 121. The flywheel assembly 121 is attached to an end of the crankshaft 100, and includes a flywheel 2 and a flexible plate 35. The flexible plate 35 is made of, for instance, sheet metal. An inner peripheral portion of the flexible plate 35 is fixed to the crankshaft 100 by a plurality of bolts 5. An outer peripheral portion of the flexible plate 35 is fixed to the flywheel 2 by bolts 4. The flexible plate 35 is provided at its inner periphery with a cylindrical support portion 16' extending toward the transmission. The cylindrical support portion 16' has a corrugated form or section formed by drawing, as can be seen in Fig. 7, and portions of the cylindrical support portion 16' extend radially outward between the bolts 5. Portions of the cylindrical support portion 16' extend radially inward and have contact surfaces formed by cutting or machining. The contact surfaces of the support portion 16' engage a cylindrical portion 13 formed on the flywheel 2, as is explained in greater detail below. The flexible plate 35 is provided at its radially middle portion with a plurality of circular holes 19 which are circumferentially equally spaced from each other. The rigidity in the bending direction of the flexible plate 35 can be adjusted by changing the number and size of the circular holes 19. The flexible plate 35 is provided at its outer periphery with an outer cylindrical portion 38 extending toward the engine. A ring gear 20 is welded to the outer periphery of the outer cylindrical portion 38. The flywheel 2 is made of a substantially circular cast member. The flywheel 2 is provided at its radially outer portion with a friction surface 11, which is opposed to the transmission and is to be pressed against a friction facing (not shown) of a clutch disk assembly. The flywheel 2 is provided with air holes 12 which are located radially inside the friction surface 11. Each air hole 12 extends in the circumferential direction of the flywheel 2, and has a section diverging toward the engine. The air holes 12 are formed correspondingly to the circular holes 19, respectively. The flywheel 2 is further provided at its inner peripheral portion with bolt head escape holes 14 for avoiding interference with heads of the bolts 5. The flywheel 2 is provided at its inner periphery with a cylindrical portion 13 extending toward the engine. The cylindrical portion 13 is loosely fitted into the inner contact surfaces of the cylindrical support portion 16'. Since the flywheel 2 and the flexible plate 35 is centered each other in this manner, an additional member for centering can be eliminated. A washer plate 8 is disposed between the inner peripheral portion of the flexible plate 35 and the inner peripheral portion of the flywheel 2. The washer plate 8 is in an annular form, and has an outer diameter larger than that of the end of the crankshaft 100. As shown, on an enlarged scale, in Fig. 8, a radially outer portion 8a of the washer plate 8 is bent at a predetermined angle toward the flywheel 2, and the outer peripheral portion of this radially outer portion is bent to form a flat surface 8b parallel to the side surface of the flywheel 2. The washer plate 8 is provided at its outer peripheral portion with a plurality of radial slits which are circumferentially equally spaced from each other. The flexible plate 35 is formed with a plurality of protrusions 37 which extend between the slits. Owing to the above structure, the washer plate 8 has a high rigidity in the clutch release operation direction (axial direction), and has a low rigidity in the bending direction. However, the radially outer portion 8a has the rigidity in the axial direction which is higher than that in the axial direction of the flexible plate 35. In the above structure, the washer plate 8 has an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the end of the crankshaft 100, whereby deformation of the flexible plate 35 is suppressed, and it is possible to disperse or distribute the maximum stress in the flexible plate 35, which may appear at its portion joined to the outer peripheral portion of the crankshaft 100. Since the washer plate 8 has the flat surface 8b at its radially outer end, the washer plate 8 is always brought into stable contact with the side surface of the flywheel 2 when a large bending vibration occurs. Therefore, it is possible to suppress change in magnitude of the contact friction over time. The flexible plate 35 and the flywheel 2 are arranged such that a gap D is formed between the cylindrical support portion 16' and the side surface of the flywheel 2. In the assembled state, the flat surface 8b of the washer plate 8 is not in contact with the side surface of the flywheel 2, and thus a gap d (see Fig. 8) is ensured. The gap d is smaller than the gap D. Air which flows through air holes 12 and circular holes 19 formed at the flywheel 2 and the flexible plate 35, respectively, cools the flywheel 2. Therefore, the flywheel 2 is suppressed from attaining a high temperature even when a friction heat is generated at the friction surface 11. Therefore, it is possible to suppress abnormal wear of the friction facing and early deterioration of intended characteristics, which may be caused by the heat. The operation of the flywheel assembly 121 will be described below. Damping of Bending Vibration When a bending vibration is transmitted form the crankshaft 100 of the engine to the flywheel assembly 121, the flexible plate 35 and the washer plate 8 bend in the bending direction to cause frictional sliding between the cylindrical support portion 16' and the cylindrical portion 13, so that the bending vibration is rapidly damped. Thereby, noises during acceleration are suppressed. Further, deviation rotation of the flywheel 2 in the inclined state is suppressed, so that local wearing of the unillustrated friction facing of the clutch disk assembly can be suppressed. When the flexible plate 35 is bent only to a small extent, it provides low-rigidity characteristics depending on the initial loads of the flexible plate 35 and the washer plate 8. Particularly, a reduced thickness of the flexible plate 35 and provision of the circular holes 19 further reduce the rigidity. When the flexible plate 35 is bent only to a small extent, it provides characteristics depending on the initial loads of the flexible plate 35 and the washer plate 8. When the flexible pIate 35 bends to a large extent, the flat surface 8b of the washer plate 8 is brought into contact with the side surface of the flywheel 2. Thereafter, the characteristics depend on the rigidity on the washer plate 8 in addition to the elastic characteristics of the flexible plate 35. Further, friction is caused by contact between the flat surface 8b of the washer plate 8 and the flywheel 2. This friction damps the bending vibration. When the flexible plate 35 further bends, the end of the cylindrical support portion 16' is brought into contact with the side surface of the flywheel 2. Owing to provision of the washer plate 8 and the cylindrical support portion 16', it is possible to prevent excessive movement of the flexible plate 35 which may be caused by the bending vibration due to combustion of the engine. Consequently, the stress does not increase excessively, and thus the flexible plate 35 can have a long life-time. Bearing of Release Load In the operation of releasing or disengaging the clutch, a release load acts on the flywheel 2. The flywheel 2 moves, e.g., toward the engine, and thereby axially deforms the flexible plate 35. The flywheel 2 is then brought into contact with the washer plate 8 and thereby deforms the flexible plate 35 and the washer plate 8. Ultimately, the flywheel 2 is brought into contact with the cylindrical support portion 16' of the flexible plate 35. In this state, the release load of the flywheel 2 acts on the crankshaft 100 via the cylindrical support portion 16'. By reducing the axial movement of the flywheel 2 in this manner, the disengaging efficiency of the clutch is improved. Therefore, the flexible plate 35 can be thinner than that in the prior art. Consequently, the flexible plate 35 can have an improved damping function. Other Effects Since the cylindrical support portion 16' is formed by drawing, it has a generally high rigidity. Therefore, its radial thickness can be smaller than that in the prior art. Consequently, the cylindrical support portion 16' can be arranged at a small gap between the cylindrical portion 13 and the bolts 5. Further, the portions of the cylindrical support portion 16' which are shifted radially outward are located circumferentially between the bolts 5, so that the cylindrical support portion 16' can have a large diameter, and can be located at the same side as the bolts 5. In this manner, the cylindrical support portion 16' can be arranged in an optimum manner at a small space between the bolts 5 and the cylindrical portion 13. According to the flywheel assembly of the invention, since the cylindrical support portion of the flexible plate radially overlaps the cylindrical portion of the flywheel, the flexible plate restricts radial movement and inclination of the flywheel. Consequently, rotation of the flywheel in an inclined state can be suppressed. According to the structure in which the cylindrical portion and the cylindrical support portion are in contact with each other, the accuracy of centering between the flywheel and the flexible plate can be improved. Since the cylindrical portion and the cylindrical support portion are arranged to cause frictional sliding therebetween in accordance with relative movement between the flexible plate and the flywheel, the cylindrical portion and the cylindrical support portion frictionally slide on each other when the flywheel assembly receives the bending vibration, so that the bending vibration can be rapidly damped. According to the structure in which the cylindrical support portion has the corrugated section formed by drawing, the cylindrical support portion has a higher rigidity, so that the radial thickness of the cylindrical support portion can be reduced. According to the structure in which the cylindrical support portion has the inner peripheral surface forming the contact surface in contact with the outer peripheral surface the cylindrical portion, the accuracy of centering between the flexible plate and the flywheel is improved. According to the structure in which the portions of the cylindrical support portion which are shifted radially outward are arranged between the fixing members, the cylindrical support portion can be arranged closer to the fixing members, so that the space can be utilized efficiently. The cylindrical support portion 16' restricts the radial movement and inclination of the flywheel 2. Therefore, deflective rotation of the flywheel 2 in the inclined state can be suppressed. Further, even when the flexible plate 35 is cut or broken, the flywheel 2 will be supported by the cylindrical support portion 16', and thus will be suppressed from radially disengaging. Since the cylindrical support portion 16' is formed by drawing, it has a high rigidity. Therefore, its radial thickness can be smaller than that in the prior art. Further, the portions of the cylindrical support portion which are shifted radially outward are arranged circumferentially between the bolts 5, so that the cylindrical support portion 16' having a large diameter can be arranged close to the bolts 5. In this manner, the cylindrical support portion 16' can be arranged a small axial gap between the cylindrical portion 13 and the bolts 5, and thus a space can be effectively utilized. According to the flywheel assembly of the invention, when a release load acts on the flywheel, the flywheel moves toward the engine. When the elastic member is compressed between the flexible plate and the flywheel, a high rigidity is exhibited. When the flywheel further moves axially, the flywheel is brought into contact with the projection of the flexible plate. Since the axial movement of the flywheel is restricted in this manner, the disengaging efficiency of the clutch is improved.

Claims: A flywheel assembly (1) for receiving a torque from a crankshaft (100), comprising: a flexible plate (3, 35) having a circular plate body having flexibility in a bending direction and coupled at an inner peripheral portion thereof to the crankshaft (100), and a cylindrical support portion (16) extending axially from an inner periphery of said circular plate body away from the crankshaft (100); and a flywheel (2) having a rotation plate having an outer peripheral portion fixed to an outer peripheral portion of said circular plate body, and a cylindrical portion (13) projected from an inner periphery of said rotation plate toward said flexible plate (3) and radially overlapping with said cylindrical support portion (16). The flywheel assembly according to claim 1, wherein said cylindrical portion (13) is arranged radially inside said cylindrical support portion (16). The flywheel assembly according to claim 1, wherein said cylindrical portion (13) and said cylindrical support portion (16) are in contact with each other. The flywheel assembly according to claim 1, wherein said cylindrical portion (13) and said cylindrical support portion (16) are arranged to cause frictional sliding in response to relative axial movement therebetween. The flywheel assembly according to claim 1, wherein said cylindrical support portion (16) has a corrugated section formed by drawing. The flywheel assembly according to claim 5, wherein said cylindrical support portion (16) is provided at its inner peripheral surface with a contact surface in contact with an outer peripheral surface of said cylindrical portion (13). The flywheel assembly according to claim 6, further comprising: a plurality of circumferentially arranged fixing members (5) for fixing said inner peripheral portion of said circular plate body to the crankshaft (100), wherein portions of said cylindrical support portion (16) extend radially outward and are disposed between said fixing members. The flywheel assembly according to claim 7, wherein said rotation plate is provided at a side remote from said flexible plate (3) with a friction surface (11) to be pressed against a friction member of a clutch disk. The flywheel assembly according to claim 1, wherein an axial end of said cylindrical support portion (16') of said flexible plate (35) and said cylindrical portion (13) are spaced apart from one another defining a predetermined gap (D) with the flywheel assembly (121) in a stress free state and said cylindrical support portion (16') of said flexible plate (35) and said cylindrical portion (13) are configured for limited relative axial displacement with respect to one another in response to forces acting on either one of said flexible plate (35) and said flywheel (121). The flywheel assembly as set forth in claim 9, wherein said flexible plate (35) is formed with an annular, axially extending protrusion (37), said protrusion (37) having a diameter greater than an end of the crankshaft (100), said protrusion (37) being formed radially inward from said outer peripheral portion of said plate body, and said flywheel (2) is formed with an annular contact portion adjacent to said protrusion (37) for contact therewith, said contact portion and said protrusion (37) having a second gap defined therebetween with the flywheel assembly (121) in a stress free state. The flywheel assembly as set forth in claim 9, wherein said flexible plate (35) is formed with a plurality of air holes (19) formed radially inward from said outer peripheral portion of said plate body and said flywheel (2) is formed with a plurality of air holes (12) generally corresponding to said air holes (19) in said flexible plate (35). The flywheel assembly as set forth in claim 9, further comprising an annular ring (6) having a diameter slightly larger than an outer diameter of the crankshaft (100), said annular ring (6) having a plurality of holes formed therein for receiving bolts (5) which extend therethrough and through apertures formed in said flexible plate (3) for connection to the crankshaft (100). The flywheel assembly as set forth in claim 9, further comprising a washer plate (8) having an outer diameter larger than an outer diameter of the crankshaft (100), said washer plate (8) having a plurality of holes formed therein for receiving bolts (5) which extend therethrough and through apertures formed in said flexible plate (35) for connection to the crankshaft (100), said washer plate (8) disposed between said flexible plate (35) and said flywheel (2), said washer plate (8) formed with an inclined portion (8a) which is inclined slightly toward said flywheel (2), said inclined portion (8a) and an adjacent portion of said flywheel (2) defining a washer plate gap with said flywheel (2) and said flexible plate (35) in a stress free state. The flywheel assembly as set forth in claim 13, wherein said predetermined gap (D) is slightly larger than said washer plate gap.

Inventors: FUKUSHIMA HIROTAKA, TAKENAKA MITSUHIKO, FUKUSHIMA, HIROTAKA, TAKENAKA, MITSUHIKO
Applicants: EXEDY CORP, EXEDY CORPORATION
Application year: 1997
Main classification: F16D13
IPC codes: F16D13, F16H41, F16F15, F16D3