Arizona republican., 1921-11-06

the disk type. Instead of using a number of small disks this type em- | ploys three large plates, of which | two are the driven plates and one is the driving plate, fixed on the fly wheel. The plates may be of metal [ or they may have a fabric facing. | Within the last year or two the plate | clutch has made considerable strides, | into popularity and there seems to ] be a bright future for this type.
 And now to examine in detail the | ailments to which the different types | of clutches are heir and suggest the ! remedies to be used for each. The | cone clutch consists primarily of the | cone. the shaft and the suitable | bearings. In addition there is a l spring, whose- function is to press the cone into engagement with the [ flywheel. In some cases instead of one main spring three. or even more small springs are used. and in this case they are mounted at right angles to the cone. In course of time the tension of the clutch spring is quite likely to suffer impairment | so that it has not strength enough to press the cone firmly home. In this case the result is slipping and the cure, adjustment of the spring. On almost all modern clutches an dQJuSlAlGill DAONlEtu IDI ing the tension of the spring; usu- ally the adjustment takes the form of a collar behind the spring, and it is simple matter to change the ten sion by this means. Wren no mean of adjustment is provided it is neces- Sary to fit a shim or even to renew the spring, but in any event the spring must be kept fit to perform lis function or much power will be wasted through slipping.
 The clutch shaft usually rests upon two bearings. generally of the ball type, one located in the center of the flywheel and the other placed to take up thrust that results when the clutch is released. Wear in these i bearings is a serious matter. Since on their proper action rests the func- tioning of the clutch any suggestion of wear should be at once taken up. In many cone clutches there is a tendency to grab" that is, to en- 1 gage jerlSily. instead of smoothly. as Is intended. Many makers fit a ser ies of springs either in the flywheel ' or under the leather facing of the cone, so that engagement takes place more gradually. In cases where l grabbing is habitual removing the ! leather fabric facing, soaking 1t over | night in heats foot oil and then run
 
 will often serve to soften the leather | and made gradual engagement pos sibge.
 On the other hand. when the fac l ing of the cone clutch becomes too ] heavily oil soaked it tends to slip, Kand the result is a heavy loss Of | power. The cure in this case is simply sprinkle light layer of Full i ier's earth over the surface and this serves to soak up the excess oil. In- cidentally when treating the fac ing of the clutch the flywheel sur face should also be cleaned off.
 fabrication of the clutch is one of the most important things to be remembered. The bearings at the ! throwout collar and the thrust bea- ing on the shaft must be given plen- | ty of proper fabrication. Generally | oil or grease cups are provided for this purpose and these must be fill cd or turned down at regular inter- yals-one neglect may cause serious trouble
 An the suggestions made for car ing for cone clutches apply equally to disk and plate clutches. except. of course those for caring for the leather facing. The springs must be kept up to the mark. the bearings must be regularly fabricated. In the case of disk clutches running in oil there will sometimes be trouble in finding just the right lubricant Too heavy an oil will cause spinning. If the oil clutch is permitted to run dry the plates may burn up. If the oil used is too thin it tends to produce grabbing. The owner will have to experiment with a mixture of oil and kerosene until he gets the rii,ht prc- portions. and even then he will find that in winter he will have to make the mixture thinner than in sum mer. Some of the oil disk clutches have cork in; erts Tn the disNs When these wear down SD that renewal is necessary this is q job for the serV- ice station, as the cork pieces must be pressed into place by means O. a special machine.
 In most disk clutches an adjust ment is provided for compensating for wear of the disks. By adjusting the spring more pressure is added. making up for wear in the plates. In the plate clutch simple set screw adjustment usually is used for this 1 purpose. In the dry disk type slip ping may usually be cured by flush ing the part out with kerosene to remove the deposits of oily matter and gum that are causing the trouble. However, a great deal of clutch trouble as relates to slipping. the commonest ill of all. is the fault of the driver, who keeps his foot pressing just slightly on the clutch pedal, but enough to cause slipping This tends to wear the facing of the l disks as the case may be so that the effects are cumulative. There
 fore. we may paraphrase the fam A1g.