Patent ID: 8453819

Claim:
A balanced clutch system, comprising: a shaft being rotatable and having a lubricating fluid passage and a clutch fluid supply passage; a clutch assembly provided concentrically around the shaft and including a clutch input accepting power into the clutch assembly, a clutch output conveying power out of the clutch assembly, and a clutch piston that is movable for (i) engaging the clutch assembly so as to translate rotation of the clutch input to rotation of the clutch output, (ii) disengaging the clutch assembly so as to isolate the clutch input from the clutch output, the clutch assembly further including: a clutch piston cavity provided within the clutch assembly and accepting fluid from the clutch fluid supply passage of the shaft; a balance piston cavity provided within the clutch assembly and accepting fluid from the lubricating fluid passage of the shaft; a balance piston spaced from the clutch piston, the balance and clutch pistons being on opposing sides of the balance piston cavity; and a pin that abuts the clutch piston and extends through the balance piston, the pin moving in unison with the clutch piston and applying an engaging force to a clutch pack of the clutch assembly when the clutch piston is biased toward the clutch pack, wherein during use of the balanced clutch system, fluid in the clutch piston cavity and balance piston cavity establish respective centrifugal head pressures that contribute to forces applied to opposing sides of the clutch piston such that when the clutch assembly is disengaged, the clutch piston remains in a substantially constant position during a variation in respective centrifugal head pressures.