Patent ID: 7559141

Claim:
A method for damping torsional vibrations between first and second subassemblies rotating relative to one another, comprising the steps of: disposing a first thrust piston between the first and second subassemblies; and moving the thrust piston along a guide path between the first and second subassemblies due to the first and second subassemblies rotating at a relative angle of rotation, wherein the thrust piston moves along guide surfaces of the first and second subassembly such that at first, the thrust piston moves slower relative to the first subassembly and at an increasing relative angle of rotation between the first and second subassemblies, the thrust piston moves faster than the first subassembly to thereby frictionally engage and oppose a rotation between the first and second subassemblies, whereby a frictional engagement between the thrust piston and one of the first and second subassemblies increases with an increase in the relative angle of rotation between the first and second subassemblies.