Patent ID: 7543694

Claim:
A Hydrokinetic coupling apparatus ( 10 ), especially for a motor vehicle, comprising: a casing ( 12 ) including a rear shell ( 20 ) adapted to be coupled in rotation to a driving shaft (B), an impulse wheel ( 30 ), and a front shell ( 18 ); a turbine wheel ( 32 ) arranged for rotation with a turbine hub ( 40 ) adapted to be coupled in rotation to a driven shaft (A); a lock-up clutch ( 16 ) for coupling the driving shaft and the driven shaft together, the lock-up clutch ( 16 ) being operatively interposed between the turbine wheel ( 32 ) and the rear shell ( 20 ) and comprising a piston ( 48 ) movable axially for releasably coupling together the rear shell ( 20 ) and the driven shaft (A), and which includes a damping device ( 50 ), the damping device ( 50 ) comprising at least one guide ring ( 72 ) constituting the input element, a damper plate ( 74 ) constituting the output element, and circumferentially acting elastic members ( 76 ) interposed between the input element ( 72 ) and the output element ( 74 ) coupled together in rotation but with the ability to perform predetermined circumferential displacement, the turbine wheel ( 32 ), the turbine hub ( 40 ) and the damper plate ( 74 ) of the damping device ( 50 ) being non-rotatably coupled by means of rigid joints, the damper plate ( 74 ) comprising at its inner radial end a flange portion ( 86 ) axially extending toward the turbine wheel ( 32 ) and non-rotatably coupled, by friction welding, respectively: at the front, to the turbine wheel ( 32 ) by means of a first welded joint ( 88 ) formed between an annular front contact face ( 90 ) of the flange portion ( 86 ) and a rear weld face ( 92 ) in facing relationship with the inner radial periphery of the turbine wheel ( 32 ), and at the rear, to the turbine hub ( 40 ) through a rear second welded joint ( 96 ) formed between an annular rear contact face ( 98 ) of the flange portion ( 86 ) and a front weld face ( 100 ) in facing relationship with the outer radial periphery of the turbine hub ( 40 ); the first welded joint ( 88 ) between the annular front transverse contact face ( 90 ) of the flange portion ( 86 ) and the transverse rear weld face ( 92 ) of the turbine wheel ( 32 ) comprising an outer front weld band ( 102 ) and an inner front weld band ( 104 ), the flange portion ( 86 ) of the damper plate ( 74 ) extending axially over a predetermined length such as to permit access to the outer weld band ( 102 ) and inner weld band ( 104 ), respectively, of the first welded joint ( 88 ) for performing visual control and/or cleaning of the bands ( 102 , 104 ).