Impact of torsional vibrations on the strength of clutch dampers.

The clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission from the engine to the wheels. The damper mechanism integrated into the clutch disc is designed to attenuate the torsional vibrations from the engine. This study investigates the impact of torsional vibrations on the structural durability of a clutch disc damper of the intermediate and light commercial vehicle. The baseline clutch damper's springs experienced excessive deflection angles due to driveline resonance experienced in operation, resulting in the springs hitting the contact surface. This caused the springs to fail due to the high stresses created during operation. A 1D simulation model is utilized to predict the torsional vibration behavior of the vehicle. The driveline's 1D model is created using Amesim software, and the simulated results demonstrate a strong correlation with the actual torsional measurements taken at the vehicle level for the baseline clutch damper. A new clutch damper design with softer damper springs (0.25 times of baseline) and increased hysteresis (1.4 times of baseline) was implemented to mitigate these torsional vibrations. By decreasing the stiffness & enhancing the hysteresis of the damper springs, the operating band of the driveline resonance phenomenon was changed and the likelihood of damper spring angle exceeding the limiting angle was prevented. Modified design implemented on the vehicle and the vehicle has successfully travelled over 100,000 kilometers without encountering any instances of damper spring failures.