DESIGN AND STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF SINGLE

PLATE FRICTION CLUTCH

Batch : A7
Project Guide : Vinay P

Ashutosh 1PE17ME029
Bopaiah M M 1PE17ME036
Jhenkar R 1PE17ME052
Harish Kumar G R 1PE18ME404
ABSTRACT
There are different materials which are being used for designing of single plate friction clutch. In
our project we are going to do an analysis of a single plate clutch of a TATA Vehicle with
different materials and predicting better materials for it. Different materials which are being used
for analysis are Steel, Stainless steel, Ceramics, Kevlar, Aluminium alloy and Grey Cast Iron.
Initially analysis will be done using conventional formula of clutch where Torque, Inner Radius
and Outer Radius are taken as input parameters and Axial force, Pressure and Heat flux will be
taken as output parameters. Similarly a comparison with a triangular clutch will be done using
formulae using uniform wear theory criterion.
A Python Code will be developed for numerical calculations where conventional results can be
compared with the coded results. After programming Modelling of clutch will be done in
SolidWorks. The solid 3D model will be imported to ANSYS Workbench for structural and
thermal analysis.
From Ansys Software, We will get Total Deformation, Von-Misses equivalent stress , Von-Misses
equivalent strain and Total Heat Flux, from where comparison between different materials will be
made.
A Mathematical Model for thermal analysis will be made taking the help of 3D Heat Conduction
Equation in Cylindrical coordinate and Heat Convection Equation. A graph showing Variation of
the maximum surface temperature during the sliding period will be recorded for both Uniform
Pressure and Uniform Wear theory.
We will also design a new Triangular Clutch with the help of theories of circular clutch and will
find out different parameters of triangular clutch.
1.INTRODUCTION
❖ A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission specially from the
driver shaft to driven shaft.
❖ In a vehicle, the clutch is always in the engaged position. It is engaged and disengaged by operating
the clutch pedal.
❖ In automobiles, gear box is used to change the speed and torque of the vehicle. If we change a gear,
when the gears are in running position then it can cause wear and tear of gears . To overcome this
limitation a clutch is used between gearbox and engine.
❖ In a clutch assembly it consist of several component parts including flywheel, clutch, disc, pressure
plate etc. In basic clutch assembly ,the clutch disc and pressure plate direct the power from the power
source to the driven shaft by pressing tightly against the flywheel.
Fig 1.1:Clutch plate assembly
 SINGLE PLATE FRICTION CLUTCH
❖ Friction clutches are most widely used clutches , In which the drive is transmitted by the friction
between surfaces attached to the driving and driven shafts.
❖ The main parts of the single plate clutch is discussed below, it consists of only one clutch plate,
mounted on the splines of the clutch shaft. The flywheel is mounted on the crankshaft, and rotates with
it. It has clutch springs which are used to fix the pressure plates, these plates can be freely rotated and
also can move axially along with clutch shaft by pressing the clutch pedal. The end of the clutch shaft
rests and rotates in the pilot bearing. The splined portion of the clutch shaft carries the clutch plate
whose details are shown in the figure 1.3.
❖ The clutch plate consists of two sets of facings of friction material mounted on steel cushion springs.
The facings and the waved cushion springs are riveted to a spring base disc and spring retainer plate.
The waves of the cushion springs compress slightly as the clutch engages and thus provide some
cushioning effect. The base disc and the spring retainer plate are slotted for inserting the torsion springs.
These torsion springs contact the hub flange that fits between the spring retainer plate and the disc.
 Fig 1.2: Single plate/disc clutch Fig.1.3:Single plate friction clutch

❖ The working principle of this device is the pressure plates are not rigidly connected
to the hub but left free to slide(by connecting it to springs) on the clutch shaft when
clutch padel is operated. The spring action reduces vibrations and absorb shocks
 2.LITERATURE REVIEW
• This section of the report address the research work conducted In the field of single plate friction clutch,
that includes the various parameters responsible for the clutch performance.
• Some research papers on different Lining materials used for clutch, stress analysis of different materials
and the Mathematical modeling on single plate friction clutch are discussed .

Mr. Vishal J. Deshbhratar , Mr. Nagnath U. Kakde (IJERT) 2013 [1]

In this study, an efficient and reliable analysis technique for the design of the mechanical clutches by using
computer modeling and numerical method is developed. This work contains stress analysis of single plate
clutch of the automobile. In this work the efficient and reliable design of mechanical clutch is found out
by varying the forces.

Jignesh J.Patel (sjif) 2015 [3]

This paper is related with the different lining materials of clutch plate.As per the market survey asbestos is
used as the friction clutch lining material, which has some problems like high heat generation and low co-
efficient of friction. So, somedifferent materials like sintered metal and cast iron is experimented and with
the results achieved , the best material is considered for the design of clutch .
Sunny Narayan, Ivan Grujic (university of kragujevac) 2018 [4]
This paper presents the stress and deformation of the assembly of automotive single plate clutch
depending on the applied materials. Numerical analysis is performed in the ANSYS software. Various
values of stress and deformation is obtained with this paper.

Shiv Pratap Singh Yadav, Sandeep GM (IJERT) 2017. [2]

In this paper the design and analysis on the single plate clutch is done by using the commercially
available modeling software CATIA V5, of the different materials and analysis is done. The program is
encoded in C language to accommodate the input parameters and correspondingly get a resultant clutch

Kedar Kishore Patil, Vinit Randive, Sahil Mulla, Rajkumar Parit, Sunil kadam (IJARI) 2020.
In this paper, studies about the modeling and analysis of single plate clutch which is used Tata sumo
vehicle. The static and dynamic analysis was developed for a clutch plate by using finite element
analysis. Mathematical modeling for different six materials (steel, Stainless steel, Ceramics, Kevlar,
Aluminum alloy and Grey cast iron) was carried out and the better lining material was validated.
2.1 Research Gap:-
Prediction of better materials for the single plate TATA sumo car and developing a python code for
calculations to reduce calculation time in future. Also developing a mathematical model for thermal
analysis and by taking help of older theories designing of a new triangular clutch.
2.2 Objectives:-
❖ Develop a 3D CAD model of single plate clutch friction plate.
❖ To study the behavior of different material of a single plate clutch by doing static analysis and
predicting best material for the future usage in different condition.
❖ Developing a python program for the numerical calculation for time saving in future analysis.
❖ Doing structural and thermal analysis of a single plate clutch for different materials in ANSYS
workbench to obtain Von-Misses equivalent stress,Von Misses Equivalent strain, Total deformation
and Total heat flux.
❖ Developing a Mathematical Model for thermal analysis taking the help of 3D heat conduction in
cylindrical coordinate and Convection equation.
❖ Designing of a new triangular clutch taking the help of theories of circular clutch
3.METHODOLOGY

3.1 OVERVEIW:-
We will be using different materials for a clutch plate and friction lining to
check different properties of a single plate friction clutch. The parameter intended to be found are
maximum principle stress, von mises stresses and maximum strain. The methodology used will be
SOM-DME-FEA for theoretical solutions
Uniform pressure theory
Uniform wear theory:-
Triangular clutch

For a triangular clutch, the pressure is not distributed evenly over the entire circular
baseplate and hence the uniform pressure theory cannot be used. Using the criterion of uniform
wear theory, the following equation can be derived –
Triangular Clutch -
▪ Modelling will be done on SOLIDWORKS software
▪ Analysis will be done on ANSYS workbench
▪ Calculations of different parameters of commonly used clutches. The project will analyse the
suitability of materials such as cast iron, steel, copper.
• The methodology used will be
▪ Theoretical calculations using conventional approach and the formula mentioned above.
▪ Developing a program in python for calculation.
▪ Analytical approach using ANSYS software, we can check the deformation plot and view Von-Misses
Stresses
▪ Comparison of values under uniform pressure theory and uniform wear theory of Programming
approach and Theoretical approach and predicting which theory is considered while designing clutch
plate
▪ Plotting of graph of output parameters against different input parameters
and predicting results graphically.

• Fig 3.1. SolidWorks Models

INPUT PARAMETERS OUTPUT PARAMETERS
A. Torque A. Axial Force
B. Outer Radius B. Pressure
C. Inner Radius C. Heat Flux
3.2 SELECTION OF MATERIALS
Following are the materials used for friction lining material –
3.2.1 Gray cast iron as Friction material
Gray cast iron has a graphitic microstructure. The clutch disc is generally made from grey cast iron
this is because it has a good wear resistance with high thermal conductivity and the production
cost is low compare to other clutch disc materials.
3.2.2 Kevlar 49 as friction material
Kevlar was introduced by DuPont in the 1970s. It was the first organic fibre with sufficient tensile
strength and modulus to be used in advanced composites. Originally developed as a replacement
for steel in radial tires. Kevlar is now used in a wide range of applications.
3.2.3 Ceramic as friction material
Ceramic clutch plates are made with a combination of copper, iron, bronze, and silicon and
graphite. Because of their metallic content, these discs can withstand a lot of friction and heat.
This makes them ideal for race cars and other high-speed vehicles that need to engage and
disengage from fast-moving flywheels.

3.2.4 Aluminium alloy as friction material

The properties of aluminium composites are better compared to other conventional materials as
aluminium is lighter. Aluminium composites can use because of its strong bonding, good corrosion
resistance good wet ability, low density and high flexibility.
3.2.5 Steel as friction material
Steel is the primary mating surface used in clutches and can be used as the primary heat sink or the
means to dissipate the energy into the ambient surroundings. The surface roughness of the steel
mating plate and the texture of the friction material combine on shear of the oil to deliver a co-
efficient of friction of up to 0.15. However, these discs are high-friction. This means that the
engagement and disengagement of the clutch won’t always be very smooth.
Table 3.1 : Comparison of materials based on its mechanical properties:-

Sl. No. Specific Strength Yield Elastic modulus Friction coefficient Density
Material (KNm/kg) Strength (GPa) (kg/m3)
(MPa)

1. Steel 46 420 210 0.42 7861

2. Stainless steel 65 505 195 0.57 7610

3. Ceramics 6.7 457 33 0.4 3500

4. Kevlar 49 23.8 370 72 0.5 1470

5. Aluminium alloy 6061 4.5 275 69.7 0.23 2700

6. Grey Cast Iron 19.1 720 24.1 0.28 7200

 3.3 Programming

→ Input the values of inner and outer radii of the clutch plate.

→ Input the values of co-efficient of friction, speed in rpm, torque in Nm and other maximum limits of the material
into a 2D array with material as the 1st dimension and the various parameters as the 2nd dimension.

→ Create two separate functions for Uniform Pressure Theory and Uniform Wear Theory.

→ Calculate the values of mean radius, axial force, pressure and heat flux using the formulae given below
according to the theory used.

→ Output the values mean radius, axial force, pressure and heat flux according to the theory in a tabulated format.
3.4 CALCULATION:-
Parameters Value

Torque 300 Nm at 1000 RPM

Outer Radius 150 mm

Inner Radius 80 mm

Maximum power 64 KW at 3000 RPM

Maximum pressure intensity 0.5 N/mm2

Table 3.2 : Specification of TATA SUMO Vehicle Clutch

 Uniform Pressure Theory Uniform Wear Theory
Coefficient of Heat Flux (QF)
Sl. No. Material friction [µ] (Watt/mm)
Axial Force Pressure Axial Force Pressure
[N] [N/mm2] [N] [N/mm2]

1. Steel 0.16 15816 0.313 16304.30 0.322 4.96 * 10-4

2. Stainless Steel 0.15 16870.4 0.333 17391.30 0.344 4.65 * 10-4

3. Ceramic 0.6 4217.6 0.084 4347.83 0.086 1.86 * 10-3

4. Kevlar 0.5 5061.12 0.100 5217.39 0.103 1.55 * 10-3

5. Aluminium alloy 0.23 11002.4 0.217 11342.2 0.224 7.14 * 10-4

6. Grey Cast Iron 0.28 9037.72 0.178 9316.77 0.184 8.69 * 10-4

Table 3.4: Results for uniform wear and uniform pressure theory
LOADS APPLIED
LOADS APPLIED
MESHING AND CONTACTS
MESHING AND CONTACTS
CONNECTIONS
Results

The aim of the simulations was to obtain the equivalent

stress, equivalent strains, total deformations under load,
pressure applied on the plate and frictional stress for the
6 materials discussed in the previous chapter – steel,
stainless steel, ceramic, asbestos, aluminium alloy and
gray cast iron.
The simulations were done in Ansys Workbench in a
transient structural project model.
The results for both circular and triangular clutch are shown below-
1. Circular Clutch

Material: Steel
Material: Stainless Steel
Material: Ceramic
Material: Asbestos
Material: Aluminium
Material: Gray Cast Iron
2. Triangular Clutch

Material: Steel
Material: Stainless Steel
Material: Ceramic
Material: Asbestos
Material: Aluminium
Material: Gray Cast Iron
 CONCLUSION
This Project demonstrates to us how different materials can be analysed on
ANSYS in order to view their deformations and their Von Mises stresses.

It was found that under Uniform Pressure Theory, the value of axial force
developed was lesser than that of Uniform Wear Theory, due to which, the
latter was used to design the clutch plate.

The results obtained were quite favourable, which was expected. Generated
Heat between friction disk and flywheel, which is the main reason for clutch
wear can be minimized by selecting suitable material. A good contact pressure
also reduces wear during slippage time.
From the above results it can be seen that the materials which have the
highest coefficients of friction, namely Ceramic and Kevlar, apply the least
axial force and pressure.

They also have high heat generation. Hence, they are only used in high
performance applications like race cars where aggressive engagement and
high torque carrying capacity is required.

It can also be noted that due to lower axial pressures and reduced weight of
the plate, a triangular clutch would be beneficial as compared to a circular
one in these applications.

The more economical materials have a low coefficient of friction and less
torque carrying capacity but also have low heat generation and a smooth
engagement which makes them ideal for use in high volume production cars.