Author Topic: Over Center manual cone clutch  (Read 4853 times)

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Over Center manual cone clutch
« on: October 18, 2018, 05:56:20 PM »
I seem to have clutches on the brain this last couple of months. This design incorporates a cone seating into a cone shaped recess to transmit torque from the left hand shaft to the right hand shaft. There is a very powerful coil spring that holds the clutch in the engaged position. When the handle is swung to the left it allows the powerful spring to seat the cone firmly into the cup and transmit torque. When the handle is swung to the right it separates the cone and cup and compresses the spring. The fact that the spring will be compressed by this action will make the linkage lock into an "over center" condition and stay there until it is changed by someone manually swinging the red handle.


Offline Noitoen

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2018, 06:24:17 PM »
Another one for your list. Magnetic particle clutch. There is no friction material. The powder "hardens" with a magnetic field and this transmits torque between 2 smooth metal surfaces. I used to see these on small paper machines to keep tension.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_particle_clutch

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2018, 06:50:31 PM »
Noitoen--I am aware of electromagnetic clutches and iron particle clutches and hydraulic clutches. I really am only interested in purely mechanical clutches.---Brian

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #3 on: October 18, 2018, 07:24:13 PM »

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #4 on: October 18, 2018, 11:43:27 PM »

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #5 on: October 19, 2018, 03:17:47 PM »
The design is easy.--The finessing not quite so much. I lay in bed last night thinking of how these parts would fit together, and realized that if that center hoop was built as a single part I would never be able to fit it into place around the carrier that holds the oak friction disc.--So--we make the carrier a two piece so it can be assembled.

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #6 on: October 20, 2018, 01:56:20 AM »
I didn't have a lot of time today for this project, but it has moved ahead a little bit. Collars have been added to the shafts to keep them from moving axially, and the right hand outer housing had to get 1/4" longer, as I was running out of room.

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #7 on: October 20, 2018, 06:20:14 PM »
I managed a little shop time this morning. Machined the steel carrier for the oak cone and the shaft it rides on.

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #8 on: October 20, 2018, 09:22:45 PM »
I made the shaft and cup that the cone fits into. To save myself a ton of machining I made it from two pieces, then Loctited and pressed the two pieces together. Tomorrow when the Loctite is well set up I will drill a 1/16" hole thru both and Loctite in a piece of 1/16" drill rod. I will machine the cone into the face of that solid piece tomorrow.

Offline crueby

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #9 on: October 21, 2018, 03:53:58 AM »
The serious:

Some great work on these clutches, I am learning a lot!
 :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

The not very serious:

To (badly) paraphrase the movie CrockaSteamDial Dundee:  Thats not a clutch,  This is a clutch!Steam actuated through the axle!


 :cheers:

Offline Steam Haulage

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #10 on: October 21, 2018, 08:43:50 AM »
The give-away is King & Barnhart at the top of the patent! Weren't they the Marion designers?
Jerry
Dogs look up to you, cats look down on you, pigs treat you as equal.

Offline crueby

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #11 on: October 21, 2018, 03:52:01 PM »
The give-away is King & Barnhart at the top of the patent! Weren't they the Marion designers?
Jerry
Yes, brilliant inventors.

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #12 on: October 21, 2018, 11:11:07 PM »
Not a real lot done today. The two external shaft collars and the two bearing spacers. The two bearing spacers got a lot fatter, because if I left them as thin wall, sooner or later I would want to pull a shaft out of the assembly, and when you do that the spacer falls down between the two bearings and it's a devil of a job getting them lined up again to get the shaft back in. The tunnel they fit into is 0.906" diameter, the outside diameter of the spacer is 0.875" diameter. I spent this morning going with youngest grandson Jake (3 year old) and his mom and goodwife out to a local farm that sells pumpkins. Of course you have to pay the $12 per person to get in, which entitles you to a wagon ride out to the pumpkin patch and one pumpkin. Lots of plastic ghosts and skeletons and scary witches along the trail the wagon takes to get out to the patch. Jake was very pleased with the entire event but wife and I damned near froze to death!!! I had to come home and have a snooze to recover, then headed down to the shop to make at least a couple of parts.

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #13 on: October 24, 2018, 09:44:52 PM »
No great strides made on this project today, but my bearings came in from Canadian Bearings. I have spent the entire day running around like  a chicken with no head, trying to source replacement gears for my three ball governor. Someone purchased the plans but the gears I have in the plans call for an 8 tooth pinion, and nobody makes a bevel gear in that size anymore.

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #14 on: October 26, 2018, 04:53:53 PM »
Things have been a little crazy around here for a few days, however progress is being made. The center bearing carrier is made and the two small bearings have been Loctited onto the stub shafts, which are silver soldered to the outer frame. The outer frame is two piece, and the tapped holes for the bolts which hold the two pieces together are tapped thru the stub shafts after brazing.

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #15 on: October 27, 2018, 06:04:14 PM »
All of the inner workings of the clutch are finished. The next step will be to make the outer housing of the clutch. I do have a spring, but it has to be shortened a bit.

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #16 on: October 28, 2018, 04:50:38 PM »
Its been a very boring morning (cough-gag--bad pun). The boring went fine in the four jaw chuck of the lathe. I really don't like working inside something like that where I can't see whats happening. It just requires a lot of faith in the dials and digital read-outs. I have to buy a piece of aluminum big enough to make the other housing from.

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #17 on: October 29, 2018, 09:35:14 PM »
As I work my way into this clutch business, I have to keep updating the solid models to reflect what I am actually building. This involves adding shoulder bolts at the pivots, and socket head capscrews and flatwashers, and a mechanism to dial in just how far "over center" I want the handle to move before locking up. I had to go to Toronto on business today, and then had a bit of real work, so nothing actually happened except updating the solid model.---Brian

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #18 on: November 01, 2018, 07:49:37 PM »
Things are not happening at a blazing pace, but they are happening.  The second half of the main body is completed, and all of the bearings and spacers are loctited into place with a solid alignment rod thru everything until the Loctite sets up. Two of the external links are made and shown in place. All of the inside components are finished and waiting to be assembled. I have been sick with the sore throat from Hell, but will probably live thru it.---Brian

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #19 on: November 02, 2018, 09:06:37 PM »
First results are in, and they are very positive. When the clutch is disengaged, there is absolutely no connection between the cone and the cup, and no drag at all. When the clutch is engaged, it locks up the cup and cone shafts. The pressure required to get the handle to "cam over" is quite small. I may rethink the adjustment I had modelled, because it looks like I can add one adjusting screw to the bar under the handle to limit how far it goes before it locks.

Offline crueby

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #20 on: November 02, 2018, 09:39:13 PM »
Nice setup - looks like a very sturdy mechanism, looking forward to seeing it in action.

Offline Ye-Ole Steam Dude

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #21 on: November 02, 2018, 09:59:07 PM »
Hello Brian,

Looks like a really clean design, I know you have a lot going on the inside, but it is a great looking unit.

Have a great day,
Thomas
Thomas

Offline Bearcar1

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #22 on: November 02, 2018, 11:04:04 PM »
THAT... Is pretty cool Brian. Nice work.  :ThumbsUp: :ThumbsUp:

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #23 on: November 03, 2018, 03:25:32 PM »
I have changed the adjusting mechanism for the "over center" condition to something a lot simpler and less work. Sometimes when I am designing and building things, I will reach a point part way thru the assembly where I can see a better solution to a problem than I designed in the first place. This is not unusual, and as everything I design is a "prototype" it doesn't bother me. (as long as I haven't already made the part). The last thing I need to build is a baseplate which will allow me to bolt this clutch down to my worktable.

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #24 on: November 03, 2018, 08:10:36 PM »
All I needed was a little nap. Woke up knowing how I was going to make the video.--Tomorrow---

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #25 on: November 04, 2018, 07:15:51 PM »
Right on the cusp of an exciting new video---and one of my universal joints flew apart. Video will be delayed until Loctite holding one of the universal joint pins in place sets up. It's colder than a witches tit out in my main garage, and I've been sick for a week. Will put a heat lamp on the offending parts and maybe a video later today--maybe tomorrow. I do know this much---The flathead engine has enough beans to run the clutch mechanism in it's disengaged mode. I was just reaching to engage the clutch when the universal joint flew apart.

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #26 on: November 05, 2018, 09:00:48 PM »
So, today we have the video I intended to make yesterday. The clutch operates just as I had hoped, and the video gives a good overview of the clutch in operation. I have a set of 21 engineering drawings of this clutch, which can be built using a small manual mill and manual lathe. I sell the plans for $25 Canadian funds, contact me at brupnow@rogers.com  The input and output shafts are 3/8" diameter, and both shafts ride on double sealed ball bearings. hope you enjoy the video.---Brian Rupnow
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRT5upEIC-s" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRT5upEIC-s</a>

Offline Ye-Ole Steam Dude

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #27 on: November 05, 2018, 10:04:22 PM »
Hello Brian,

That is a great build and it appears to work perfect.  :ThumbsUp:

Have a great day.
Thomas

Offline crueby

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #28 on: November 05, 2018, 10:46:03 PM »
Excellent!!

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Over Center manual cone clutch
« Reply #29 on: November 06, 2018, 01:12:59 AM »
I knew the concept of the cone clutch would work, because I built one a few years ago which worked very well, except that it has a "dead" central shaft. I wanted to recreate it, only this time with a "live" central shaft, which offers more versatility. The big issue with any of these smaller "home brewed" clutches is how to keep them engaged or disengaged. If you don't have a lever with a shift gate which the lever snaps into, they have a propensity for jumping into or out of engagement, which can be quite alarming. The "over center" mechanism works very well to solve that problem. It is the same mechanical locking principal as is used on Destaco clamps. This will be my last clutch build for the foreseeable future.---Brian Rupnow

 

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