IDL - International Digital Library Of Technology & Research Volume 1, Issue 5, May 2017
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International e-Journal For Technology And Research-2017
Structural and Thermal Analysis of a Single Plate Dry Friction Clutch Using Finite Element Method (Fem) Yogesh Emeerith1 Dr. Rabindra Nath Barman2 1
B.Tech Students, Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Durgapur, 713209, W.B, India 2 Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Durgapur, 713209, W.B, India
Abstract: A clutch is a critical component of a vehicle to transfer torque and speed from a driving shaft to a driven shaft with the use of friction. The efficiency of the clutch depends enormously on friction that result in heat generation during engagement and disengagement. Rapid heat dissipation is primordial to prevent the friction plate from reaching the fade temperature where friction coefficient decreases. The present study is an attempt to model and analyze structural deformation, stress concentration, elastic strain, thermal gradient and heat flux distribution of a copper alloy friction lining and structural steel friction lining of a clutch plate with the help of finite elements methods software. It is observed that copper alloy frictional lining of clutch plate dissipates frictional heat at a faster rate than structural steel frictional lining of clutch plate. The design is done in Solidworks 2016 and the FEM analysis is carried out using ANSYS 16.0 Transient Structural and Steady State Thermal workbench.
Keywords: Solidworks 2016, ANSYS Workbench 16.0, Single plate friction clutch, Finite elements analysis, structural analysis, thermal analysis.
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1. Introduction: A clutch is a mechanism that allows transmission of power from a motor to other driven components by engagement and disengagement of the friction plate from the flywheel.[1] It is an indispensable part in vehicle application located between the motor and transmission of automobile.[2-3] The main components of a friction clutch are flywheel, friction plate, diaphragm ring and pressure plate. The friction plate is sandwiched between the flywheel and pressure plate during engagement and released from flywheel during disengagement.[4] The operation of the single plate clutch is as follows: The friction plate is mounted on a hub that can moves freely and axially along a spline onto the driven shaft. During engagement, the pressure plate pushes the friction plate using diaphragm spring onto the flywheel which is mounted on the driving shaft. Hence providing torque and speed transmission. During disengagement pressure releases friction plate from flywheel thus disrupting flow of power.[5] Common friction material are classified as semi-metallic, ceramic and organic. The main purpose of friction materials is to 1|P a g e
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International e-Journal For Technology And Research-2017 provide a good friction coefficient while having a low wear rate. Semi-metallic materials consists of a mixture of metals such as iron, steel or copper and organic material. These are useful for heavy duty vehicle due to its high durability and relatively low friction coefficient. Organic material were originally made from asbestos but due to health issues it has been replaced by a mixture of fiberglass and brass. It is used mostly in vehicles with average power and speed. Ceramic material are much more expensive to manufacture and are usually used for racing cars.[6-10] Grooves are present on friction lining to prevent formation of vacuum during disengagement and also reduces the temperature and internal energy of friction clutch.[11-12] Just before immediate full engagement of friction clutch, slipping occurs before the driven shaft matches the speed of the driving shaft. This slipping causes heat energy to be generated as the friction material slides over the flywheel. With higher relative velocity and continuous usage higher amount of frictional heat is generated leading to a larger increase in temperature on clutch disc surface.[13] The heat generated is absorbed by the pressure plate and friction plate.[14] The kinetic friction coefficient is gradually reduced as the friction material reaches its fade temperature. This can result in an increase in slipping.[8] Fade is described as a change in friction causing an alteration in Amonton’s law of friction in a material property in case of high temperature.[15]
2. Objective: The main objective is to observe the heat distribution and strength of a friction plate of clutch for two distinct frictional material while in operation. The friction material proposed is structural steel and copper alloy. A model is designed using Solidworks 2016 and a finite element analysis(FEA) is carried out using Ansys 16.0. 3. Design
specification and calculation: Automobile model: TATA 475 IDI TCIC Maximum power 52KW @ 4500 rpm Maximum torque 135Nm @ 2500 rpm Table 1 Dimension of friction plate of clutch Items
Dimensions(mm)
Outer diameter
115
Inner diameter
15
Thickness
9
Fig 1 Structural design of Friction plate of clutch Clutch failure or damage usually occurs when exposed to high temperatures resulting from frictional heat generation. This can cause deformations and crack that can lead to increased slipping time and ultimately failure of the component.[16] Surface roughness of flywheel and friction lining also plays a major factor in faster wear and failure if not properly machined.[17]
Table 2 Dimension of friction lining of clutch
In this analysis the friction lining is considered to be homogeneous.
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Items
Dimensions(mm)
Outer diameter
115
Inner diameter
75
Thickness of friction pad
3
Thickness of friction facing
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IDL - International Digital Library Of Technology & Research Volume 1, Issue 5, May 2017
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International e-Journal For Technology And Research-2017
Fig 3 Structural design of Flywheel Nomenclature Ri – Inner radius of clutch disc in meters = 0.115m Ro – Outer radius of clutch disc in meters = 0.075m N – Speed of engine in rpm Fig 2 Structural design of Friction lining of clutch
Table 3 Dimensions of flywheel Items
Dimension(mm)
Outer diameter
130
Inner diameter
25
Thickness
15
ωr – angular velocity in rad/s Pmax – clamping pressure in MPa µ - Coefficient of friction of the material k – Thermal conductivity of the material in Watts per meter Kelvin h – Heat transfer coefficient of the material in Watts per sq. meters per Kelvin. q – Heat energy generated in watts qf – heat flux in W/m2 t – Slip time in seconds = 0.5s A – Area of a friction pad = 1.0853x10-3 m2 n – number of contact surface
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IDL - International Digital Library Of Technology & Research Volume 1, Issue 5, May 2017
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International e-Journal For Technology And Research-2017 Uniform wear theory is considered for calculations:
4. Material
Radius of friction lining,
Material considered for analysis is Structural steel and copper alloy.
property:
R = (Ri + Ro)/2 = 0.095 m Torque, T = n × μ × W × R = 135 Nm
Table 4 Material properties of Structural steel copper alloy
Frictional torque on clutch plate,
Structural steel
Copper alloy
Parameters
Unit values
Unit values
Density
2770 Kg/m3
8300 Kg/m3
Young modulus
7.1E10 Pa
1.1E11 Pa
Poisson ratio
0.33
0.34
Ultimate strength
3.1E8 Pa
4.3E8 Pa
Isothermal conductivity
60.5 W/m oC
60.5 W/m oC
Specific heat
434 J/ kg oC
390 J/ kg oC
W = T/( n × μ × R ) = 1776.32 N Considering uniform axial wear: W = 2 x π x C (Ro - Ri) C=PxR
(C is constant)
C = W / [ 2 x π x (Ro - Ri) ] = 7067.75 N/m
tensile
Maximum pressure, Pmax = C / Ri = 94236.70 N/m2 = 0.0942 MPa Minimum pressure, Pmin = C / Ro = 61458.72 N/m2 = 0.0615 MPa
5.
Computational investigation of Friction plate: 5.1. Model Geometry
Angular velocity, ωr = (2 x π x N) / 60 = 471.2 rad/s Heat energy generated,
For the analysis, a simplified model of single friction clutch was designed in Solidworks 2016 for analysis in Ansys 16.0 as shown in figure 4 below. The following conditions have been considered to achieve the required analysis in the present study:
q = ωr x Pmax x μ = 17.75 W
Heat flux, qf = q/A = 16359 W/m2
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The model has been constrained to rotate axially and only pressure plate and friction plate are allowed to move on the rotating axis for engagement and disengagement of clutch.
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International e-Journal For Technology And Research-2017 
The Cartesian coordinate is located in the center of the design and represents the location of driving and driven shaft. Dimensions

Slip time is 0.5s Meshing method
Tetrahedron
Elements
17859 numbers
Nodes
33755 numbers
Mesh sizing
element
body
Mesh element contact face sizing
20 mm 5 mm
Minimum edge length 3 mm be found by varying the parameters and it's comparison.[20] For this model, Ansys 16.0 have been used for the structural and thermal analysis. 5.3. Mesh generation of friction plate For the structural analysis, the single plate clutch disc was meshed using the tetrahedron method as shown in fig 5 below. The clutch plate is meshed and analyzed to obtain a accurate results for the stresses on the contact surface. Fig 4 Model of Clutch plate
For the thermal analysis, a tetrahedron method was used on the single plate clutch in fig 6 shown below. The plate is meshed and analyzed to acquire accurate results for the contact surfaces. This is important to show the heat flux and temperature distribution.
5.2. Finite Elements Method (FEM) A variety of numerical method can be used to obtaining an approximation of the optimal solution from partial differentiation equations and its boundary conditions.[18] Finite elements method is one which has been used globally by design and research engineers to provide accurate results from analysis. It is accurate, less time consuming and economic compared with experimental analysis to optimize the parameters.[19] The optimum structural design and temperature distribution can
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International e-Journal For Technology And Research-2017 Fig 5 Structural meshing of clutch plate
Table 5 Structural Meshing of clutch plate
Table 6 Parameters of structural analysis Parameters
Unit values
Pressure on friction plate
0.0942 MPa
Rotation of flywheel
471.2 rad/s
Moment on flywheel
135 N/m
Initial temperature
35 oC
For the thermal analysis, the temperature distribution of the clutch plate depends on the heat flux on the friction pads and the heat transfer coefficient of the material. The initial condition and boundary condition have been entered in static thermal module of Ansys workbench 16.0 as follows:
Table 6 Parameters of thermal analysis
Fig 6 Thermal meshing of clutch plate
Parameters
Unit values
Initial temperature
35 oC
Heat flux on friction pads
16359 W/m2
Convection Coefficient
40 W/m2 oC
Radiation emissivity
1
Table 6 Thermal meshing of clutch plate ELEMENTS
Dimensions
Meshing method
Tetrahedron
5.4. Loading and Boundary conditions
Elements
90765
For the structural analysis, the stresses vary depending on the driving condition. An initial condition and boundary condition have been used in structural module of Ansys workbench 16.0 as follows:
Nodes
146113
Mesh element sizing
5 mm
Minimum edge length
3 mm
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IDL - International Digital Library Of Technology & Research Volume 1, Issue 5, May 2017
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International e-Journal For Technology And Research-2017 6.1. Result for structural analysis
Fig 8 Total deformation of copper alloy plate
The figure below depicts the total deformation, directional deformation, equivalent (von-mises) stress and equivalent elastic strain acting on the friction plate.
Fig 9 Directional deformation of structural steel plate
Fig 7 Total deformation of structural steel plate
Fig 10 Directional deformation of copper alloy plate
Fig 11 Equivalent stress on structural steel plate
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Fig 12 Equivalent stress on copper alloy plate
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International e-Journal For Technology And Research-2017 Fig 15 Temperature distribution on structural steel plate
Fig 13 Equivalent elastic strain on structural steel plate Fig 16 Temperature distribution on copper alloy plate
Fig 14 Equivalent elastic strain on copper alloy plate Fig 17 Total heat flux on structural steel plate
6.2 Results for thermal analysis
Fig 18 Total heat flux on copper alloy plate
Table 7 Table of results for Structural steel and Copper alloy friction plate.
6.3. Results and Discussions
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Structural steel friction lining
Copper alloy friction lining
7. Conclusion
Maximu m
Minim um
Maximu m value
value
value
Minim um value
1. Total deformat ion
4.7721e -005 m
6.2236 e-006 m
5.0598e005 m
6.5978 e-006 m
2. Directio nal deformat ion
2.3246e -007 m
7.0986 e-008 m
2.5398e007 m
6.918e -008 m
3. Equivale nt (vonmises) stress
1.838e+ 006 Pa
7986. Pa
1.4353e +006 Pa
8954.4 Pa
4. Equivale nt elastic strain
9.2673e -006 m/m
1.4937 e-007 m/m
1.3181e005 m/m
1.7784 e-007 m/m
In the present work, a friction plate of a single plate friction clutch is modeled in Solidworks 2016 and analyzed in the transient structural and steady-state thermal workbench of Ansys 16.0. It is necessary to represent heat dissipation from the friction lining contact surface in an attempt to reduce overheating in friction plate of clutch during slipping time. This leads to a decrease in wear rate and a constant frictional coefficient of friction plate during operation. From the results in the previous section, it is observed that both structural steel and copper alloy can withstand and quickly dissipate high temperatures to the other parts of machinery while maintaining its frictional properties. However copper alloy friction lining shows better heat dissipation properties ( with a maximum heat flux of 98299 W/m²) than the structural steel friction lining ( with a maximum heat flux of 60413 W/m²). It is concluded that copper alloy is more suitable as frictional material for a single plate clutch than structural steel.
5. Tempera ture distributi on
159.82 °C
138.69 °C
158.31 °C
139.72 °C
6. Total heat flux
60413 W/m²
Paramet ers
19.194 W/m²
98299 W/m²
565.49 W/m²
From the table of results, it is observed that structural steel and copper alloy frictional lining of clutch have a maximum von-mises stress of 1.838e+006 Pa and 1.4353e+006 Pa respectively. From a thermal point of view a maximum heat flux of 60413 W/m² is reached and a maximum temperature of 159.82 °C is generated by the structural steel friction lining of clutch. While for copper alloy friction lining of clutch a maximum heat flux of 60413 W/m² and a maximum temperature of 158.31 °C is observed.
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8. Future
scope of work
Further investigation is required to obtain a generalized model for different types of friction material and better investigation techniques need to be explored for more accuracy of verification. Cooper alloy is an expensive material. A better copper alloy design can be obtained while considering a more cost effective method by using copper alloy in the sections with high heat generation.
9. References: [1] Theory of Machines By J. S. Brar, R. K. Bansal 253-255. [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clutch
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International e-Journal For Technology And Research-2017 [3] Pulavarthi Krishram Raju, P. Siva Subramanyam, K. N. D. Malleswara Rao. “OPTIMAL DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF MULTI FRICTION PLATES USING CREO AND FEA PACKAGE” Journal of Technological Advances and Scientific Research.
Clutch Material" IJRAT Vol.3, No.11, November 2015.
[4] A.Rama Krishna Reddy, Dr.P.H.V.Sesha Talpa Sai, D.Mangeelal "Design Modeling and Analysis of a Single Plate Clutch" , IJMETMR ISSN No: 2348-4845 .
[14] J. Bijwe, Nidhi, N. Majumdar, B.K. Satapathy. "Influence of modified phenolic resins on the fade and recovery behavior of friction materials" www.sciencedirect.com Wear 259 (2005) 1068– 1078.
[5] MAY THIN GYAN, HLA MIN HTUN, HTAY HTAY WIN IJSETR "Design and Structural Analysis of Single Plate Clutch" ISSN 2319-8885 Vol.03,Issue.10.
[13] HU Dong-fang, HE Min-lu, ZHAO Yan "Thermal Stress Analysis of Tractor Clutch Pressure Plate" . ESM 2016.
[6] https://matscicarclutch.wordpress.com/
[15] Pradnya Kosbe, Chittaranjan More. " Characterization of Fade and Recovery Behavior of Brake Friction Material" INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, NIRMA UNIVERSITY, AHMEDABAD – 382 481, 08-10 december, 2011.
[7] Brijendra Gupta, Ashish Jashvantlal Modi. " REVIEW OF AUTOMOTIVE BRAKE FRICTION MATERIALS" IJAERD Volume 2,Issue 2, February -2015.
[16] K.C.Lathiya, N.P.Badola, C.L.Undhad, B.D.Dhamecha "A Literature Review on Failure in Single Plate Clutch System" . IJSRD Vol. 2, Issue 10, 2014 ISSN: 2321-0613.
[8] Prof. Jignesh J. Patel, Mr. Kaushal R. Ajmera, Mr. Raghav K. Thanki, Mr. Rohit B. Maitar. "DESIGN AND THEORETICAL ANALYSIS OF SINGLE PLATE CLUTCH BY VARYING FRICTION LINING MATERIALS" IJAERD Volume 2,Issue 11, November -2015.
[17] Oday I. Abdullah, Josef Schlattmann, Michael Lytkin.. "Effect of Surface Roughness on the Thermoelastic Behaviour of Friction Clutches" Faculty of Mechanical Engineer, Belgrade.
[9] O.I. Abdullaha, J. Schlattmanna, A.M. Al‐ Shabibib. " Stresses and Deformations Analysis of a Dry Friction Clutch System" Tribology in Industry Vol. 35, No. 2 (2013) 155‐ 162. [10] K.W. Hee, P. Filip "Performance of ceramic enhanced phenolic matrix brake lining materials for automotive brake linings" .www.sciencedirect.com Wear 259 (2005) 1088–1096. [11] Guruprasad Shriwas, Prakash Kumar Sen. "A Review on Wear Analysis and Heat Generation in Dry Friction Clutch" IJSTE Volume 2 | Issue 3 September 2015.
[18] Harshita Warkade, Asst. Prof.A.K.JAIN "Design and Finite Element Analysis of Friction Clutch Plate: A Review" IJRTS Vol. 3, Issue 1, December 2015. [19] Prashil M. Mhaiskar, Nitin D. Bhusale, Mayur D. Pastapure " Vibration Analysis of Dry Friction Clutch Disc by Using Finite Element Method" IJERT Vol. 3 Issue 1, January - 2014. [20] Suyog Vitnor, Mukund Kavade. "Finite Element Analysis of Friction Plate of Diaphragm Spring Clutch for TD-3250 Vehicle" IJSR ISSN (Online): 2319-7064.
[12] Virendra kumar patel, Gopal Sahu, Prakash Kumar Sen, Ritesh Sharma, Shailendra Bohidar. "Review on Wear Analysis of Different Types of IDL - International Digital Library
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