THE VOGUE OF THE SINGLE-PLATE CLUTCH.
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m11E_ ACCOMPANYING line illustration shows in part section details of the now Borg and Beck single-plate clutch which is intended for use in instances where the engine and the gearbox are formed as a unit, although other clutches of the same type can be supplied for power units of the open flywheel type,in which case the clutch member is supported direct by a carrier tlate fastened to the flywheel. The :tin. clutch, which is the one shown, is suitable for engines uct to a torque of 120 ft-lb. to 150 ft.-lb., but a full range of models is made suitable for the largest sizes of engines. Clutches of Borg and Beck make are employed on a considerable number of American vehicles used in this country, and to take care of their service requirements the representatives and concessionnaires of the makers in this country, the Automotive Products Co., 3, Bereners Street, London, W.1, have opened an official service and spare parts depot far, the British Isles, where parts for all types of clutches of .this make can he supplied..
The construction of the latest type clutch is such that the spinning member has the minimum of weight in order -to facilitate gear changing. The clutch
spring is of the helical type with a rectangular cross-section. The spinning member is carried by splines on the clutch shaft, &the end of this shaft being spigoted into a ball bearing. The single disc is of thin steel riveted to a boss, and on each side of this disc is riveted a ring of woven friction material.
When the clutch is in," the spinning member is gripped between the face of the flywheel and the face of a compression ring, the pressure for which is conveyed through three levers carried on fulcrum brackets attached to an outer plate bolted to the flywheel. The inner ends of these levers are formed into balls which rest in a groove turned in the clutch collar", and this collar also holds a combined radial and thrust ball race, which takes the pressure when the clutch-withdrawal gear is brought into operation.