Clutch with spring loaded operator fulcrum

Claim 1

Friction clutch comprising a flywheel, a cover fastened to said flywheel and having a wall portion spaced from said flywheel, a pressure plate disposed in the space between said flywheel and said wall portion and connected to said cover, a rotatable entrainment disc mounted in said space between said pressure plate and said flywheel, a clutch plate spring disposed between a pair of annular seats and forming therewith and with said cover a unitary structure, said clutch plate spring being swingably mounted, and spring-loaded means for supporting the seat located on one side of said clutch plate spring, said pressure plate being engageable by said clutch plate spring so as to be axially displaced thereby toward said entrainment disc and said flywheel whereby said flywheel and said entrainment disc are placed in clutching engagement, said clutch plate spring being movable in a direction away from said pressure plate and said flywheel for disengaging the latter from one another, said support means being spring-loaded to exert a greater force at least across the possible path of wear of said plate spring and said seats, on the seat located on said one side of said clutch plate spring than the force with which said clutch plate spring is engageable with said pressure plate, the seat located on said one side of said clutch plate spring being the seat supported by said spring-loaded means and being fixed against displacement in radial direction thereof, said seat located on said one side of said clutch plate spring being retained by a plurality of spacer members located radially inwardly of said last-mentioned seat and form-lockingly secured to said cover, said spacer members extending between said spring-loaded means and said cover and extending through recesses formed in said clutch plate spring.