Structural and Thermal Analysis of a Single Plate Dry Friction Clutch Using Finite Element Method (Fem)

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Technology & Research
Volume 1, Issue 5, May 2017 Available at: www.dbpublications.org
International e-Journal For Technology And Research-2017
IDL - International Digital Library 1 | P a g e Copyright@IDL-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.
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

Fig 1 Structural design of Friction plate of clutch
Table 2 Dimension of friction lining of clutch
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]
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]
In this analysis the friction lining is
considered to be homogeneous.
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 75
Thickness of friction
pad
3
Thickness of friction
facing
3
Items Dimensions(mm)
Outer diameter 115
Inner diameter 15
Thickness 9

Table 3 Dimensions of flywheel
Fig 2 Structural design of Friction lining of clutch
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
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
Items Dimension(mm)
Outer diameter 130
Inner diameter 25
Thickness 15

Uniform wear theory is considered for calculations:
Radius of friction lining,
R = (Ri + Ro)/2 = 0.095 m
Torque, T = n × μ × W × R = 135 Nm
Frictional torque on clutch plate,
W = T/( n × μ × R ) = 1776.32 N
Considering uniform axial wear:
W = 2 x π x C (Ro - Ri)
C = P x R (C is constant)
C = W / [ 2 x π x (Ro - Ri) ] = 7067.75 N/m
Maximum pressure,
Pmax = C / Ri = 94236.70 N/m2
= 0.0942 MPa
Minimum pressure,
Pmin = C / Ro = 61458.72 N/m2
= 0.0615 MPa
Angular velocity,
ωr = (2 x π x N) / 60 = 471.2 rad/s
Heat energy generated,
q = ωr x Pmax x μ = 17.75 W
Heat flux, qf = q/A = 16359 W/m2
4. Material property:
Material considered for analysis is Structural steel
and copper alloy.
Table 4 Material properties of Structural steel
copper alloy
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 tensile
strength
3.1E8 Pa 4.3E8 Pa
Isothermal
conductivity
60.5 W/m o
C 60.5 W/m o
C
Specific heat 434 J/ kg o
C 390 J/ kg o
C
5. Computational investigation of
Friction plate:
5.1. Model Geometry
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:
 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.

Fig 4 Model of Clutch plate
 The Cartesian coordinate is located in the
center of the design and represents the
location of driving and driven shaft.
 Slip time is 0.5s
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
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.
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.
Dimensions
Meshing method Tetrahedron
Elements 17859 numbers
Nodes 33755 numbers
Mesh element body
sizing
20 mm
Mesh element contact
face sizing
5 mm
Minimum edge length 3 mm

Table 6 Parameters of structural analysis
Table 6 Parameters of thermal analysis
Fig 5 Structural meshing of clutch plate
Table 5 Structural Meshing of clutch plate
Fig 6 Thermal meshing of clutch plate
Table 6 Thermal meshing of clutch plate
5.4. Loading and Boundary conditions
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:
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 o
C
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:
Parameters Unit values
Initial temperature 35 o
C
Heat flux on friction
pads
16359 W/m2
Convection
Coefficient
40 W/m2 o
C
Radiation emissivity 1
6. Result and Analysis
ELEMENTS Dimensions
Meshing method Tetrahedron
Elements 90765
Nodes 146113
Mesh element sizing 5 mm
Minimum edge length 3 mm

6.1. Result for structural analysis
The figure below depicts the total deformation,
directional deformation, equivalent (von-mises)
stress and equivalent elastic strain acting on the
friction plate.
Fig 7 Total deformation of structural steel plate
Fig 8 Total deformation of copper alloy plate
Fig 9 Directional deformation of structural steel
plate
Fig 10 Directional deformation of copper alloy
plate
Fig 11 Equivalent stress on structural steel plate Fig 12 Equivalent stress on copper alloy plate

Fig 13 Equivalent elastic strain on structural steel
plate
Fig 14 Equivalent elastic strain on copper alloy
plate
6.2 Results for thermal analysis
Fig 15 Temperature distribution on structural steel
plate
Fig 16 Temperature distribution on copper alloy
plate
Fig 17 Total heat flux on structural steel plate
Fig 18 Total heat flux on copper alloy plate
6.3. Results and Discussions
Table 7 Table of results for Structural steel and
Copper alloy friction plate.

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.
7. Conclusion
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.
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
Structural steel
friction lining
Copper alloy
friction lining
Paramet
ers
Maximu
m
value
Minim
um
value
Maximu
m value
Minim
um
value
1. Total
deformat
ion
4.7721e
-005 m
6.2236
e-006
m
5.0598e-
005 m
6.5978
e-006
m
2.
Directio
nal
deformat
ion
2.3246e
-007 m
7.0986
e-008
m
2.5398e-
007 m
6.918e
-008
m
3.
Equivale
nt (von-
mises)
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
1.3181e-
005 m/m
1.7784
e-007
m/m
5.
Tempera
ture
distributi
on
159.82
°C
138.69
°C
158.31
°C
139.72
°C
6. Total
heat flux
60413
W/m²
19.194
W/m²
98299
W/m²
565.49
W/m²

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“OPTIMAL DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF
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[5] MAY THIN GYAN, HLA MIN HTUN,
HTAY HTAY WIN IJSETR "Design and
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2319-8885 Vol.03,Issue.10.
[6] https://matscicarclutch.wordpress.com/
[7] Brijendra Gupta, Ashish Jashvantlal Modi. "
REVIEW OF AUTOMOTIVE BRAKE
FRICTION MATERIALS" IJAERD Volume
2,Issue 2, February -2015.
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Mr. Raghav K. Thanki, Mr. Rohit B. Maitar.
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SINGLE PLATE CLUTCH BY VARYING
FRICTION LINING MATERIALS" IJAERD
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Structural and Thermal Analysis of a Single Plate Dry Friction Clutch Using Finite Element Method (Fem)

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