Automotive Clutches

An automotive clutch is used to connect and disconnect the engine and manual transmission or transaxle. The clutch is located between the back of the engine and the front of the transmission. With a few exceptions, the clutches common to the Naval Construction Force (NCF) equipment are the single, double, and multiple-disc types. The clutch that you will encounter the most is the single-disc type (Figure 10-1). The double-disc clutch is substantially the same as the single-disc, except that another driven disc and an intermediate driving plate are added. This clutch is used in heavy-duty vehicles and construction equipment. The multiple-disc clutch is used in the automatic transmission and for the steering clutch used in tracked equipment.

The operating principles, component functions, and maintenance requirements are essentially the same for each of the three clutches mentioned. This being the case, the single-disc clutch will be used to acquaint you with the fundamentals of the clutch.