Single Plate Clutch :- A single plate friction clutch consisting of a clutch disk between the flywheel and a pressure plate. Both the pressure plate and the flywheel rotates with the engine crankshaft or the driving shaft. And both sides of clutch disc are faced with friction material(usually of ferrodo).The clutch disc is mounted on the hub which is free to move axially along the splines of the driven shaft but not turn able towards the transmission input shaft.
The pressure plate pushes the clutch plate towards the flywheel by a set of strong springs which are arranged radially inside the body. The three levers(also known as release levers or fingers) are carried on pivots suspended from the case of the body. These are arranged in such a manner so that the pressure plate moves away from the flywheel by the inward movement of a thrust bearing. The bearing is mounted upon a forked shaft and moves forward when the clutch pedal is pressed.
By pressing the clutch pedal down, the thrust bearing moves towards the flywheel by means of linkage force, and press the longer end of the lever inwards. Due to this, the lever turns on their suspended pivot and forces the pressure plate to move away from the flywheel this action compresses the clutch springs which in turn moves the pressure plate away from the clutch plate and remove the pressure from the clutch plate. This enables the clutch plate to move back from the flywheel and thus, the driven shaft becomes stationary.By moving the foot back from the clutch pedal, the thrust bearing moves back and allows the spring to extend which pushes the clutch plate backwards the flywheel.This engages the flywheel and the clutch plate which starts the motion of the driven shaft.
