TORQUE CONVERTER AND HYDROKINETIC TORQUE COUPLING DEVICE HAVING TURBINE-PISTON LOCKUP CLUTCH WITH LOCKUP RESISTANCE MEMBER

摘要

A torque converter includes an impeller, a turbine-piston hydrodynamically drivable by the impeller, a stator, and an annular lockup resistance member. The impeller includes an impeller shell. The turbine-piston includes a turbine-piston shell. The turbine-piston shell includes a turbine-piston flange having a first flange surface facing an engagement surface of the impeller shell. The turbine-piston is movable axially toward and away from the engagement surface to position the torque converter into and out of a lockup mode in which the turbine-piston flange is mechanically locked to the impeller shell. The annular lockup resistance member is in the form of an annular elastomeric sandwich washer coaxially aligned with the rotational axis and including turbine-side and stator-side members, and an elastomeric inner member sandwiched between the turbine-side and stator-side members.

主权项

1. A hydrodynamic torque converter comprising:
an impeller having a rotational axis and comprising an impeller shell having a first engagement surface; a turbine-piston coaxially aligned with and hydrodynamically drivable by the impeller, the turbine-piston comprising a turbine-piston shell comprising a turbine-piston flange having a second engagement surface facing the first engagement surface of the impeller shell, the turbine-piston being movable axially toward and away from the first engagement surface to position the torque converter respectively into and out of a lockup mode in which the turbine-piston is mechanically locked to so as to be non-rotatable relative to the impeller shell; an annular lockup resistance member comprising an annular elastomeric sandwich washer coaxially aligned with the rotational axis and disposed between the impeller shell and the turbine-piston shell so as to resist axial movement of the turbine-piston toward the first engagement surface and into the lockup mode, the annular elastomeric sandwich washer comprising
axially opposite first and second outer members; andan elastomeric inner member sandwiched between the first outer member and the second outer member.