TORQUE CONVERTER AND HYDROKINETIC TORQUE COUPLING DEVICE HAVING TURBINE-PISTON LOCKUP CLUTCH, AND RELATED METHODS

摘要

A hydrodynamic torque coupling device with lockup clutch is provided that includes an impeller, an axially displaceable turbine-piston, and a stop feature. The turbine-piston includes a turbine-piston shell and a turbine-piston flange. The turbine-piston is axially displaceable relative to the impeller to move an engagement surface region of the turbine-piston towards and away from an engagement surface region of the impeller for positioning the torque converter respectively into and out of a lockup mode. When the turbine-piston is out of the lockup mode, a fluid passageway connecting a torus chamber to a damper chamber extends between the engagement surface regions and between flow restriction surface regions of the turbine-piston and impeller. At a maximum axial displacement position out of lockup mode, a gap between the engagement surface regions is greater than a gap between the flow restriction surface regions.

主权项

1. A hydrokinetic torque coupling device for coupling together a driving shaft and a driven shaft, the hydrokinetic torque coupling device rotatable about a rotational axis and comprising:
a casing comprising an impeller shell and a casing shell connected to and non-rotatable relative to the impeller shell, the casing being rotatable about the rotational axis and having a damper chamber; torque converter coaxially aligned with and rotatable about the rotational axis, the torque converter having a torus chamber and comprising
an impeller rotatable about the rotational axis and comprising an impeller shell having a first engagement surface region and a first flow restriction surface region;an axially displaceable turbine-piston coaxially aligned with and hydrodynamically drivable by the impeller to rotate about the rotational axis, the turbine-piston comprising a turbine-piston shell and a turbine-piston flange having a second engagement surface region and a second flow restriction surface region facing the first engagement surface region and the first flow restriction surface region, respectively; anda stop feature configured to prevent axial displacement of the turbine-piston in a direction away from the impeller beyond a maximum axial displacement position, wherein the turbine-piston is axially displaceable relative to the impeller to move the second engagement surface region towards and away from the first engagement surface region for positioning the hydrokinetic torque coupling device between a lockup mode in which the turbine-piston is mechanically locked to so as to be non-rotatable relative to the impeller and a non-lockup mode in which a fluid passageway extends through a first gap between the first and second engagement surface regions and a second gap between the first and second flow restriction surface regions to place the torus chamber and the damper chamber in fluid communication with one another, and wherein axial displacement of the turbine-piston into the maximum axial displacement position provides the first gap with a greater width than the second gap.