FAN DRIVE CLUTCH FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

摘要

A fan drive clutch is provided which includes a fluid coupling for coupling a drive shaft and a clutch housing on which a fan for blowing air to a radiator is disposed. This clutch has a pump plate for defining a fluid reservoir chamber and a working chamber. The pump plate includes a valve opening through which working fluid passes from the reservoir chamber into the working chamber. The fan drive clutch further includes a valve arm which has a valve plate for opening and closing the valve opening. The valve arm includes an elastically transformable section at a connecting portion between it and the valve plate. This section is operable to absorb movement of the valve arm which may be caused due to a clearance between the shaft for supporting the valve arm and the bearing hole for rotatably supporting the shaft. Therefore, an entire surface of the valve plate is maintained in contact with the facing surface of the pump plate to hermetically close the valve opening without occurrence of any gap therebetween regardless of the movement of the valve arm.