Hot judder behavior in multidisc clutches

This paper presents an investigation of the hot judder phenomenon of multidisc clutches, which takes place during the engagement process. Depending on the results of finite element analysis, a pressure distribution function is defined and a contact pressure equation is established to demonstrate the non-uniformity of the contact pressure distribution on the friction interfaces due to frictional heat. The relationship between the coefficient of friction and the temperature is analyzed. A 4 degrees of freedom power-train model is developed to evaluate the clutch judder behavior. The paper indicates that the clutch judder is influenced by the non-uniformity of the interface contact pressure distribution, which is excited by frictionally induced thermal load. The non-uniform contact pressure distributions along the radial direction have a slight influence on the clutch judder, while the uneven contact pressure distributions along the circumference contribute to the judder substantially. Furthermore, the results in this work can be used to study the operation instability and the thermal failure of clutches.