Have you ever wondered what is happening inside a car when you press the clutch pedal? Or why do you need to press the clutch pedal before you shift gears in a manual transmission car? This video gives you logical answers to these questions. At the end of the video, we will also understand the crucial role played by the clutch in an uphill start.
image: Lesics
The first stage in the transmission of a car with a manual gearbox is the clutch.A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft.
image: Lesics
In a motor vehicle, the clutch acts as a mechanical linkage between the engine and transmission, and briefly disconnects, or separates the engine from the transmission system. This disconnects the drive wheels whenever the clutch pedal is depressed, allowing the driver to smoothly change gears.
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When you push in the pedal, a cable or hydraulic pressure will push on a throw-out bearing, which will push on the spring-like fingers of the pressure plate attached to the transmission, allowing the engine to disconnect, leaving the pressure plate to spin with the transmission while the engine keeps goingWhen you release the pedal, the pressure plate goes back to the pressure state and connects engine to itself, therefore the transmission.
A dry clutch uses dry friction to transfer power from the input shaft to the output shaft. The majority of clutches are dry clutches. Slippage of a friction clutch (where the clutch is partially engaged but the shafts are rotating at different speeds) is sometimes required, such as when a motor vehicle accelerates from a standstill; however the slippage should be minimised to avoid increased wear rates.
