How Does The Clutch On A Car Work?
The clutch is a device used to disengage the vehicle’s engine from the transmission to the drive wheels. This is necessary on manual cars when the driver wants to come to a complete halt or to change gear. The clutch mechanism ususally sits next to the flywheel in a housing which shields it from any detritus thrown up from the road. A number of powerful springs hold friction plates together. The they rotate with the engine and flywheel and connect to the gearbox. When the clutch pedal is depressed by the driver a linkage, either mechanical but more often hydraulic, transfers the motion. In the latter case a slave cylinder on the clutch housing moves a lever which presses on a thrust plate, which in turn depresses the clutch springs allowing the clutch plates to part. The engine keeps on turning but the link to the drive train is broken.
