What is the purpose of a sprag clutch?

A sprag clutch has cam-shaped steel wedges (or sprags) that are placed at an angle and controls the one-way direction of movement. When the movement tries to go in the opposite direction an instant driving disengagement or locking occurs.

What is a sprag on a transmission?

A sprag is a one-way mechanical clutch used in many automatic transmissions as a method of allowing the transmission to smoothly change gears under load. Allomatic sprags are full-hardened, individually loaded, and made with high-quality maraging steel that provide higher fatigue limits than stainless steel.

What is a torque converter sprag?

Simply put, a sprag is a one way clutch, functioning just as a ratchet does in your toolbox. It is locking in one direction and freewheeling in the other direction. Every torque converter manufactured by OEMs has a sprag. A functioning sprag is very important for a street car making 100-200 HP and 500-3000 rpms.

How does a starter sprag clutch work?

The purpose of the starter clutch is to allow the starter to crank the engine in the forward direction. Yet, when the engine fires and accelerates to idle speed, it doesn’t try to drive back through the drivetrain and spin the starter at a zillion rpm. Instead, it releases. So it’s not a ratchet; it’s a roller clutch.

Who invented the sprag clutch?

Ted Zlotec
At 91 years of age, Ted Zlotec, Formsprag Director of Aerospace Products, and the designer of the original Formsprag spray retainer clutch patented in 1959, still works five days a week.

How does a sprag clutch freewheel work?

How a Sprag Clutch Works The Design & Functionality of a One-Way Bearing. A sprag clutch looks like a roller bearing, but instead of allowing the elements to roll freely in both directions, they lock The Engagement Curve. When torque is applied to the clutch, the sprags roll along the engagement curve. Precise Indexing & Long Operating Life. Sprag Clutch Spring System.

What is the purpose of the clutch system?

Clutch control. The purpose of a clutch is in part to allow such control; in particular, a clutch provides transfer of torque between shafts spinning at different speeds. In the extreme, clutch control is used in performance driving, such as starting from a dead stop with the engine producing maximum torque at high RPM.

What is a primary clutch?

The primary clutch (drive) controls engine RPM, the secondary clutch (driven) controls up shift acceleration and back shift, keeping track speed high.We also prefer to run multi-angle billet helixes with custom angles matched to each customer’s sled.

What is a compressor clutch?

The function of a compressor clutch is to allow the pump inside a compressor to freewheel whenever the air conditioning is not in use. When the air conditioning is turned on, and the compressor needs to operate, an electrical signal is sent to the compressor clutch.