Safety-overrunning ball-type clutch parts contact interaction features

The article deals with the field of machinery, namely, with the protecting of devices for mechanical driving systems. Safety-overrunning clutches, operating on gearing principle, where safety and overrunning parts are mutually integrated, are perspectives for the building based on modular machines. This case is due to their compactness and low components, comparatively with combined constructions.New clutch design is investigated insufficiently. Particularly their calculation methods, namely parts contact stresses determination, developed deficiently. For ball- type overrunning clutches, contact strength calculations are well-developed, but its transference on new construction safety-overrunning clutches is impossible because of the difference between parts contact interaction in those clutches. The aims of the article are: to analyze created by authors safety- overrunning ball-type clutch parts contact interaction features; to propose on its base clutch construction improvement which could provide parts contact stresses minimization out of dependence with clutch manufacturing and assembling accuracy; taking into account Hertz contact interaction theory results, to obtain expressions for determining clutch parts loads and contact stresses. It is established that using safety-overrunning clutch grooves parallel to radius side surfaces is inexpedient. This can increase balls and internal semi-coupling grooves edge contact and significant contact stresses. To exclude the impact of clutch parts manufacturing and assembling accuracy on contact stresses in paper, proposed to incline grooves side surfaces at an angle to the semi-couplings radius, passing through the ball centre in diametric section. Comparatively,contact grooves inclination to radius with the edge allows decreasing contact stresses in 45–55 times. Further investigations should be focused on force parameters and operating characteristics justification for a clutch with inclined grooves proposed in this paper.