A fluid coupling device is disclosed of the type including a coupling assembly (13) including a housing member (15) and a cover member (17), the members (15) and (17) including flange portions (61) and (63). The flange portion (63) defines an annular fluid cooling recess (65). Fluid is directed from the operating chamber (33) by means of a fluid-directing member (69) through an inlet opening (67) into the recess (65). Fluid flows circumferentially around the coupling device through the recess (65), with heat being transmitted from the fluid to the flange portion (63) and then dissipated. At the end of the recess (65), the fluid engages an end wall (75) which directs the fluid into an outlet passage (77) and back into the operating chamber. The fluid cooling recess has no direct communication with the fluid reservoir chamber (37).
A wire cutting electric discharge machine which carries out an electric discharge process on a workpiece using a wire electrode of normal diameter, for example, 0.1 mm or greater, can also be used with a fine wire electrode with a diameter of less than 0.1 mm. The fine wire electrode can only withstand a small tension because of its extremely small diameter, so that a wire disposal device for disposing a normal wire electrode cannot be used. Therefore, a wire disposal device for a fine wire electrode is provided adjacent to the lower wire guide device, and the force with which the wire is wound up by the wire disposal device is sufficiently smaller than the tension of the fine wire electrode, so that the wire disposal process does not produce breakage in the fine wire electrode. In addition, the lower wire guide device can be used in common for a normal wire electrode, and as required, can be changed for use with a fine wire electrode.
Fluid friction clutches tend to operate discontinuously when the performance requirement is low and therefore the filling ratio in the working chamber is also low. This so-called "surging" is to be avoided. According to the invention, a forced guiding is provided for the clutch fluid from a front part of the working chamber into the rear part of the working chamber, and only then is the return flow provided to the storage chamber which is achieved by a sealing-off of the working chamber into these two areas by means of the clutch disk and by means of the arrangement of a fluid deflector with damming bodies at a part of the circumference. The resulting forced distribution of clutch fluid on both sides of the clutch disk permits a smooth operation of the clutch and, when pumping elements are arranged, also a reduction of the hysteresis. Fluid friction clutches of this type are particularly suitable for fan drives for cooling devices of motor vehicles.
A torque converter has a front cover having grooves or depressions integrally formed therein which operate to increase oil flow in the torque converter and hence lubrication and cooling thereof.
A fluid coupling device is provided of the type including a housing member (15) and a cover member (17), and a valve plate (31) disposed therebetween to define a fluid operating chamber (33) and a fluid reservoir chamber (35) containing fluid defining a fluid level (F), when the device is shutdown in the disengaged condition. The valve plate defines a discharge opening (47) through which fluid is pumped from the operating chamber back into the reservoir. In accordance with the invention, the cover member (17') defines an annular groove (57; 57'), including a upstream portion (59; 59'), and the cover defines a downstream portion (67; 67') in open communication between the annular groove and the reservoir. The circumferential extent of the annular groove is at least about 180 degrees, such that either the upstream portion or the downstream portion is above the fluid level for any rotational orientation of the device. The invention prevents bleedback of fluid into the operating chamber during shutdown, and substantially eliminates the problem of "morning sickness", and the related undesirable noise.
