School Of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering,

NUST
ME-115 Engineering Mechanics (Fall 2023)

Lab Report#7

Name: Muhammad Ali Arshad CMS: 406356

Section: B Group: 1

Experiment 7:

To understand frictional forces and their effect in a clutch plate making use of
clutch plate friction apparatus
Objectives:
 To learn about the construction, working principle and function of a clutch plate
friction apparatus
 To study the relationship between friction and load in the clutch plate apparatus.
 To understand and practically study the application theories of uniform wear and
uniform pressure in a clutch plate

Apparatus:
The following apparatus is used for performing this experiment:
 Clutch Plate Apparatus
 Friction Discs (Nylon and Wood)
  Axial Loads
 Hangers
 Weights
 Strings

Clutch Plate Friction Apparatus

Theory:
Clutch Plate Friction Apparatus:
Friction is the force that opposes the motion of an object. It can also be defined as a force that
opposes the relative motion between two surfaces in contact. The coefficient of friction (𝜇) is
a dimensionless quantity which indicates how much friction a specific surface offers. It is the
ratio of frictional force to the normal force pushing the two surfaces together. It depends on
the material and roughness of two surfaces in contact. One method of finding the coefficient
of friction (𝜇) for a material is by using the clutch plate friction apparatus.

Construction:
The setup of a clutch plate apparatus consists of two clutch plates mounted on a wall with
the help of a sturdy bracket. The lower clutch plate is stationary. On top of the stationary
plate is the second aluminum plate can rotate. In between the two clutch plates, rests the
disc m of the material for which coefficient of friction is to be calculated. Two pulleys
attached to the apparatus allow weights with the help of strings wrapped around the plates
to exert pure torque on the arrangement.

Importance and Practical Application:

A friction clutch plate is employed in automobiles to enable the synchronization of the
rotation speed between the transmission input shaft and the engine. The force needed to
propel the vehicle is derived from the friction generated as the engine and the transmission
make contact. The friction generated through this mechanism is therefore very important in
the working of a vehicle. So, we study the friction in a clutch plate friction apparatus, its
behavior and the various factors that affect it with the help of a clutch plate apparatus.
Working:
When, weights are placed in the hangers connected to the cords which pass over the
pulleys, and are wrapped around the clutch plate, these weights exert pure torque on the
clutch plate. This torque causes the clutch plate to rotate and can be expressed as:
Torque=Weight × Diameter of Clutch Plate
τ =w 1 × D=w 2 × D

This torque can be used to find the coefficient of friction for the discs. For the wooden disc,
we will use the formula derived with the help of uniform wear theory.

( )
3 3
2 μ w R +R
τ = p 3 12 2 2
3 R1 −R 2

( )
2 2
3 τ R1 −R 2
μ p=
2 w 3 R13−R 23

For nylon plate, we are not concerned about wear and tear and thus by applying uniform
pressure theory :
 ( )
τ =μw w3
R1 + R2
2

μ = (
w R +R )
2τ 1
w
3 1 2

Uniform Pressure Theory:

In the case of a relatively new disc, we employ the uniform pressure theory. This is because
in a new disc, the pressure is evenly distributed across the surface, given the absence or
minimal wear.
Uniform Wear Theory:
When dealing with a disc that exhibits signs of wear, we utilize the uniform wear theory.
This theory suggests that in the case of an aged or worn disc, the pressure distribution is
not uniform.
Procedure:
1. Set up the clutch plate apparatus.
2. Place the wooden disc in between the two plates of the apparatus. Record the
weight of the plate above the disc as w 3, the axial load.
3. Next wrap the strings around the plate. The first string is coiled around the groove
of the first plate and the second string is coiled around the groove of the second
plate.
4. These strings are passed over one pulley each and hangers are connected to both
their ends.
5. After this, we add weights to the hangers until the clutch begins to move ever so
slightly. These weights are noted down as ‘w 1’ and ‘w 2’ respectively.
6. This movement is caused by the torque:
τ =w 1 × D=w 2 × D

Where ‘D’ is the diameter of the plate

7. Finding the coefficient of friction for the wooden plate using the formula :
μw =
2τ
(
1
w 3 R1+ R2 )
Where R1 = Outer radius of disc
R2 = Inner radius of disc
8. After this, increase the axial load by 5N and then repeat the above steps for finding
torque as well as coefficient of friction.
9. Again, increase the axial load by 5N and repeat the above mentioned steps.
 10. After this, swap out the wooden disc with the nylon disc.
11. Next, calculate the torque and coefficients of friction for the nylon disc for no added
axial loads and then added axial loads of 5N repeatedly.
12. Coefficient of friction for nylon disc will be calculated as;

( )
2 2
3 τ R1 −R 2
μ p=
2 w 3 R13−R 23

Readings and Calculations:

There values provided beforehand the experiment are:
Outer Radius of the discs=R1=0.125 m

Inner Radius of the discs=R2=0.075 m

Diameter of the Clutch Plate=D=0.29 m

Initial Value of Axial Load=32.5 N
Weight of the clamp=1 N

Table:
Wooden Plate
Axial Load w1 w2 τ μ

(N) (N) (N) (N/m)

32.5 1.7 1.7 0.493 0.1517

37.5 2 2 0.58 0.1547
42.5 2.4 2.4 0.696 0.1637
Nylon Plate

Axial Load w1 w ¿ τ μ
¿2
(N) (N) (N/m)
(N)
32.5 2 2 0.58 0.1748
37.5 2.5 2.5 0.725 0.1834
42.5 3 3 0.87 0.2005

Results and Discussion:

We calculated the coefficient of friction for both discs. The values obtained were quite
accurate and contained a very small amount of error. The small errors were mainly due to
the following reasons;
 Human Errors
 Error due to Friction in the pulleys
 Unsteady Movement of the Plates
 Wear and Tear of the Apparatus
 Unsteady Movement of the Plates
The results show that the normal force acting on a body and its corresponding frictional
force are directly related.

Conclusion:
We used the clutch plate apparatus to study the friction in discs made of different materials
and its behavior under different axial loads. Using the basic concept of torque and frictional
force we managed to study the relationship between an axial load on the clutch plate and
the frictional force exerted on it. Looking at the table, we get a rough idea of the
relationship between the two. In short, in this experiment, we learnt to work with a clutch
plate apparatus, find the coefficient of friction and understand how different parameters
affect the various outcomes for friction and how can we control these by manipulating
various factors.