The oilfree Newcomer

Dry multidisk clutches offer many advantages. Miba Friction Group develops the friction components for this new technology.

Multidisk clutches are a function-critical part in vehicle drives. Every drivetrain includes gear wheels that transmit torque from one level to the next via a so-called “positive engagement”. When driving the vehicle around a corner, the torque is transmitted only to a fixed position. In the case of a multidisk clutch, this can also be done with “slip”. It makes it easier to control the torque – more specifically, in a continuously variable manner. Nowadays, wet, that is, oiled multidisk clutches are being used. For this case and other applications, the industry is developing a new, environmentally friendly, dry multidisk clutch technology. And Miba Friction Group is developing the pertinent friction technology.

Doing without oil saves energy

But what are the specific advantages of dry multidisk clutches? They offer greater efficiency, and doing without oil helps save a lot of energy, because, with oil in the system, energy is needed to keep it in constant motion. Furthermore, a dry system is able to achieve a higher torque density. All this saves energy, and, together with the avoidance of oil, contributes toward a more sustainable clutch technology.

"Dry multidisk clutches offer greater efficiency and overcome technical hurdles. Doing without oil saves you a lot of energy." - Falk Nickel, Head of R&D, Miba Friction Group