Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus is to be applied to a vehicle including a torque converter and an engine. The vehicle control apparatus includes a turbine hub, a lock-up piston, a damper mechanism, and a control system. The damper mechanism permits relative rotation between a hub of the turbine hub and a cylindrical part of the lock-up piston. The control system controls the engine. The control system calculates, with the lock-up piston engaged with a crankshaft of the engine, a PV value that is a product of a sliding surface pressure and a sliding speed between the hub and the cylindrical part. When the PV value is greater than a threshold, the control system changes an engine torque more gradually than when the PV value is equal to or less than the threshold. The engine torque is an output torque of the crankshaft.

Abstract: A crankpin lath is improved in positioning a crankpin onto the axis of work spindles precisely and in a short period of time by the use of simple and low-cost mechanisms. Indexing a crankpin to be machined next onto the axis of the work spindles is initiated in the state that journals of a crankshaft are clamped on index members which are rotatably supported respectively on work spindles with the axes thereof being offset by an eccentricity of crankpins from the axis of the work spindles. First, a clutch device interposed between each of the work spindle and the index member carried thereon is brought into disengagement. Then, a pin pusher is advanced toward the axis of the work spindle as it pushes a machined crankpin of the crankshaft and is positioned to a position spaced by a predetermined distance from the axis of the work spindle while the work spindle is rotated by half an angle through which the crankshaft is to be indexed rotationally.

Abstract: A crankpin lath is improved in positioning a crankpin onto the axis of work spindles precisely and in a short period of time by the use of simple and low-cost mechanisms. Indexing a crankpin to be machined next onto the axis of the work spindles is initiated in the state that journals of a crankshaft are clamped on index members which are rotatably supported respectively on work spindles with the axes thereof being offset by an eccentricity of crankpins from the axis of the work spindles. First, a clutch device interposed between each of the work spindle and the index member carried thereon is brought into disengagement. Then, a pin pusher is advanced toward the axis of the work spindle as it pushes a machined crankpin of the crankshaft and is positioned to a position spaced by a predetermined distance from the axis of the work spindle while the work spindle is rotated by half an angle through which the crankshaft is to be indexed rotationally.