Abstract: A drive apparatus including a driving section and a driven section interconnected by a flexible belt which passes over pulley members respectively associated with each of the driving and driven sections. At least one of the driving and driven sections comprises a housing, a central shaft section mounted for rotation within the housing, the central shaft section having a gear assembly provided on a central portion thereof for rotation therewith, and first flange means provided on at least one of the end portions thereof. At least one lateral shaft section is provided having a pulley member mounted thereon for rotation therewith, the lateral shaft section having second flange means provided on one of its end portions. The lateral shaft section is removably connected to the central shaft section by means of connector elements interconnecting said first and second flange means.

Abstract: A variable speed device pulley is disclosed of the type comprising a fixed pulley half and movable pulley half facing each other and fixed for rotation with a rotatable shaft. An annular abutment is fixed for rotation with and bears axially against the rotatable shaft. A return spring, e.g., a diaphragm spring, bears axially against the abutment member to urge the movable pulley half toward the fixed pulley half. The annular abutment member comprises a bearing component and a contact component bearing axially against each other. The bearing component is fixed relative to the rotatable shaft and the bearing component is fixed relative to the return spring. The contact component is floatingly mounted on the bearing component for limited shifting movement transversely relative to the axis of the rotatable shaft. The floating mounting may comprise elastic bushes or rings, leaf springs or an intermediate component with sliders.

Abstract: A torque converter with a clutch mechanism in combination wherein an axially movable sheave is movable toward and away from an opposed fixed sheave, the sheaves accomodating a belt therebetween, the movable sheave being movable in accordance with movement of a centrifugal speed responsive device adjacent the movable sheave to vary the effective pitch diameter of the pair of sheaves having their opposed faces engageable by the belt, and in which a clutch mechanism axially aligned with and mounted on the torque converter is actuatable to move the movable sheave from a non-driving position wherein the belt is not in driving engagement with the sheaves to a driving position wherein the belt is in driving engagement with the sheaves, the sheaves being resiliently biased axially apart and the clutch mechanism being resiliently biased away from the movable sheave.

Abstract: A centrifugal clutch includes a drive shaft to which a first sheave half is fixed and on which a second sheave half is axially shiftably mounted. The second sheave half forms part of a housing including a cover which is secured to an annular rim of the second sheave half by fasteners which also serve to serve to hold a plurality of equiangularly spaced ramp or cam elements against respective seats provided on support ribs forming an integral part of the second sheave half.

Abstract: An adjustable drive for auxiliary aggregates of internal combustion engines in which some auxiliary aggregates such as the fan are adapted to be driven from the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine by way of an adjustable V-belt drive automatically regulatable under the influence of the centrifugal force in such a manner that at smaller crankshaft rotational speeds, a transmission with a speed-up results whereas at higher crankshaft rotational speeds a transmission with a speed reduction results; the control range of the V-belt drive is thereby subdivided at least into two partial ranges by a corresponding matching of the lever arms of the flyweights and/or of the spring forces, respectively, of the spring forces themselves, between which lies a range with constant transmission ratio.

Abstract: In known V-belt automatic variable power transmissions the change in the gear ratio as a function of angular velocity or the number of revolutions at full throttle at high loads is a compromise between the desired performance of the vehicle and fuel consumption, emission, noise nuisance considerations. The invention obolishes this compromise by making the gear ratio constant in a determined region or range of angular velocities around the original change gear ratio and number of revolutions relationship. In a preferred embodiment this is achieved by the shape of the cam surfaces of the centrifugal weights which surfaces are almost straight over a determined portion thereof.