An Experimental Determination of the Supply and Exhaust Pressures in an Electro-Pneumatic Clutch Actuation System

Abstract

Inlet and outlet orifices in an actuation chamber are sources through which the supply and exhaust pressures pass during the actuation process in clutch systems. They are key ingredients in an actuation chamber and are very phenomenal in heavy-duty vehicle operation. It is these pressures that initiate linear or rotary motions in drive systems. The pressure actions are processed in an enclosure termed an actuation chamber. Oftentimes, the forces or pressures produced in an actuation chamber are unknown and immeasurable owing to a lack of precise instruments to accomplish them. This challenge can only be approached via an improvised technique that requires experimentation. This is precisely what this presentation is all about. The knowledge of these parameters is important in the study of the actuation process in electro-pneumatic clutch systems of heavy-duty vehicles. The study was done with a Mercedes Benz Actros Truck Model MP 2, 2031 Actuator chamber. An empirical and analytical approach was adopted. Meter rule, Venire Callipers and Mass Spring Balance were deployed for the experiments. Piston coil or spring, clutch distance in the actuator, the cross-sectional diameter of the actuator, and displacement in the free lengths of the coils among others were measured. The results of the experiments were analysed and used to determine the values of the supply (inlet) and exhaust (outlet) pressures which results stood at 9.61 bars and 11.299 bars, respectively.