Schaeffler produces 100-millionth LuK Dual Mass Flywheel
Schaeffler, one of the largest suppliers of original equipment (OE) components to the world’s leading vehicle manufacturers (VMs), has just produced the 100-millionth LuK Dual Mass Flywheel (DMF).
The history-making DMF came off the production line at the LuK clutch plant in Bühl, Germany, 30 years after the technology was first used as original equipment.
Matthias Zink, President of Schaeffler’s Transmission Systems business division, said: “The development of the Dual Mass Flywheel is one of the outstanding innovations in our company`s almost 50-year history and has emerged as a ground-breaking product for the automotive industry and as a key technology for sustainable mobility, which is required more than ever today.
“The decisive factor for our success is the motivation of our engineers who are shaping the mobility for tomorrow now, and were also doing it 30 years ago by successfully developing the DMF.”
The DMF was the brainchild of LuK engineer Dr. Wolfgang Reik, and the first unit to be used in mass production was introduced by BMW in 1985 on the 525e.
The earliest designs had arc springs not much bigger than a conventional clutch torsion damper, but with the all important ‘split masses’. This means that one half of the flywheel was attached to the engine crankshaft and the other effectively attached to the gearbox and driveline through the clutch, lowering its resonance frequency.
It wasn’t long before damper capacity was increased five-fold by expanding the size of the arc springs and pushing them out to the larger outer diameter of the DMF.
BMW was closely followed down the DMF route by Mercedes-Benz, with Vauxhall joining the revolution in 1987 and Porsche following in 1988. Even the Americans understood the benefits of the new system – the Chevrolet Corvette was fitted with a DMF in 1989. By 1994 Audi, Toyota, Ford, Jaguar, Daimler, Land Rover and Lancia all had power trains featuring the DMF.
In 1994 the humble Volkswagen Polo was originally fitted with a DMF, essentially making the Dual Mass Flywheel a mainstream product rather than one just for high-end or luxury cars. Fast forward to the beginning of 2015 and there are currently 22 million DMF-equipped vehicles on UK roads, and with modern, lighter engines producing more torque (and being driven at very low engine speeds to improve fuel economy) the future of the DMF is secure.
The DMF has undergone continuous further development over the past 30 years. A very significant increase in vibration damping was achieved by integrating a centrifugal pendulum-type absorber.
This groundbreaking technology, which was introduced in 2008, increases the damping capacity in the DMF by adding a further speed-adaptive component.
The pendulum replaces the internal damper of a conventional DMF and therefore has almost no effect on the design space. DMFs with centrifugal pendulum-type absorber can be used wherever conventional DMFs were fitted.
Together with the basic isolation of the vibrations by the spring mass system of the DMF, this achieves isolation levels of more than 90 percent. As a result, engines can be operated even at low speeds in a very smooth and comfortable way that allows the transmission ratio to be made longer and thus designed for greater efficiency in terms of fuel consumption; and this applies for both manual and double clutch transmissions.
To celebrate the 30th birthday of the DMF during 2015, Schaeffler has introduced the DMF CheckPoint app.
Available to download from iTunes for Apple devices and Google Play Store for Android, DMF CheckPoint is an invaluable tool for professional motor mechanics who regularly service and repair modern clutch systems that include a DMF.
To accurately check if a Dual Mass Flywheel needs replacing due to wear, mechanics need to be aware of the correct operating tolerances and bolt torque settings that are unique to each DMF.
You can now simply enter a LuK DMF part number into the DMF CheckPoint app and instantly see all of the information you need to be aware of before carrying out a professional repair. With links to RepXpert and the UK technical hotline built in, technicians will always be only a click away from even more expert help.
In the UK, Schaeffler is renowned not only for its LuK clutch brand, but also for its INA tensioner and FAG wheel bearing brands which are supported by technical support and repair installation tips through the RepXpert website (www.RepXpert.com) and a technical hotline; UK Tel: 08457 001100, Ireland Tel: +44 (0)1432 264264.
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Bühl staff celebrate the 100 millionth Dual Mass Flywheel with (left to right): Helmut Reinhardt, Assembly Manager; Dr. Wolfgang Reik, former Head of Development; Norbert Indlekofer, Schaeffler CEO Automotive; Matthias Zink, President of Transmission Systems business division; Dr. Jürgen Kroll, Head of Clutch Systems business unit; and Dr. Dieter Eireiner, Head of Production Line