The transfer of torque from the engine to the transmission occurs through the clutch. It works solely by friction, and this can be imagined as follows: two contact surfaces are pressed tightly against the third and hold it so tightly that it is forced to rotate with these two. The meaning of the design is that this connection can be disconnected at any time, otherwise both of these parts could just as well be screwed one to the other. Let's call them by name: a flywheel and a pressure plate loaded with spring force are rigidly connected to the engine. A driven disk is clamped between them, rigidly engaged by teeth with the gearbox shaft.
The release bearing has another important function: when the clutch pedal is depressed, it is pressed by the clutch control actuator (see next section) to the pressure plate and overcomes the force of the pressure plate spring. The driven disk is thus released from its «clamped» position and can rotate freely between pressure plate and flywheel. Torque transmission between the engine and the gearbox is stopped. If the clutch pedal is released again, the pressure plate Belleville spring presses the driven plate against the flywheel again, stopping its free rotation in one fell swoop. All three elements are again a hard-wired connection. The motor torque can be transferred to the drive.
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