Forklift Starters and Alternators - The starter motor of today is typically either a series-parallel wound direct current electric motor that has a starter solenoid, that is similar to a relay mounted on it, or it can be a permanent-magnet composition. Once current from the starting battery is applied to the solenoid, basically through a key-operated switch, the solenoid engages a lever which pushes out the drive pinion that is positioned on the driveshaft and meshes the pinion using the starter ring gear that is seen on the engine flywheel.
The solenoid closes the high-current contacts for the starter motor, which starts to turn. After the engine starts, the key operated switch is opened and a spring inside the solenoid assembly pulls the pinion gear away from the ring gear. This particular action causes the starter motor to stop. The starter's pinion is clutched to its driveshaft by means of an overrunning clutch. This permits the pinion to transmit drive in only one direction. Drive is transmitted in this particular method through the pinion to the flywheel ring gear. The pinion remains engaged, for instance for the reason that the driver fails to release the key as soon as the engine starts or if the solenoid remains engaged for the reason that there is a short. This causes the pinion to spin separately of its driveshaft.
The actions discussed above will stop the engine from driving the starter. This significant step prevents the starter from spinning very fast that it can fly apart. Unless adjustments were made, the sprag clutch arrangement will prevent utilizing the starter as a generator if it was used in the hybrid scheme discussed earlier. Typically a regular starter motor is designed for intermittent use which will stop it being used as a generator.
Thus, the electrical parts are meant to work for roughly under 30 seconds to be able to avoid overheating. The overheating results from very slow dissipation of heat due to ohmic losses. The electrical components are intended to save cost and weight. This is really the reason most owner's instruction manuals utilized for automobiles suggest the driver to pause for a minimum of 10 seconds after every 10 or 15 seconds of cranking the engine, if trying to start an engine which does not turn over immediately.
In the early part of the 1960s, this overrunning-clutch pinion arrangement was phased onto the market. Previous to that time, a Bendix drive was used. The Bendix system functions by placing the starter drive pinion on a helically cut driveshaft. When the starter motor begins spinning, the inertia of the drive pinion assembly enables it to ride forward on the helix, therefore engaging with the ring gear. Once the engine starts, the backdrive caused from the ring gear enables the pinion to exceed the rotating speed of the starter. At this moment, the drive pinion is forced back down the helical shaft and thus out of mesh with the ring gear.
The development of Bendix drive was developed in the 1930's with the overrunning-clutch design called the Bendix Folo-Thru drive, developed and launched in the 1960s. The Folo-Thru drive has a latching mechanism together with a set of flyweights within the body of the drive unit. This was a lot better because the average Bendix drive used so as to disengage from the ring when the engine fired, even though it did not stay running.
As soon as the starter motor is engaged and starts turning, the drive unit is forced forward on the helical shaft by inertia. It then becomes latched into the engaged position. Once the drive unit is spun at a speed higher than what is achieved by the starter motor itself, like for instance it is backdriven by the running engine, and afterward the flyweights pull outward in a radial manner. This releases the latch and allows the overdriven drive unit to become spun out of engagement, thus unwanted starter disengagement could be avoided before a successful engine start.
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