Forklift Starters and Alternators - The starter motor nowadays is normally either a series-parallel wound direct current electric motor which consists of a starter solenoid, that is similar to a relay mounted on it, or it could be a permanent-magnet composition. As soon as current from the starting battery is applied to the solenoid, mainly via 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 which is seen on the engine flywheel.
Once the starter motor starts to turn, the solenoid closes the high-current contacts. As soon as the engine has started, the solenoid consists of a key operated switch which opens the spring assembly to be able to pull the pinion gear away from the ring gear. This action causes the starter motor to stop. The starter's pinion is clutched to its driveshaft by an overrunning clutch. This permits the pinion to transmit drive in only one direction. Drive is transmitted in this particular method via the pinion to the flywheel ring gear. The pinion continuous to be engaged, for example for the reason that the driver fails to release the key as soon as the engine starts or if the solenoid remains engaged in view of the fact that there is a short. This actually causes the pinion to spin independently of its driveshaft.
This aforesaid action prevents the engine from driving the starter. This is an important step as this particular kind of back drive would enable the starter to spin so fast that it could fly apart. Unless modifications were made, the sprag clutch arrangement would stop making use of the starter as a generator if it was employed in the hybrid scheme discussed earlier. Usually an average starter motor is meant for intermittent utilization that will preclude it being used as a generator.
The electrical parts are made to operate for approximately 30 seconds to prevent overheating. Overheating is caused by a slow dissipation of heat is due to ohmic losses. The electrical parts are meant to save weight and cost. This is truly the reason most owner's manuals used for automobiles recommend the driver to stop for at least 10 seconds right after each ten or fifteen seconds of cranking the engine, when trying to start an engine which does not turn over at once.
During the early 1960s, this overrunning-clutch pinion arrangement was phased onto the market. Previous to that time, a Bendix drive was used. The Bendix system works 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, hence engaging with the ring gear. When the engine starts, the backdrive caused from the ring gear enables the pinion to exceed the rotating speed of the starter. At this point, 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 made in the 1930's with the overrunning-clutch design called the Bendix Folo-Thru drive, made and launched during the 1960s. The Folo-Thru drive has a latching mechanism together with a set of flyweights in the body of the drive unit. This was a lot better since the average Bendix drive used so as to disengage from the ring once the engine fired, even though it did not stay functioning.
As soon as the starter motor is engaged and begins 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 attained by the starter motor itself, for example it is backdriven by the running engine, and next the flyweights pull outward in a radial manner. This releases the latch and permits the overdriven drive unit to become spun out of engagement, hence unwanted starter disengagement can be avoided previous to a successful engine start.
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