Forklift Starters and Alternators - The starter motor nowadays is usually either a series-parallel wound direct current electric motor which has a starter solenoid, which 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, mainly through a key-operated switch, the solenoid engages a lever that pushes out the drive pinion which is located on the driveshaft and meshes the pinion with the starter ring gear that is found on the engine flywheel.
As soon as the starter motor starts to turn, the solenoid closes the high-current contacts. Once the engine has started, the solenoid has a key operated switch which opens the spring assembly so as to pull 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 allows the pinion to transmit drive in only one direction. Drive is transmitted in this particular manner via the pinion to the flywheel ring gear. The pinion remains engaged, for example as the driver fails to release the key when the engine starts or if there is a short and the solenoid remains engaged. This actually causes the pinion to spin independently of its driveshaft.
The actions discussed above would prevent the engine from driving the starter. This vital step stops the starter from spinning very fast that it can fly apart. Unless modifications were made, the sprag clutch arrangement would prevent the use of the starter as a generator if it was made use of in the hybrid scheme mentioned prior. Normally an average starter motor is designed for intermittent use which will prevent it being used as a generator.
Therefore, the electrical components are meant to be able to operate for just about less than 30 seconds to be able to avoid overheating. The overheating results from too slow dissipation of heat due to ohmic losses. The electrical components are meant to save weight and cost. This is truly the reason nearly all owner's guidebooks used for automobiles suggest the operator to stop for at least 10 seconds after each and every 10 or 15 seconds of cranking the engine, when trying to start an engine that does not turn over right away.
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 utilized. The Bendix system functions by placing the starter drive pinion on a helically cut driveshaft. When the starter motor begins turning, the inertia of the drive pinion assembly enables it to ride forward on the helix, therefore engaging with the ring gear. As soon as the engine starts, the backdrive caused from the ring gear allows 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.
During the 1930s, an intermediate development between the Bendix drive was made. The overrunning-clutch design which was made and launched in the 1960s was the Bendix Folo-Thru drive. The Folo-Thru drive has a latching mechanism along with a set of flyweights in the body of the drive unit. This was better for the reason that the standard Bendix drive utilized in order to disengage from the ring once 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. As soon as the drive unit is spun at a speed higher than what is attained by the starter motor itself, like for instance it is backdriven by the running engine, and after that the flyweights pull outward in a radial manner. This releases the latch and allows the overdriven drive unit to become spun out of engagement, therefore unwanted starter disengagement can be avoided prior to a successful engine start.
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