A survey on modeling and engagement control for automotive dry clutch

Single and dual dry clutches are widely used in automotive transmissions because of their reliability and effi- ciency paired with low fuel consumption and reduction of pollutant emissions. A prerequisite to attain these goals in automated manual transmissions is the adoption of a “good ”clutch model and the design of a robust control strategy. Several papers have been dedicated to modeling and engagement control of dry clutches, both in mechanical and control engineering literature. The wide practical interest of the application and the maturity of the research field motivate the need for a state of the art analysis on the topic. This paper aims at exploring clutch transmissibility models and engagement control strategies proposed in the last decades. An overview of dry clutch torque modeling is proposed together with a discussion on the main factors which affect the torque transmission, such as temperature, sliding speed, contact pressure, wear. Then, the prevalent clutch actuator ar- chitectures and control strategies are analyzed by discussing pros, cons and open issues. The survey is concluded by suggesting some topics of interest for future research.