Les,
I agree with your assessment.? In addition, drawing from material science, you must bend the material beyond the yield point before it takes a permanent set.? Before that you are in the elastic region of the material.? Apply force and then remove it, and it will go back to its original state.? That's how springs work.? ?I would also suspect the opposite RA plate would just have as much of an opportunity to bend or cup, probably more so if the worm wheel is stainless.? All depends on the materials, there grades of Aluminum that are stronger than steel.? Again, I don't think you will get anywhere near the yield point of the materials.
From your comments, you seem to feel that when you tighten the clutch, it will align with the worm wheel face and the clutch or opposite end of the RA housing,? Much like a screw with washers aligning perpendicular in a hole even when the hole is greatly oversized.?
It would have been nice to see a robust bearing between the RA disc and the worm wheel, in the same plane as the clutch surface.? That would transfer the radial load on the RA disc to the brass tube, or to the worm wheel and then the brass tube.? I wonder if that is a good home for another radial bearing?? You can pick up a precision needle roller bearing with a 1.75" outer diameter that would fit (with a little boring out) in the brass tube.
I did an short examination last night of the bearings.? That is a hefty bearing in the center of the worm wheel.? I wonder what are the radial forces that invited that size of a bearing.? On the other hand, a bearing with a 2"? bore is going to be large, unless you go for a thin section bearing at 10x the price.? A cost vs function calculation no doubt.
I looked at my worm last night, and confirmed it's the stainless variety.? I observed a significant periodic friction when rotating the worm.? I wonder if it is out of round.? I will need to measure that.? I also wonder how much more accurate the new brass ones are.
My Losmandy seems to be a little younger than yours, my last digits are 72014.
Bob
