A pressure plate arrangement with wear compensating device

A pressure plate arrangement, for a motor vehicle friction clutch, comprises a wear detecting portion 34 which penetrates a through-orifice 36 having peripheral regions 50, 52 with, for example, a triangular cross-sectional shape so as to provide tree support regions 54, 56 and 58. Wear detecting portion 34 is tilted against regions 54, 56 and 58 by a leaf spring element 42 such that it is held by a frictional clamp fit in the orifice 36. A diaphragm spring 18 acts between casing 12 and the pressure plate 16 via a slack adjuster 24 that cooperates with a slack-adjusting portion 32 and the detecting portion 34 to compensate for wear. The wear detecting portion may have a hexagonal cross-section (see fig 5)or it may be circular with a flat portion (see fig 7). In another embodiment the wear detecting portion 34 may be held in the pressure plate (see fig 3) by, for example, a press-fit, welding, adhesion etc.