Ortlinghaus multiplate safety clutches are permanently engaged, this condition being maintained by spring pressure. They are able to transmit torque up to a particular, preset level, after which, in the case of an overload in the transmission, they are designed to slip for a limited period of time. They can thus be used to safeguard all types of transmission lines in machines and equipment from overloading and destruction. They have the task of smoothing out high torque peaks at start-ups and during the operation of a line. This is done by the clutch plates slipping past each other for a short period of time when the desired maximum torque is reached.

With this functional principle, Ortlinghaus has succeeded in producing clutches with a torque of up to 230,000 Nm.

The torque at which a clutch starts to slip can be varied, within limits. In this way these clutches safeguard gear wheels, shafts, and other drive elements from damage and thus guarantee operational reliability for an extended period of time; in this way they also help to prevent the need for repairs. It must be kept in mind that when the clutch is slipping, frictional heat is produced and released within the set of plates and that the permissible amount of heat is limited. This thermal loading must be kept within the required limit with the aid of a slip monitoring device, which would switch off the drive. This is necessary with fast-running drives where the critical amount of heat is reached very rapidly when slipping commences.