AU2001100239A4 - An improved method of cooling disc-brakes - Google Patents

Description

oCE AN IMPROVED hETEOD OF COLING DISC BRAKES Disc brakes are common on motor vehicles built in the 2Ist century; this includes aircraft.

Present .ay rotor design is usually ventilated, i.e. mult :ie air passages are present in the raiall inrner structure, to allow the flow of ambient sir throu;ig cenrifugal-fan-action.

Metal is coomonly used in most rotors, horever ceramics and other non metal materials can be utilised, lth augh they are considered poor conductors of heat.

Within the outer plate surfaces of the rotors, the passages IO on higher quality and performance vehicls bave aEngled or partly spiralled passages to increase the distance cooling air must travel to transfer heat away from the units; although the latter items have greater efficisncy over radial passares it is common for rotor discs to be seen glowing red in sun- IT shaded areas on sports and racing cars when in action.

It is the purcooe of this veotion to allow ,reater heat dissipation and lead to ,.reater efficiency -ith reduced wear in high performance vehicles, including aircraft.

TWO

Within the rotor structure FIGS I 2 where the air passages radiate or partly spiral from one side of the central concentric port to the outer periphery of the rotor, the passages are cast, moulded or machined, can be coated, sleeved or lined with a highly heat conductive material, such as 'copper' or an alloy with superior heat conductivity.

The coating can be in the form of a paint or metal-spray, or other methods of bonding, casting or welding the highly efficient conductor material in position Liners can be inserted within the passages, forming a permanent wall or 'jacket' in close contact to the parent material. Curved entry and exit port openings can be cast or machined to allow a 'tulip-effect' at both ends of the individual passages for retention and greater surface area.

The sleeves can also be threaded in, similar to an 'allthread' plumbing pipe and screwed into prepared femalethreads in the said air-passages.

The said sleeves can also project beyond the periphery of the parent body of the rotor, allowing a greater surface area for cooling air to poss over and dissipate heat at a higher and more efficient rate.

The said sleeves can be mated to a cooling ventilated ring mounted about the periphery of the rotor; this can be attached by side entry dove-tailing; splines; retained wit a 'shrunk- 2 on' steel or iron ring or retained by other comion and standard retention means used in engineering practise.

The said cooling ventilated ring also constructed of a highly conductive material can present a number of configurations to increase the cooling surface area.

TI&RE-

In addition to the rotor having additional cooling features, these can be applied to the brake calipers in that they can be 'copper' coated and or finned, using meteria with si ilar or greater conductivity than copper lloyrs.

Iten 3 in the drawin sho:s steel or iron rings shrunk onto the rotor utilising chamfered contact surfaces wihich will enhance retention. These sait rings can also 'orni part of the brake-pad contact aree and for greater retention capacity be rivetted with counter-sun through-rivets, with steel ferrells, to minimise a differential shi-t to the said A0 shrunk-on and rivetted rctontion rings.

In oseratior toe rotor is attached to a rhce l hub or driving-axle-flange and its Tunction S to serve the same operation as per a staniard brake-rotor-disc. shos the exit ports of the rotor oaoages. the shrunk-on retaining rings where if the rotor is constructed utilising two seperare halves, joining at the line d-B then only one retaining ring is necessary on one half of the joined structure. The other side will act as a flan e utt. The Joined stricture forming a 'sand sich' which can be fastened to-ether using any nown 53 method in general engineerfng practise. 'he parent sateial can additionally be a non metal matrrir such as ceramic.

shows the said sleeves or coating, the curved area on the intake area of the torts where the sleeve can be suaged for retention. the bolt toles for -ounting the rotor-disc to a flange.

Te rotor can be constructed in two parts conjoined t"roigh i-B or one side containin the vents and the other a rlain simple disc. FIG 3 ,d ith dowells -nd holes (9) and