AU2017268714B2

AU2017268714B2 - Lightweight brake system

Info

Publication number: AU2017268714B2
Application number: AU2017268714A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Martin Johnston; Robert Mcdougall
Original assignee: Advanced Braking Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Advanced Braking Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2016-05-26
Filing date: 2017-05-26
Publication date: 2022-08-25
Anticipated expiration: 2037-05-26
Also published as: AU2017268714A1; WO2017201583A1; CA3024763A1

Abstract

A lightweight brake system (10) comprises a multi-component non load bearing light weight housing (12), and a bracket (14). The housing has an assembled state defining a space (16) for accommodating a brake mechanism (18) and a rotatable braking member 2(0). The housing (12) has axially aligned first and second openings (26, 28). The bracket (14) includes a: fixing portion (30), a housing connection portion (34) and a brake coupling portion (36). The fixing portion (30) locates within the second opening (28) to enable mechanical fixing of the bracket (14) to a structural component (32) supporting the rotatable member (20). The housing connection portion (34) enables fixing of the housing (12) to the bracket (14). The brake coupling portion (36) facilitates coupling of the brake mechanism (18) to the bracket (14) at a location within the housing (12).

Description

LIGHTWEIGHT BRAKE SYSTEM

Technical Field A lightweight brake system as disclosed. The lightweight brake system may be used on land vehicles and machines with rotating components that require braking such as SUVs, mining vehicles and rotating drums of winches.

Background Art

The present Applicant has been and is active in the development of both wet and dry braking systems typically, though not exclusively, for land vehicles. Applicants international publication number WO 201 1/069194 describes a wet disc brake system. The present disclosure relates to advances stemming at least in part from this earlier brake system.

The above reference to the background art does not constitute an admission that the art forms a part of the common general knowledge of a person of ordinary skill in the art. The above address of reference is also not intended to limit the application of the system disclosed herein.

Summary of the Disclosure

In a first aspect there is disclosed a lightweight brake system comprising:

a multi-component non load bearing light weight housing, the housing having an assembled state defining a space for accommodating a brake mechanism and a rotatable braking member, the housing having axially aligned first and second openings; and a bracket having a: fixing portion configured to locate within the second opening to enable mechanical fixing of the bracket to a structural component to which the rotatable member is coupled; a housing connection portion to enable fixing of the housing to the bracket; and a brake coupling portion to facilitate coupling of a brake mechanism to the bracket at a location within the housing to apply braking force to the rotatable braking member.

In one embodiment the housing comprises a cover having a circumferential wall configured to extend circumferentially about the brake coupling portion and wherein the cover is formed with the first opening. In one embodiment the housing comprises a back plate configured to enable coupling to the cover and fixing to the housing connection portion, the back plate being formed with the second opening. In one embodiment the back plate and the cover each comprise respective

complimentary locking parts arranged to facilitate releasable locking of the back plate to the cover by way of rotation of the cover relative to the back plate.

In one embodiment the complimentary locking parts comprise respective screw threads. In one embodiment the lightweight brake system comprises a dust filter supported by the housing or the bracket in a manner wherein the dust filter resides within the space.

In one embodiment the lightweight brake system comprises a vent arranged to enable an exchange of gas through the filter between the space and an exterior of the housing. In one embodiment the brake coupling portion is configured to facilitate radial mounting of a brake mechanism to the bracket.

In one embodiment one or both of the cover and the back plate is made of a polymer material. In a second aspect there is disclosed a method of coupling a brake mechanism to a structural component supporting a rotatable braking member comprising:

mechanically coupling a bracket directly to the structural component;

mechanically coupling a brake mechanism to the bracket at a location to enable the brake mechanism to apply braking force to the rotatable braking member and wherein a reaction force generated by applying the braking force is transmitted through the braqcket to the structural component; and

attaching a housing to the bracket wherein the housing surrounds the rotatable braking member. In one embodiment the method comprises configuring the bracket to extend wholly about the structural component and to allow the structural component to extend into a space created at least in part by the housing.

In one embodiment the method comprises forming a substantial seal between the bracket and the structural component. In one embodiment attaching the housing comprises attaching the housing to the bracket at locations which are radially spaced from the locations at which the bracket is mechanically coupled to the structural component.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Notwithstanding any other forms which may fall within the scope of the system as set forth in the Summary, specific embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the covering drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a section view of an embodiment of the disclosed lightweight brake system mounted on an axle;

Figure 2 is an exploded view of the brake system shown in Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a rear view of a cover used in the disclosed lightweight brake system;

Figure 4 is a section view of the cover shown in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a front elevation of a back plate incorporated in the disclosed lightweight brake system;

Figure 6 is a cross section view of the back plate shown in Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a front elevation of a bracket incorporated in the disclosed lightweight brake system; and

Figure 8 is a cross section view of the bracket shown in Figure 7.

Detailed Description of Specific Embodiments

With reference to the accompanying Figures an embodiment of the disclosed lightweight brake system 10 comprises a multicomponent non-load bearing light weight housing 12 and a bracket 14. The housing 12 has an assembled state (shown in Figure 1) defining a space 16 for accommodating a brake mechanism, in this instance a brake calliper 18 and a rotatable braking member in the form of a rotor 20.

Figure 2 shows two of the main components of the housing 12 namely a cover 22 and a back-plate 24. The housing 12 has a first opening 26 and an axially aligned second opening 28. The opening 26 is formed in the cover 22 of the opening 28 is formed in the back-plate 24.

With particular reference to Figures 1 , 7 and 8 the bracket 14, while formed as a single one-piece component, has a number of different portions which serve different functions. In particular the bracket 14 has a fixing portion 30 which is configured to locate within the second opening 28 to enable mechanical fixing of the bracket 14 to a structural component, in this instance an axle housing 32. The structural component 32 supports or otherwise has coupled to it the rotatable member 20.

The bracket 14 also has a housing connection portion 34 to enable fixing of the housing 12 to the bracket 14. The housing connection portion 34 is radially spaced from the fixing portion 30. Therefore the housing 12 is attached to the bracket at locations which are radially spaced from the locations at which the bracket 14 is mechanically coupled to the structural component/axle housing 32.

Finally the bracket 14 is provided with a brake coupling portion 36 to facilitate coupling of the brake mechanism to the bracket 14 location within the housing 12 to apply braking force to the rotor 20.

Looking at the bracket 14 more closely the fixing portion 30 is formed with a central opening 38 through which the axle housing 32 passes. In this way the structural components/axle housing 32 extends into the space 16 created at least in part by the housing 12. Extending about the opening 38 is an annular portion 40 which is provided with a number of spaced apart holes 42 through which the bolts 44 can pass to mechanically fix the bracket 14 directly to the axle housing 32. A further hole 45 is formed in the bracket 14 to allow access for an ABS sensor in the housing 12.

The fixing portion 30 abuts directly against the axle housing 32 and forms a substantial seal about the axle housing 32. Nevertheless optionally a gasket or sealing compound (not shown) can be provided between bracket 14 and the structural components/axle housing 32. However no part of the housing 12 is located between the bracket 14 and the structural component/axle housing 32. Thus no part of the housing 12 is subjected to compression arising from the tensioning of bolts 44 that fix the bracket 14 to the axle housing 32. The housing connection portion 34 of the bracket 14 is also axially offset from the fixing portion 30. The housing connection portion 34 extends circumferentially about the fixing portion 30 and has an annular surface 46 in which is formed a plurality of spaced apart holes 48. The holes 48 receive screws 50 for attaching the housing 12 and in particular the back-plate 24 to the bracket 14.

The brake coupling portion 36 is formed with two spaced apart lugs 52 that are arranged to enable the radial mounting of callipers 18. Each lug 52 is provided with a

corresponding blind hole 54 for receiving bolts 56 that fix the calliper 18 to the bracket 14. In this embodiment the brake coupling portion 36 also is formed with two upstanding pins 58, one on each lug 52, act to locate and assist in bracing the callipers 18.

It should be recognised that when the callipers 18 are in use applying a braking force to the rotor 20 the reactive force is transmitted through the bracket 14 and bolts 44 directly to the axle housing 32. None of the reactive force is applied to the housing 12.

Additionally as explained above no part of the housing 12 is subject to any substantive compression force and in particular no compression between the bracket 14 and the structural member/axle housing 32. It is for this reason that the housing 12 may be made from a lightweight material including but not limited to plastics and polymer materials including polymer composites.

More particularly, due to the radial mounting of the callipers, when a braking force is applied by the callipers the reactive force is transferred as torque onto the bracket 14 about the axis of the axle housing 32. The torque is spread by the bracket 14 and applied as sheer force substantially equally onto the bolts 44 and thus substantially equally distributed to the axle housing 32.

Referring to Figure 5 the back plate 24 is formed with a number of holes 60 evenly spaced about and near the edge of the opening 28. A plurality of circular bosses 62 are formed about an outer circumference of the back-plate 24. Two further sets of holes 64 and 66 are formed in the back plate 24. The existence and location of the holes 64 and 66 is dependent upon the configuration of the brake mechanism/calliper 18 mounted on the bracket 14. In different embodiments the number and location of the hole 64 and 66 may change. These holes enable passage of hoses (not shown) into the housing 12 for various purposes including: controlled flow of air into and out of the housing 12 through an optional filter located within the housing 12; or in the event of a wet brake application of the system 10 the possible flow of coolant into and out of the housing 12 as well as the filling and draining of the coolant.

In this embodiment two oval like cut-outs 68 are also formed in the back plate 24 at diagonally the opposite locations. The cut-outs 68 are configured to seat a mounting plate 70 of a brake actuator 72 which is coupled to the calliper 18. An O-ring 73 is provided to form a seal between mounting plate 70 and the cut-out 68. Depending on the specific configurations of the brake mechanism and number of brake mechanisms within the housing 12 it may be that only one of the two cut-outs 68 is required to seat a brake actuator 72. In that event a sealing plate 74 (see Figure 1) may be applied over the other cut-outs 68 on a side outside of the housing 12.

Turning back to Figures 3 and 4 the cover 22 is formed with a plurality of eyes 76 about an axial end of the circumferential surface 25 distant the opening 26. Each of the eyes 76 is formed with a hole 78. The opening 26 is circumscribed by a seal assembly mounting ring 80 which is provided with a number of blind holes 82 that open onto an exterior surface of the cover 22.

When the housing 12 is assembled a sealing gasket 84 (shown in Figure 2) is located between the cover 22 and the back-plate 24. Holes 86 in the sealing gasket 84 are aligned with and between the bosses 62 and the eyes 76. A plurality of screws 88 are then passed through the holes 78 and 86 and screw into the threaded holes in the bosses 62 to fix the back-plate 24 and intervening gasket 84 to the cover 22. The housing 12 also includes a rotary sealing assembly 90 which forms a rotary seal between the cover 22 and a hub 91 rotatable mounted on the axle housing 32. The rotary sealing assembly 90 includes an insert housing seal 92, a seal housing 94, a flange sealing ring 96, a V-lip seal 98 and V-lip sealing flanged 100. Optionally a spacer 101 (shown only on Figure 1) may be installed between the hub 91 and the rotary seal assembly 90.

The rotary sealing assembly 90 together with the coupling of the back-plate 24 to the bracket 14 provides a substantial seal preventing the ingress of extraneous liquid and foreign material into the space of 16. The bracket 14 when mounted on and fixed to the axle housing 32 also forms a substantial seal for the space 16. In the system 10 shown in Figure 1 the housing 12, bracket 14 and axle housing 32 are stationary while the hub 91 is able to rotate on bearings 102 mounted on the axle housing 32. A wheel (not shown) is able to be mounted on studs 104 attached to the hub 91 .

Notwithstanding that the housing 12 is effectively sealed it is possible to enable a transfer of gas (e.g. air) into and out of the housing 12. Such transfer of gas may be via a filter 106 within the housing 12 adjacent one or more of the holes 64, 66. The filter 106 prevents the egress of brake pad dust from the housing 12. As previously described one or hoses or a labyrinth may be coupled to the one or more of the holes 64, 66 in fluid communication with the filter 106 to allow the transfer of gas without the ingress of extraneous liquid.

It is possible for the lightweight brake system 10 to be used either in a dry brake configuration or a wet brake configuration. There is no substantive difference in the structure of the lightweight brake system 10 when used in these different configurations. The wet brake configuration is possible because the housing 12 as described above is formed so that the space 16, which can contain a volume of lubricating liquid for a wet brake system, is sealed. However in the wet brake configuration the filter 106 is not required. Whilst a specific embodiment has been described, it should be appreciated that the lightweight brake system may be embodied in many other forms. For example rather than the use of the screws 86, complementary locking parts may be formed on the cover 22 and back-plate 24 to facilitate their coupling together. The complementary locking parts can be arranged to facilitate a spin type lock. Examples of this include complementary screw threads so that the cover 22 can be screwed onto the back-plate 24 after the back- plate 24 has been attached to the bracket 14. Alternately, complementary parts of a bayonet type connection can be provided to enable attachment of the cover 22 to the back-plate 24 by way of relative rotation through a limited arc (for example 15° to 45°) of a circle. Further the bracket 14 can be provided with a plurality of brake coupling portions 36 to support multiple brake callipers. When provided the multiple brake coupling portions 36 can be evenly spaced circumferentially about the bracket 14.

In the claims which follow, and in the preceding description, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word

"comprise" and variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" are used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the system disclosed herein.

Claims

A lightweight brake system comprising:

a multi-component non load bearing light weight housing, the housing having an assembled state defining a space for accommodating a brake mechanism and a rotatable braking member, the housing having axially aligned first and second openings; and

a bracket having a: fixing portion configured to locate within the second opening to enable mechanical fixing of the bracket to a structural component to which the rotatable member is coupled; a housing connection portion to enable fixing of the housing to the bracket; and a brake coupling portion to facilitate coupling of a brake mechanism to the bracket at a location within the housing to apply braking force to the rotatable braking member.
The lightweight brake system according to claim 1 wherein the housing comprises a cover having a circumferential wall configured to extend circumferentially about the brake coupling portion and wherein the cover is formed with the first opening.
The lightweight brake system according to claim 2 wherein the housing comprises a back plate configured to enable coupling to the cover and fixing to the housing connection portion, the back plate being formed with the second opening.
The lightweight brake system according to claim 3 wherein the back plate and the cover each comprise respective complimentary locking parts arranged to facilitate releasable locking of the back plate to the cover by way of rotation of the cover relative to the back plate.
The lightweight brake system according to claim 4 wherein the complimentary locking parts comprise respective screw threads.
The lightweight brake system according to any one of the preceding claims comprising a dust filter supported by the housing or the bracket in a manner wherein the dust filter resides within the space.
7. The lightweight brake system according to claim 6 comprising a vent arranged to enable an exchange of gas through the filter between the space and an exterior of the housing.
8. The lightweight brake system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the brake coupling portion is configured to facilitate radial mounting of a brake mechanism to the bracket.
9. The lightweight brake system according to any one of the preceding claims in which the housing is made of a plastic or polymer material.
10. The lightweight brake system according to any one of claims 2-8 wherein one or both of the cover and the back plate is made of a polymer material.
1 1 . A method of coupling a brake mechanism to a structural component supporting a rotatable braking member comprising:

mechanically coupling a bracket directly to the structural component;

mechanically coupling a brake mechanism to the bracket at a location to enable the brake mechanism to apply braking force to the rotatable braking member and wherein a reaction force generated by applying the braking force is transmitted through the bracket to the structural component; and

attaching a housing to the bracket wherein the housing surrounds the rotatable braking member.
12. The method according to claim 1 1 comprising configuring the bracket to extend wholly about the structural component and to allow the structural component to extend into a space created at least in part by the housing.
13. The method according to claim 12 comprising forming a substantial seal between the bracket and the structural component.
14. The method according to any one of claims 1 1 -13 wherein attaching the housing comprises attaching the housing to the bracket at locations which are radially spaced from the locations at which the bracket is mechanically coupled to the structural component.