CN219197970U - Brake pad and brake - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a brake pad and a brake. The brake pad comprises a back plate, at least one set of friction elements, and at least one support element, wherein the support element is arranged between the back plate and the at least one set of friction elements in a manner capable of tilting relative to the back plate, so that tilting of the support element can cause tilting of the at least one set of friction elements relative to the back plate; and wherein the support element comprises a protrusion, the back plate comprising a recess having a protrusion receivable at least partially therein to allow the support element to tilt relative to the back plate. Compared with the prior art, the friction element of the brake pad can be better attached to the uneven friction surface of the brake disc, so that a better braking effect is realized.

Description

Brake pad and brake

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to the technical field of brakes of vehicles, in particular rail vehicles. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a brake pad for a brake of a vehicle, and a brake including the same.

Background

Rail vehicles (e.g., high speed trains) typically employ disc brakes. The disc brake may include a brake disc mounted on the axle or on the side of the wheel web, and a brake pad engaged with the brake disc. The disc brake consumes energy of the railway vehicle through mutual friction between the brake disc and the brake pads, so that the aim of stopping the railway vehicle is fulfilled. The disc brake and the brake pad contained in the disc brake can also be widely applied to other transportation tools (such as automobiles, motorcycles, airplanes and the like) and wind power generation and other sports machinery.

Brake pads typically include a backing plate and a plurality of friction elements (also referred to as "friction particles") mounted on the backing plate. The back plate may be secured to the brake pad holder such that the brake pad is mounted to the clamp via the brake pad holder. In the prior art, there is a brake pad that employs a "UIC" standard structure (also referred to as a "dovetail" structure). In such brake pads employing the UIC standard structure, the back plate may have a standard UIC profile, and one side of the back plate may be provided with UIC interfaces (alternatively referred to as "dovetail" interfaces). The backplate can be secured to the brake pad holder via the UIC interface. In addition, in such brake pads using the UIC standard structure, the friction member is usually mounted on the back plate in a non-tiltable or deflectable manner.

The existing brake pad adopting the UIC standard structure has some defects. For example, after a brake including brake pads having a UIC standard structure has been used for a while, there may be some recesses due to friction on both the friction surface of the brake disc and the friction surface of the friction element of the brake pad. The presence of these recesses may cause the friction surfaces of the brake disc and/or the friction surfaces of the friction elements of the brake pads to become uneven and not fit well together, thereby compromising the braking effect of the brake. Accordingly, there is a need for improvements in these brake pads.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present disclosure to overcome at least one of the drawbacks of prior art brake pads, such as those employing UIC standard architecture, and to achieve other additional advantages.

In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a brake pad is provided. The brake pad comprises a backing plate, at least one set of friction elements, and at least one support element, wherein the support element is tiltably disposed between the backing plate and the at least one set of friction elements such that tilting of the support element can cause tilting of the at least one set of friction elements relative to the backing plate; and wherein the support element comprises a protrusion, the back plate comprising a recess having a protrusion receivable at least partially therein to allow the support element to tilt relative to the back plate.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the back plate comprises a first side and a second side opposite the first side, wherein the first side of the back plate is provided with a dovetail interface and the at least one set of friction elements is located on the second side of the back plate.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the raised portion of the support element has a substantially spherical outer surface, and the recess of the back plate has a substantially spherical inner surface.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the at least one set of friction elements includes a plurality of friction elements, each of the plurality of friction elements being further configured to be independently tiltable relative to the support element.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of friction elements comprises a protrusion, the support element comprises a plurality of recesses, wherein the protrusion of each friction element is receivable at least partially in a respective one of the recesses of the support element such that each friction element is tiltable relative to the support element, and wherein the protrusion of the support element and the plurality of recesses of the support element are disposed on opposite sides of the support element, respectively.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the raised portion of the friction element has a substantially spherical outer surface and the recessed portion of the bearing element has a substantially spherical inner surface.

According to one embodiment of the disclosure, the friction element comprises a pin, an end of which can extend through the support element and the back plate and be connected with a fixing element at a first side of the back plate for mounting the friction element to the back plate, wherein the end of the pin comprises a circumferential groove, in which the fixing element is snapped when the fixing element is connected with the end of the pin.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the securing element is configured as a sheet-like element comprising an opening for at least a portion of the end of the pin to extend through and a first branch and a second branch on opposite sides of the opening, respectively.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first side of the back plate is provided with a recess for receiving the sheet element.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the sheet element and the end of the pin are riveted to each other.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the inner surface of each recess of the support element comprises a first inner surface portion and a second inner surface portion, the first inner surface portion and the second inner surface portion having a height difference such that when the protrusion of the friction element is received in the recess of the support element, the first inner surface portion is in contact with the outer surface of the protrusion of the friction element and the second inner surface portion is not in contact with the outer surface of the protrusion of the friction element.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the support element has a substantially triangular body.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the at least one set of friction elements includes three friction elements, each having a shape that is an irregular polygon, and at least a portion of the three friction elements are capable of being disposed adjacent to each other.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the three friction elements comprises a first substantially triangular portion and a second substantially polygonal portion that is more polygonal than the triangle, wherein the first substantially triangular portions of the three friction elements are arranged adjacent to each other.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the back plate includes a first portion and a second portion that are separable from each other.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the back plate is constructed as a single piece.

In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a brake is provided. The brake includes a brake disc and a brake pad according to the present disclosure.

It is noted that aspects of the present disclosure described with respect to one embodiment may be incorporated into other and different embodiments, although not specifically described with respect to the other and different embodiments. In other words, all embodiments and/or features of any embodiment may be combined in any way and/or combination, provided that they are not mutually contradictory.

Drawings

The various aspects of the disclosure will be better understood upon reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings in which:

fig. 1 to 3 show top, bottom and front views, respectively, of a brake pad according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a brake pad, taken along line A-A in fig. 3, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5-6 show top and bottom views, respectively, of a back plate according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the back plate, taken along line B-B in fig. 5, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the back plate, taken along line C-C in fig. 5, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 9 illustrates a perspective view of a tiltable support element as viewed from above according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 10 illustrates a perspective view of a tiltable support element as viewed from below according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 11-13 illustrate top, bottom and front views, respectively, of a tiltable support element according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 14 to 16 show perspective, top and cross-sectional views, respectively, of a friction element according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 17 to 19 show perspective, top and cross-sectional views, respectively, of a friction element according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 20 illustrates a perspective view of a securing element for mounting a friction element to a back plate according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 21 shows a schematic diagram of a brake pad of the prior art using the UIC standard structure when engaged with a brake disc.

Fig. 22 shows a schematic view of a brake pad according to the present disclosure when engaged with a brake disc.

It should be understood that throughout the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like elements. In the drawings, the size of some of the features may be altered and not drawn to scale for clarity.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood, however, that the present disclosure may be presented in many different ways and is not limited to the embodiments described below; indeed, the embodiments described below are intended to more fully convey the disclosure to those skilled in the art and to fully convey the scope of the disclosure. It should also be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in various ways to provide yet additional embodiments.

It should be understood that the terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. All terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the specification have the meanings commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art unless otherwise defined. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.

As used in this specification, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The use of the terms "comprising," "including," and "containing" in the specification mean that the recited features are present, but that one or more other features are not excluded. The use of the phrase "and/or" in the specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

In the description, an element is referred to as being "on," "attached" to, "connected" to, "coupled" to, "contacting" or the like another element, and the element may be directly on, attached to, connected to, coupled to or contacting the other element or intervening elements may be present.

In the description, the terms "first," "second," "third," and the like are used for ease of description only and are not intended to be limiting. Any feature expressed as "first," "second," "third," etc. is interchangeable.

In the specification, spatial relationship words such as "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "top", "bottom", and the like may describe the relationship of one feature to another feature in the drawings. It will be understood that the spatial relationship words comprise, in addition to the orientations shown in the figures, different orientations of the device in use or operation. For example, when the device in the figures is inverted, features that were originally described as "below" other features may be described as "above" the other features. The device may also be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the relative spatial relationship will be explained accordingly.

The present disclosure relates generally to a brake pad of a brake for a railway vehicle, which consumes energy of the railway vehicle by friction with a brake disc of the brake to stop the railway vehicle. The brake pad according to the present disclosure is provided with a friction element that can tilt or yaw in use, so that the friction surface of the friction element of the brake pad can well conform to the friction surface of the brake disc, and thus a good braking effect can be maintained all the time, regardless of whether the friction surface of the brake disc becomes uneven due to the depressions generated by friction. In addition, the brake pad according to the present disclosure may also include a backing plate having an UIC interface or dovetail interface, thereby enabling it to be directly installed in an existing pad holder adapted for UIC brake pads without modification of the pad holder. The specific structure of the brake pad according to the present disclosure will be described in detail below.

Referring to fig. 1-4, a brake pad 10 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The brake pad 10 may include a backing plate 100 and at least one set (preferably, a plurality of sets) of friction elements 200 mounted on the backing plate 100. Each set of friction elements 200 may include two or more friction elements, such as, in the example shown in fig. 3, each set of friction elements 200 includes three friction elements. Each friction element 200 may be secured to the back plate 100 by means of a securing element 300. Brake pad 10 according to the present disclosure may also include a support element 400 disposed between backing plate 100 and each set of friction elements 200. The support elements 400 are configured to tilt or yaw relative to the backplate 100 to thereby cause a corresponding set of friction elements 200 to tilt or yaw relative to the backplate 100, as will be described in greater detail below.

As shown in fig. 5-8, the back plate 100 may include a first side 101 and a second side 102 opposite the first side 101. The first side 101 of the back plate 100 may be provided with a UIC interface or dovetail interface 103, while the second side 102 of the back plate 100 is used for mounting the friction element 200. The backplate 100 with dovetail interface 103 can be adapted to the shoe holder of an existing UIC shoe to enable the backplate 100 to be mounted directly in a shoe holder of this type without modification to the construction of the shoe holder. The backplate 100 may also have a standard UIC profile. The UIC interface and UIC profile of the back plane 100 are well known in the art and will not be described in detail herein. The back plate 100 may also have other different shapes as long as it is provided with a dovetail interface 103 at the first side 101.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, as shown in fig. 5-7, the back plate 100 may include a first portion 104 and a second portion 105 that are separable from each other. The first portion 104 and the second portion 105 together form the back plate 100 having a predetermined shape. The back plate 100 comprising the first portion 104 and the second portion 105 facilitates a more convenient mounting of the back plate 100 in the brake shoe, which is particularly advantageous in case of a smaller mounting space. For example, in the case where the installation space is small, it is difficult to install the entire back plate 100 directly in the blade holder due to interference between components. However, in this embodiment of the present disclosure, the first portion 104 and the second portion 105 of the back plate 100 may be mounted in sequence in the blade holder, respectively, thereby overcoming the interference problem between components during the mounting process. In other embodiments according to the present disclosure, the back plate 100 may be constructed as a single piece.

Referring to fig. 9-13, a specific structure of a support element 400 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The support element 400 may have a substantially triangular body 401 such that it may be used with up to three friction elements 200. The support element 400 having a substantially triangular body may also be referred to as a "tripod". The support element 400 may have a first side 402 and a second side 403 opposite the first side 402. The first side 402 of the support element 400 may be provided with a boss 404. The boss 404 may have a substantially spherical outer surface. Accordingly, as shown more clearly in fig. 6 and 7, the second side 102 of the back plate 100 may be provided with a recess 106. The recess 106 may have a substantially spherical inner surface. The protrusions 404 of the support element 400 may be configured to be at least partially received in the recesses 106 of the second side 102 of the backplate 100 such that the support element 400 forms, for example, a spherical fit with the backplate 100 to allow the support element 400 to tilt relative to the backplate 100. In this way, when the friction surface of the brake disc becomes uneven due to long-time friction, the brake pad 10 according to the present disclosure can tilt the corresponding friction element 200 by means of the tilting of the support element 400, thereby enabling the corresponding friction element 200 to be better fitted on the uneven friction surface of the brake disc and thus maintaining a good braking effect. In another embodiment according to the present disclosure, the protrusions 404 of the support element 400 may have outer surfaces that are other shapes (e.g., ellipsoids or other curved surfaces), while the recesses 106 of the back plate 100 may have inner surfaces that are other shapes (e.g., ellipsoids or other curved surfaces), provided that the cooperation of the two is capable of allowing the support element 400 to tilt relative to the back plate 100.

The friction element 200 according to the present disclosure may have a similar structure to the existing friction element. Referring to fig. 14 to 19, each friction element 200 may include a friction body 201 and a pin 202 connected to the friction body 201. Each friction element 200 may also include a raised portion 203. The boss 203 may have a substantially spherical outer surface. The boss 203 may be disposed between the friction body 201 of the friction element 200 and the pin 202. When mounted to the backplate 100, the end of the pin 202 of each friction element 200 may extend through the support element 400 and backplate 100 and connect with the securing element 300 at the first side 101 of the backplate 100, thereby mounting each friction element 200 to the backplate 100 by means of the securing element 300. For this purpose, a plurality of through holes 405 (as shown in fig. 9 to 12) through which the pins 202 of the friction element 200 extend may be provided on the support element 400, and a plurality of through holes 107 (as shown in fig. 7) through which the pins 202 of the friction element 200 extend may be provided on the back plate 100.

By virtue of the protrusions 203 that the friction elements 200 have, in one embodiment according to the present disclosure, each friction element 200 may be further configured to be able to tilt independently with respect to the support element 400, thereby enabling greater flexibility of movement of each friction element 200 to enable it to better conform to the uneven friction surface of the brake disc. Specifically, as shown in fig. 10 and 12, the second side 403 of the support element 400 may be provided with one or more recesses 406. The recess 406 may have a substantially spherical inner surface. The raised portion 203 of each friction element 200 may be configured to be at least partially received in a corresponding one of the recessed portions 406 in the second side 403 of the support element 400 such that each friction element 200 forms, for example, a spherical fit with the support element 400 to allow each friction element 200 to tilt relative to the support element 400. In another embodiment according to the present disclosure, the raised portion 203 of the friction element 200 may have an outer surface that is of other shape (e.g., an ellipsoid or other curved surface), while the recessed portion 406 of the support element 400 may have an inner surface that is of other shape (e.g., an ellipsoid or other curved surface), provided that the cooperation of the two is capable of allowing each friction element 200 to tilt relative to the support element 400.

In another embodiment according to the present disclosure, as shown more clearly in fig. 10 and 12, the inner surface of each recess 406 of the second side 403 of the support element 400 may comprise a first inner surface portion 407 and a second inner surface portion 408. The first 407 and second 408 inner surface portions may have a height difference such that they form an uneven connection. Thus, as shown in fig. 4, when the boss 203 of each friction element 200 is received in a corresponding one of the recesses 406 of the support element 400, the first inner surface portion 407 is in contact with the outer surface of the boss 203 of the friction element 200, while the second inner surface portion 408 is not in contact with the outer surface of the boss 203 of the friction element 200 (with a gap therebetween, as shown in fig. 4). Such a configuration allows the protrusion 203 of the friction element 200 to have a smaller contact area with the recess 406 of the support element 400, thereby enabling the friction element 200 to be more easily tilted with respect to the support element 400 and thus having greater flexibility of movement.

Returning to fig. 14-19, the end of the pin 202 of each friction element 200 may be provided with a circumferential ring groove 204. When the fixing element 300 is connected to the end of the pin 202, the fixing element 300 may be engaged in the circumferential groove 204 of the pin 202, so as to prevent the friction element 200 from being disconnected from the fixing element 300 and falling off from the back plate 100. In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, as shown in fig. 20, the fixation element 300 may be configured as a sheet-like element. The flap element may include an opening 301 for at least a portion of the end of the pin 202 to extend through and a first branch 302 and a second branch 303 on opposite sides of the opening 301, respectively. In the connection, the fixing element 300 configured as a sheet element and the end of the pin 202 of the friction element 200 may be riveted to each other using a riveting machine. Specifically, the sheet element may be riveted to the end of the pin by riveting at least a portion of the end of the pin 202 of the friction element 200 through the opening 301 of the fixing element 300 with a riveting machine and engaging the fixing element 300 in the circumferential ring groove 204 of the end of the pin 202. In addition, the total length of the first branch 302 and the second branch 303 may be greater than the diameter of the through-hole 107 of the back plate 100, such that the sheet element may be held on the first side of the back plate 100. In order to hold the sheet element, in one embodiment according to the present disclosure, as shown in fig. 1 and 5, the first side 101 of the back plate 100 may be provided with a recess 108 for receiving the fixation element 300 or the sheet element. The recess 108 may be substantially elliptical.

The fixation element 300 configured as a sheet element can provide several distinct advantages over prior art fixation elements. In the prior art, the fixing element is usually configured in the form of a snap spring, which comprises a first and a second snap part, which can be snapped into the circumferential groove 204 of the pin 202 for connection with the friction element 200. However, in use, the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion of such a clip are easily elastically deformed to expand the distance therebetween, thereby easily causing the first engagement portion and the second engagement portion to be removed from the circumferential groove 204 of the pin 202 and thus causing the friction element 200 to be detached from the back plate 100. The sheet element according to the present disclosure overcomes these drawbacks of the snap springs. The opening 301 of the sheet member according to the present disclosure is not easily expanded to become large, and thus does not cause the falling-off of the friction member 200 in use. In addition, the sheet member according to the present disclosure may have a thinner thickness as compared to the clip spring of the related art, so that the back plate 100 and even the support member 400 may have a thinner thickness. In the case of a constant brake pad volume, a thinner backing plate 100 and/or support element 400 means that the friction body 201 of the friction element 200 can be made thicker, while a thicker friction body 201 means that the friction element 200 has a longer service life.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, as shown in fig. 15 and 18, the friction body 201 of each friction element 200 may have a shape in the form of an irregular polygon. For example, the friction body 201 of each friction element 200 may include a first portion 205 that is substantially triangular and a second portion 206 that is substantially polygonal that is more polygonal than the triangle. When the plurality of friction elements 200 are arranged in groups, the substantially triangular first portion 205 of each of the plurality of friction elements 200 may be arranged adjacent to each other. The friction element 200 having the shape of the irregular polygon according to the present disclosure can provide a larger area of friction surface and friction volume than the friction element having the shape of the regular polygon in the related art, thereby being capable of providing a better braking effect and a longer service life.

The brake pad 10 according to the present disclosure is described in detail above in connection with fig. 1 to 20. As mentioned above, unlike the prior art brake pad employing the UIC standard structure in which the friction element is mounted on the back plate in a non-tiltable or swingable manner, the friction element 200 of the brake pad 10 according to the present disclosure is mounted on the back plate 100 in a tiltable manner so that it can better conform to the uneven friction surface of the brake disc, thereby achieving a better braking effect. Fig. 21 and 22 show a schematic view of a related art brake pad employing the UIC standard structure when being fitted with a brake disc, and a schematic view of a brake pad 10 according to the present disclosure when being fitted with a brake disc, respectively. As shown in fig. 21, when there is an uneven friction surface in the brake disc 20 of the brake, the friction element of the brake pad of the related art adopting the UIC standard structure cannot be inclined with respect to the back plate, so that part of the friction element cannot contact the friction surface of the brake disc 20, not only is the friction contact area of the friction element with the brake disc reduced, but also the braking force is mainly applied to the other part of the friction element in contact with the friction surface of the brake disc 20, which affects both the braking effect of the brake pad and the service life of those friction elements in contact with the friction surface of the brake disc 20. The brake pad 10 according to the present disclosure overcomes these problems well. As shown in fig. 22, when there is an uneven friction surface of the brake disc 20 of the brake, the friction elements 200 of the brake pad 10 according to the present disclosure can be well fitted to and contact the friction surface of the brake disc 20 due to being inclined with respect to the backing plate 100, not only maintaining a large friction contact area but also enabling a braking force to be substantially uniformly applied to each friction element 200, which not only enables the brake pad 10 according to the present disclosure to always maintain a good braking effect, but also enables the friction elements 200 of the brake pad 10 according to the present disclosure to have a longer service life.

Exemplary embodiments according to the present disclosure are described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and changes can be made to the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. All changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The disclosure is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.

In addition, although the brake pads of the present disclosure are described in the specification as brakes for rail vehicles, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The brake pads of the present disclosure may also be used in vehicles such as automobiles, motorcycles, transportation vehicles such as airplanes, and other moving machines such as wind turbines.

Claims (17)

1. A brake pad comprising a backing plate, at least one set of friction elements, and at least one support element, wherein the support element is tiltably disposed between the backing plate and the at least one set of friction elements such that tilting of the support element can cause tilting of the at least one set of friction elements relative to the backing plate; and is also provided with

Wherein the support element comprises a protrusion and the back plate comprises a recess, the protrusion of the support element being receivable at least partially in the recess of the back plate to allow the support element to tilt relative to the back plate.

2. The brake pad of claim 1, wherein the backing plate includes a first side and a second side opposite the first side, wherein the first side of the backing plate is provided with a dovetail interface and the at least one set of friction elements is located on the second side of the backing plate.

3. The brake pad of claim 1, wherein the raised portion of the support member has a substantially spherical outer surface and the recess of the backing plate has a substantially spherical inner surface.

4. The brake pad of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one set of friction elements includes a plurality of friction elements, each of the plurality of friction elements being further configured to be independently tiltable relative to the support element.

5. The brake pad of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of friction elements includes a protrusion and the support element includes a plurality of recesses, wherein the protrusion of each friction element is receivable at least partially in a corresponding one of the recesses of the support element such that each friction element is tiltable relative to the support element, and wherein the protrusion of the support element and the plurality of recesses of the support element are disposed on opposite sides of the support element, respectively.

6. The brake pad of claim 5, wherein the raised portion of the friction element has a substantially spherical outer surface and the recessed portion of the support element has a substantially spherical inner surface.

7. The brake pad of claim 2, wherein the friction element includes a pin having an end extendable through the support element and the backing plate and coupled to a securing element on a first side of the backing plate to mount the friction element to the backing plate, wherein the pin end includes a circumferential groove in which the securing element snaps when the securing element is coupled to the pin end.

8. A brake pad according to claim 7, wherein the securing element is configured as a sheet-like element comprising an opening for at least a portion of the end of the pin to extend through and first and second branches on opposite sides of the opening, respectively.

9. A brake pad according to claim 8, wherein the first side of the backing plate is provided with a recess for receiving the sheet element.

10. Brake pad according to claim 8, wherein the flap element and the end of the pin are riveted to each other.

11. The brake pad of claim 6, wherein the inner surface of each recess of the support member includes a first inner surface portion and a second inner surface portion, the first inner surface portion and the second inner surface portion having a height difference such that when the protrusion of the friction member is received in the recess of the support member, the first inner surface portion is in contact with the outer surface of the protrusion of the friction member and the second inner surface portion is not in contact with the outer surface of the protrusion of the friction member.

12. Brake pad according to any of claims 1-11, characterized in that the support element has a substantially triangular body.

13. A brake pad according to claim 12, wherein each of the at least one set of friction elements comprises three friction elements, each having an irregular polygonal shape, and at least a portion of the three friction elements being disposable adjacent to each other.

14. The brake pad of claim 13, wherein each of the three friction elements includes a first portion that is substantially triangular and a second portion that is substantially polygonal that is more polygonal than the triangle, wherein the first portions of the three friction elements that are substantially triangular are disposed adjacent to each other.

15. A brake pad according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the backplate comprises a first portion and a second portion separable from each other.

16. A brake pad according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the backplate is constructed as a single piece.

17. A brake, characterized in that it comprises a brake disc and a brake pad according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

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