Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16D—COUPLINGS FOR TRANSMITTING ROTATION; CLUTCHES; BRAKES
  • F16D65/00—Parts or details
  • F16D65/78—Features relating to cooling
  • F16D65/84—Features relating to cooling for disc brakes
  • F16D65/847—Features relating to cooling for disc brakes with open cooling system, e.g. cooled by air
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16D—COUPLINGS FOR TRANSMITTING ROTATION; CLUTCHES; BRAKES
  • F16D55/00—Brakes with substantially-radial braking surfaces pressed together in axial direction, e.g. disc brakes
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16D—COUPLINGS FOR TRANSMITTING ROTATION; CLUTCHES; BRAKES
  • F16D65/00—Parts or details
  • F16D65/0025—Rust- or corrosion-preventing means
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16D—COUPLINGS FOR TRANSMITTING ROTATION; CLUTCHES; BRAKES
  • F16D55/00—Brakes with substantially-radial braking surfaces pressed together in axial direction, e.g. disc brakes
  • F16D2055/0004—Parts or details of disc brakes
  • F16D2055/0037—Protective covers

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a brake shield, a brake installation comprising a brake shield and a vehicle comprising a brake installation with a brake shield.
• Disc bralces are widely employed on road and other vehicles. To ensure efficient operation of disc bralces and prevent undue wear or damage it is important that they are kept clear of debris and water. To this end it is known to fit disc bralces with a shield which typically at least partially covers or encloses the disc to protect it from contamination by debris .
• This shield at least partly surrounds a brake disc and comprises a material of which the shape is influenced by heat.
• the shield remains in a closed state to protect the brake disc from debris.
• the brake disc heats up the shield changes shape, to an open state, and allows cooling air to flow to the disc directly.
• This arrangement is rather complex, and only provides best protection from debris when the brake disc is cool. Indeed, in the open state there is a direct path for debris to flow to the disc. There is a possibility that debris which reaches the disc will become trapped by the shield when the disc cools and the shield returns to the closed state.
• a brake shield comprising a labyrinth ventilation material though which air may pass, but which resists the passage of debris, wherein the labyrinth ventilation material defines one or more tortuous paths through the material and wherein the one or more tortuous paths do not provide a line of sight through the material.
• a labyrinth will tend to permit the flow of cooling air, which can easily travel along a complex path, but to resist passage of debris, such as grit, road dirt and even water droplets, which tend to travel in straight trajectories.
• the labyrinth ventilation material may comprise a sheet material.
• the shield may be substantially formed from this material.
• the labyrinth material is a sheet material a plurality of tortuous paths though the sheet may be distributed over the surface of the sheet.
• the tortuous paths may constrain a fluid flowing from one side of a material to the other to flow along a reverse path.
• the tortuous paths may constrain fluid flowing from one side of the material to the other to flow along a path which is parallel to the plane of the sheet material.
• the labyrinth ventilation material may be corrugated.
• Flaps may be provided in the labyrinth ventilation material to provide ventilation paths through the material.
• Louvres could be provided in the labyrinth ventilation material to provide ventilation paths through the material.
• the louvres could be formed by pressing.
• the labyrinth ventilation material may be formed from sheet material.
• the bralce shield may be arranged to be fitted to a disc bralce installation.
• the bralce shield could also but used with a drum brake installation. For instance, it could form part of the drum casing of a drum brake installation.
• the labyrinth material may be corrugated or louvred, and the corrugations or louvres arranged to extend substantially vertically in use to enable water to drain from the bralce shield. Alternatively, corrugations or louvres could extend substantially radially relative to a brake disc or drum.
• Figure 1 is a front view of a bralce installation for an automobile comprising a bralce shield
• Figure 2 is a side view of the installation of figure 1 ;
• Figure 3 is a front view of the material from which the brake shield of figures 1 and 2 is formed;
• Figure 4 is a plan view of the material of figure 3 ;
• Figure 5 is a sectional view along line A- A of figure 3;
• Figure 6 is a sectional view along line B-B of figure 3;
• Figure 7 is an isometric view of part of the material of figure 3; and Figure 8 is a similar view to figure 1 of a bralce installation with an alternative embodiment of a bralce shield.
• a disc bralce installation for an automobile comprises a substantially circular ventilated bralce disc 1 mounted to a hub or drive shaft 2 and a brake calliper 3.
• a non-ventilated disk could be used.
• the bralce disc 3 rotates with the hub or drive shaft 2 relative to the calliper 3.
• the calliper is operative to urge bralce pads (not shown) into contact with the bralce disc 1, gripping the disc, in order to slow or stop rotation of the disc relative to the calliper and thus slow or stop a vehicle to which the installation is mounted. All this is conventional and well understood by a person of skill in the art.
• a bralce shield 4 is mounted relative to the brake disc 1.
• the shield 4 is mounted to a suspension knuckle (not shown) of a vehicle to which the brake disc installation is fitted.I It could, though, be mounted to any other convenient structure that remains stationary relative to the brake disc, such as the calliper 3.
• the brake shield 4 is formed from a sheet of labyrinth ventilation material.
• the shield is of a substantially circular shape, of diameter slightly larger than the brake disc, with a cut out portion to accommodate the hub or shaft 2 and calliper 3.
• the shield 4 is positioned on the inboard side of the bralce disc which is generally more exposed to contaminants than the outboard side, and is closely spaced from and extends parallel to the disc.
• the outboard side of the brake disc 1 is exposed, but will in use be protected by a wheel (not shown) mounted to the brake disc 1.
• Other arrangements are, of course, possible where a shield extends on both opposite sides of a brake disc.
• the shape, positioning and mounting of the shield relative to the brake disc is also largely conventional and will also be well understood by
• the brake shield is formed from a substantially flat sheet of labyrinth ventilation material.
• This material 5 is illustrated in figures 3 to 7.
• the sheet is perforated and tortuous paths are defined between openings on one side of the sheet and openings on the other side of the sheet.
• the labyrinth material comprises a corrugated sheet of metal, such as mild steel.
• the sheet has been formed by pressing or folding so that it includes a series of parallel, evenly spaced apart, alternating substantially right angle folds. This forms a sheet of material 5 with portions 6 extending substantially parallel to the plane of the labyrinth sheet alternating with portions 7 which extend substantially at right angles to the plane of the labyrinth sheet.
• each of the portions 7 which extend at right angles to the plane of the labyrinth sheet pairs of flaps 8 are cut or punched out to form ventilation apertures 9.
• One flap 8 of each pair is bent outwards to one side of the sheet, and the other flap 8 is bent out towards the other side of the sheet.
• the corrugations and flaps in the sheet together define a tortuous path through the sheet. There is a fluid flow path through the sheet from one side to the other, but no line of sight through the sheet.
• the brake shield is constructed from the labyrinth ventilation sheet material and installed so that the folds in the material forming the corrugations extent substantially vertically in an in use condition, when the vehicle to which the shield fitted is on level ground.
• the tortuous path through the labyrinth ventilation material allows air to flow through the material, as shown at 10. Air can easily flow around the tortuous path through the material. However, the tortuous path prevents or at least usefully impedes passage of debris and water droplets from passing through the material. These will tend to travel with a straight trajectory and thus strike and then fall out of the sheet.
• the labyrinth material serves to protect the brake disc from debris, whilst permitting the flow of cooling air.
• the brake shield could be formed from other suitable materials.
• An alternative configuration is shown in figure 8. In this figure, the same reference numerals are used as in figure 1 to denote corresponding components. In this arrangement substantially radially extending pressed louvers 12 are formed in a sheet of material forming the bralce shield in order to provide a tortuous ventilation path through the shield.
• the shield provides a convenient and economic solution to the problem of providing protection for a disc bralce from debris whilst allowing air to flow onto the disc to provide cooling. It is particularly suited to installation on automobiles and other road vehicles, especially those fitted with carbon ceramic bralce discs which are more sensitive to contaminants than iron discs as well as capable of generating higher temperatures. It could, however, be used on any other bralce installation. It could be used on vehicles intended for off-road use where increased potential contaminants are encountered.
• the above embodiment is described by way of example only. Many variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Braking Arrangements (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

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Citations (4)

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• 2013
  • 2013-04-23 GB GB1307295.4A patent/GB2513331A/en not_active Withdrawn
• 2014
  • 2014-04-23 CN CN201480023463.8A patent/CN105229332A/zh active Pending
  • 2014-04-23 JP JP2016509548A patent/JP2016516962A/ja not_active Withdrawn
  • 2014-04-23 US US14/786,111 patent/US20160084328A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2014-04-23 EP EP14725754.7A patent/EP2920481B1/en active Active
  • 2014-04-23 WO PCT/GB2014/051258 patent/WO2014174280A1/en not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (4)

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