Hydrodynamic brake, especially for motor vehicles

A hydrodynamic brake for vehicles comprising:

• housing means, rotating blade wheel means operatively connectible to a rotating shaft to be braked, said rotating blade wheel means having a plurality of blade means attached thereto, stationary blade wheel means having a plurality of blade means attached thereto, said rotating wheel means and said stationary wheel means being disposed in said housing means with their respective blade means facing one another to form a working circulation space therebetween, the respective blade means of said stationary and rotating wheel means being so arranged that introduction of a liquid medium to the working circulation space causes effective transfer of braking forces from said stationary wheel means to said roating wheel means due to relative rotation of the liquid between the respective blade means of the two wheels, inlet aperture means for introducing the liquid medium to the working circulation space, discharge aperture means for discharging the liquid medium from the working circulation space, and discharge channel means for conducting the liquid medium away from the discharge aperture means, said discharge aperture means extending through the stationary wheel means in a direction approximately parallel to the blade angle of the blade means on said stationary wheel means such that the liquid medium is discharged tangentially utilizing the dynamic pressure imparted to the liquid medium in the working circulation space, whereby the necessary brake deceleration forces can be carried out by the liquid medium and the heat developed in said liquid medium during the braking operation can be transferred away from the working circulation space, characterized in that the working circulation space is shaped as an approximately circular cross-section annulus extending concentrically around the axis of rotation of the rotating wheel means, said working circulation space having a mean diameter extending parallel to said axis and disposed halfway between the inner and outermost radial extent of said working circulation space with respect to said axis, and in that said discharge channel means is shaped as an annulus with a curved cross-section and extending around the axis of rotation of the rotating wheel means, said discharge channel means having a mean diameter extending parallel to said axis and disposed halfway between the inner and outermost radial extent of said discharge channel means with respect to said axis, and in that the inner boundary of the discharge aperture means with respect to said axis is disposed radially inwardly of the mean diameter of the discharge channel means with respect to said axis.