Cooling fluid circulation in an annular disc brake
AssigneeInternational Harvester Company
InventorsRobert R. Coons, Richard G. Hennessey, John Woffenden
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Fluid passages machined in the annular brake piston and in the outboard brake ring of a wet disc brake system allows the circulation of cooling and lubricating fluid. An annular disc brake will deliver cooling fluid to the circumferential periphery of the brake disc operating cavity where the fluid relief passages machined in the annular brake piston and in the outboard brake ring will allow the passage of this fluid out of the brake disc operation cavity thus preventing the stagnation of cooling fluid in the brake disc operating cavity.
Claims4
A disc brake operating in a fluid environment comprising:
- a housing, including a brake disc operating cavity including an annular fluid passage;
- a reservoir source of fluid contained in said housing;
- a rotatable shaft carried in said housing;
- a brake disc including radial braking surfaces slideably carried on said rotatable shaft for rotation therewith, said brake disc partially submerged in said reservoir source of fluid, said brake disc having means to pump said fluid by centrifugal force from the radial surfaces of said brake disc to said annular fluid passage said annular fluid passage being located immediately circumferential to the outer periphery of the brake disc;
- an inboard brake ring having flat surfaces on both sides thereof carried in said housing circumferentially disposed around said rotatable shaft, said inboard brake ring being adjacent said brake disc;
- an annular piston carried in said housing circumferentially disposed with respect to said rotatable shaft, said annular piston having a plurality of communication notches for allowing fluid to pass from said annular fluid passage to said reservoir source of fluid and a circumferential annular channel formed in the outboard face thereof, said outboard face of said annular piston being adjacent said inboard brake ring;
- an outboard brake ring adjacent said brake disc on the side opposite said inboard brake ring, fixedly mounted in said housing circumferentially disposed around said rotatable shaft, said outboard brake ring having a flat surface adjacent said brake disc and a contoured surface having a plurality of force transmission surfaces engaging said housing, a plurality of fluid access channels for allowing fluid to pass from said annular fluid passage to said reservoir source of fluid and an annular depression therein;
- whereby said communication notches in said annular piston and said fluid access channels in said outboard brake ring provide egress for fluid pumped into said annular fluid passage of said housing by said brake disc thereby allowing circulation of cooling fluid past said brake disc.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.