Compact high performance disc brake

In caliper brake apparatus having a caliper housing, an actuator including a plunger having an axis and movable axially longitudinally to urge a lining against a rotating disc, the lining having the form of a plate which is laterally elongated and defining a plane generally perpendicular to said axis, the improvement combination comprising

• (a) said plunger having cross sections in planes normal to said axis and characterized as laterally elongated and as having lateral length dimensions which are substantially greater than the plunger transverse width dimension, said width dimension being generally normal to said axis and to said lateral length dimension, and
• (b) said actuator having a recess receiving said plunger, said recess having cross sections in planes normal to said longitudinal axis characterized as conforming in shape to said plunger cross sections, said plunger and recess cross sections having kidney shaped outlines,
• (c) the housing removably supporting the lining, and including laterally spaced end plates carried by the housing and confining opposite ends of said lining therebetween, at least one end plate being removable to permit endwise removal and replacement of the lining, the housing defining at least one slot proximate ends of the lining and plunger and slidably receiving at least one of said end plates, with said end plate freely projecting outwardly of the slot and having an external tang for lift-out removal, relative to the slot, each slot and end plate extending inward sufficiently that the end plate faces substantially the entirety of the full end extent of the lining,
• (d) the housing having transversely shaped shoulders defining at least one ledge spaced from the plunger and between which, portions of the lining between opposite ends of the lining, are loosely confined to accomodate endwise removal of the lining after removal of said removable end plate, but which also allows plunger actuated axial longitudinal displacement of the lining, said ledge being closer to the lining than the plunger.