Disc brake located outside wheel envelope
AssigneeBendix Spicer Foundation Brake LLC
InventorsRonald S. Plantan, Darwin A. Garrison, Dennis R. Shamine
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A disc brake for a vehicle such as a commercial vehicle, wherein the brake rotor extends from a hub end of an axle inboard a sufficient distance to place the friction surface of the rotor and the brake caliper outside the envelope of a wheel mounted at the end of the axle. The placement of the rotor friction surface and the caliper outside the envelope of the wheel enhances brake cooling, makes the brake more readily accessible for inspection and maintenance without significant vehicle disassembly, and permits the rotor outer diameter to be extended beyond the diameter of the wheel rim, thereby lowering brake components stresses and permitting use of lighter, lower cost brake components.
Claims8
A commercial vehicle axle assembly, comprising:
- a vehicle axle;
- a wheel located at each end of the vehicle axle;
- and
- a disc brake disposed at each end of the vehicle axle, each disc brake including:
- a rotor;
- and
- a caliper disposed to apply a braking force to a friction surface portion of the rotor,
- wherein
- the rotor has a hub portion mounted on a hub at the end of the axle,
- the rotor hub portion is located radially within an axially-inboard-extending envelope of the wheel
- the rotor has a connecting portion extending from the hub portion which places the friction portion axially inboard toward a center of the vehicle axle a distance sufficient to place the friction portion outside the axially-inboard-extending envelope of the wheel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.