Method for manufacturing a brake caliper, brake caliper

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a brake caliper (1) of a braking device, in particular an electromechanical one, of a motor vehicle. It is provided that at least one base part (2) of the brake caliper (1) is manufactured by press sintering or forging.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a brake caliper of a, in particular electromechanical, braking device of a motor vehicle, and to a brake caliper manufactured at least partially by such a method. State of the art

[0002] Methods for manufacturing brake calipers are known from the prior art. Brake calipers, especially those for hydraulic brake systems, are usually manufactured as castings because this allows for the advantageous production of internal hydraulic channels and external, highly stressed geometries in a single piece. Disclosure of the invention

[0003] The method according to the invention with the features of claim 1 is characterized in that at least a base part of the brake caliper is produced by press sintering or forging. This provides an advantageous manufacturing method for a brake caliper as an alternative to the casting methods mentioned above, which, in contrast, allows a particularly advantageously flexible geometry of the brake caliper while simultaneously allowing a flexible choice of materials, in particular high-strength materials. The invention is based on the finding that new materials are needed for brake calipers that are specifically adapted to predetermined requirements with regard to stress and geometry. For example, the part of the brake caliper that encompasses a brake disc requires the strongest possible material, which particularly contradicts the requirement for good castability when using a casting method as mentioned above.For example, when using press sintering, materials or material mixtures that cannot be processed by casting are used. Furthermore, the inventive process inherently reduces, and in particular minimizes, the effort required for post-processing, especially machining. Thus, particularly in press sintering, delicate brackets and / or markings are preferably formed directly on the brake caliper in the same manufacturing step. The brake caliper can be flexibly designed as a single piece or in multiple parts. The inventive process advantageously produces the base part without machining, or at least largely without machining, because, particularly in press sintering, intricate geometries can be formed with minimal effort, unlike in casting. Near-net-shape manufacturing and at least a small amount of material removed advantageously ensure cost-effective production.In particular, flange surfaces for connecting to a housing of the braking device, for example a braking force generator, and / or at least one contact surface for a brake pad of the braking device are already fully formed.

[0004] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the base part is provided, after press internal machining or forging, with at least one recess, particularly for a fastening element for attachment to the brake device, and / or with an internal thread in one or more recesses, by machining and / or non-cutting post-processing, in particular punching and / or drilling. This advantageously ensures that a final form of the base part is produced with minimal effort. For example, bores are provided as recesses for guide pins on which the brake caliper slides during subsequent operation to compensate for uneven wear of the brake pads, as well as internal threads for screws for fastening and / or recesses for pins on a component of the brake device, in particular a housing of a brake force generator.In particular, at least one recess is pre-punched, drilled and / or provided with an internal thread.

[0005] Particularly preferably, the base part is press-sintered in a two-part tool mold. This offers the advantage that, through targeted optimization of the geometry of the two-part mold, the need for post-processing is prevented or at least significantly reduced.

[0006] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the tool shape for removing the base part is divided at least approximately along or perpendicular to a plane of symmetry of the base part. Such a division advantageously minimizes the need for post-processing, particularly clamping. The least amount of post-processing is required, in particular, for divisions perpendicular to the plane of symmetry.

[0007] It is particularly preferred that a blank, especially with a rectangular or circular segment cross-section, is provided, and that the blank is forged in at least one edge region to form a contact surface for a brake lining of the brake device, in order to form the base part. This offers the advantage that the base part is manufactured particularly easily. A blank is formed, especially hot-formed, to create the final geometric shape of the base part. The geometric shape is formed, in particular, without further or at least with only minimal machining. This offers the advantage that the fibers of the base part are not interrupted or at least hardly affected, especially in contrast to known brake calipers manufactured by casting processes, which are usually extensively machined, for example, by removing protruding parts.This ensures a design that meets the stress requirements, as fiber orientation is maintained through deformation along a subsequent force flow during operation. Specifically, single forging is provided, whereby exactly one base part is formed from the raw part. Alternatively, multiple forging is provided, in which several base parts are formed from the raw part.

[0008] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is provided that a plurality of, in particular four, interconnected base parts are forged from the, in particular rotationally symmetrical, blank.

[0009] This further reduces the manufacturing effort, because several basic parts are produced in a single forging process.

[0010] It is particularly preferred that the forged base parts be separated from one another by machining and / or each be provided with at least one undercut. This offers the advantage that several base parts can be produced with comparatively little additional effort. Only their connections to one another need to be separated or removed and / or undercuts created.

[0011] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the blank is forged in a forging die that is divided into two parts at the level of one underside of the blank. A tool parting line is thus provided at the level of the underside. This results in a geometrically particularly advantageous and simple forging process.

[0012] The brake caliper of a braking device, particularly an electromechanical one, of a motor vehicle, comprising the features of claim 9, is characterized in that at least one base part of the brake caliper is manufactured by the method according to the invention. This results in the advantages already mentioned.

[0013] Further preferred features and combinations of features will become apparent from the foregoing and from the claims. The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the drawings. These drawings show... Fig. 1. An advantageous method for manufacturing a brake caliper, Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B Views of a brake caliper manufactured using the method, Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B Views of process steps of a first embodiment of the method, and Fig. 4A and Fig. 4B Views of method steps of a second embodiment of the method.

[0014] The following refers to Fig. 1 describes an advantageous method for producing a brake caliper 1. For this purpose, the Fig. 1 illustrates the process using a flow chart. In particular, the process ensures that the brake caliper 1 is manufactured cost-effectively and with a near-net shape.

[0015] In the Fig. 2A and Fig. Figure 2B shows a top view and a side view of a brake caliper 1 produced by the method. The brake caliper 1 is intended, in particular, for use in an electromechanical wheel brake device (not shown) of a motor vehicle. The brake caliper 1 is, in particular, formed in one piece and has a base part 2.

[0016] The base part 2 of the brake caliper 1 has two recesses 3, in particular for a guide pin each. In particular, further recesses 4, in particular provided with an internal thread, are formed on an underside of the base part 2. The base part 2 is in particular designed to be at least approximately mirror-symmetrical about a plane of symmetry 5.

[0017] The side view shows that the base part 2 has a U-shaped cross-section with a first, longer leg 6 and a second, shorter leg 7, on which the recesses 3, 4 are arranged. On an inner surface 8 of the first leg 6, a contact surface for a brake pad of the brake device is formed.

[0018] To produce this base part 2, a press sintering process or a forging process is carried out in step S1 of the method. Preferably, the base part 2 is press sintered in a two-part mold. The mold is used to remove the base part 2, in particular at least approximately along or perpendicular to the plane of symmetry 5, in which Fig. 2A is indicated by a cutting plane 9, dividing the base part 2 to minimize the need for post-processing.

[0019] If a forging process is selected, a blank 10 is first prepared. Such a blank 10, simplified here as a block at least essentially cuboid in shape with a length l, a height h and a width b, is formed in the Fig. Figure 3A shows a first embodiment of a forged base part 2. The blank 10 has a rectangular cross-section. Alternatively, the blank 10, as shown within the Fig. 3B is shown as a section view through a section plane BB, showing a circular segment-shaped cross-section.

[0020] To form the base part 2, the raw part 10 is then forged in at least one edge area to create a contact surface for a brake lining of the brake device. In the Fig. 3A is indicated by arrows 11 and 12, showing that the blank 10 is formed accordingly at both ends. In this respect, a simple forging process is described in the first embodiment of a forged base part 2, in which exactly one base part 2 is produced from one blank 10.

[0021] In the Fig. 3B shows that the formed blank 10 already corresponds, at least in its contour, to that shown in the Fig. The base part 2 shown in Figure 2A corresponds to this. The two legs 6, 7 and the contact surface 8 are clearly visible. In particular, the areas for the recesses 3 are already provided.

[0022] The forging process offers the advantage that the fiber orientation, indicated by a dashed line 13 and largely corresponding to a neutral fiber, has been preserved, which follows a later load profile when the brake caliper 1 engages corresponding brake discs.

[0023] Alternatively, a raw part 10 is used, from which a multitude of interconnected base parts 2 are forged. This is described in the Fig. 4A and Fig. 4B is shown as a second embodiment of a forged base part 2. The one used there, in the Fig. The blank 10 shown in a top view (Figure 4A) is rotationally symmetrical and has four identical areas, each of which is forged into a base part 2, so that a total of four base parts 2 are produced from one blank 10. Multiple forging is therefore carried out. For this purpose, the blank 10 is formed circumferentially along an outer circumference.

[0024] The raw part 10 is forged in a forging die that is split in two at the level of a lower side 14 of the tube part 10. In the Fig. 4B shows this using a cross-sectional view through a section in the Fig. 4A shows the sectioning plane AA. Fig. 3B shows that the formed blank 10 already has at least the essential contours of the one in the Fig. 2A shows the basic part 2.

[0025] The two subsequent base parts 2 shown here in the section view are now separated from each other by exciting post-processing in a dashed area 15 and each provided with at least one undercut in a dashed area 16.

[0026] In particular, a further interesting post-processing step is planned in the dashed-line area 17 for the recesses 3, provided these were not already formed in their final contour in the blank 10. Alternatively, they are formed during the forging process. Areas 15, 16, and 17 are filled with solid material prior to post-processing, which simplifies the geometry of the blank 10 and thus its production.

[0027] In a subsequent step S2, the base part is provided with at least one of the recesses 3, 4 and / or with an internal thread in at least one of the recesses 3, 4 after press sintering or forging by non-cutting and / or machining post-processing, in particular punching and / or drilling. The process then ends with a step S3.

Claims

[1] Method for producing a brake calliper (1) of a, in particular electromechanical, braking device of a motor vehicle, characterized by that at least one base part (2) of the brake calliper (1) is produced by press sintering or forging. [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized by that the base part (2) is provided after press-fitting or forging by non-cutting and / or machining post-processing, in particular punching and / or drilling, with at least one recess (3), in particular for a fastening element for fastening to the braking device, and / or with an internal thread in the or a further recess (4). [3] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the base part (2) is press-sintered in a two-part tool mold. [4] Method according to claim 3, characterized bythat the tool mold for removing the base part (2) is divided at least approximately along or perpendicular to a plane of symmetry of the base part (2). [5] Method according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized by that a blank (10), in particular with a rectangular or circular segment-shaped cross-section, is provided, and that the blank (10) is forged in at least one edge region to form a contact surface (8) for a brake pad of the brake device in order to form the base part (2). [6] Method according to claim 5, characterized by that a plurality of, in particular four, interconnected base parts (2) are forged from the, in particular rotationally symmetrical, blank (10). [7] Method according to claim 6, characterized by that the forged base parts (2) are separated from one another by machining and / or are each provided with at least one undercut. [8] Method according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterized by that the blank (10) is forged in a forging die which is divided into two parts at the level of a bottom side (14) of the blank (10). [9] Brake calliper (1) of a, in particular electromechanical, braking device of a motor vehicle, characterized by that at least one base part (2) of the brake caliper (1) is produced by a method according to one of the preceding claims.

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