Articulating Brake Piston Insert for Uneven Pad Wear
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inconsistent wear of brake pads leads to angled disc facing surfaces, resulting in reduced contact area between the pad and disc, increased brake actuation travel, and potential damage to brake caliper components due to tilted pistons applying force at an angle.
Innovation Solution
A piston design with an articulating insert, featuring a cap that moves transversely and axially relative to the piston body, ensuring the piston applies force evenly across the pad contact face regardless of the angle of the disc facing surface. This maintains the pad facing surfaces square, preventing reduction in contact area and ensuring even force application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If the brake pad is used with inconsistent wear, then the disc facing surface becomes angled relative to the disc, but the contact area between pad and disc is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The piston cap is made movable relative to the piston body, allowing it to articulate and adjust its orientation dynamically. This dynamic adjustment enables the piston cap to maintain perpendicular alignment with the brake disc surface even when the brake pad wears inconsistently, thereby preserving optimal contact area throughout the brake's usable period.
Solution Approach 2:
The angle of the piston cap relative to the piston body is changed from fixed to variable. By allowing the piston cap to change its angular parameter through articulation, the system adapts to varying pad wear conditions and maintains the optimal contact geometry between the pad and disc.
2Force
If the piston travels further to apply braking force, then braking force is applied, but the piston tilts within the cylinder causing pressure on cylinder walls
Solution Approach 1:
The piston cap articulates dynamically to accommodate the angled force application from inconsistent pad wear. This movement allows the piston to absorb the angular component of the braking force through cap rotation rather than transmitting it to the cylinder walls, eliminating the harmful tilting effect while maintaining effective braking force application.
3Force
If the piston applies force at an angle due to tilted pad, then braking force is applied, but the contact between piston and pad becomes point contact reducing force transmission
Solution Approach 1:
The movable piston cap articulates to maintain optimal contact geometry with the brake pad. By adjusting its angular position, the cap ensures that the contact area between the piston and pad remains maximized rather than degrading to point contact, thereby improving force transmission efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution maintains optimal contact area between the brake pad and disc, reduces brake actuation travel, and prevents damage to brake caliper components by ensuring the piston applies force along its axis, thereby extending the lifespan of brake components and improving braking responsiveness.
Implementation Method 1
a resilient member arranged between the body and the cap
Data Source
AI summary
A piston for the actuation of a brake pad, the piston comprising a body having a base end, a pad end and a side wall formed therebetween, an axis X extending from the base end to the pad end, the pad end having a cap contact surface at a non-zero angle relative to the axis of the body; a cap movably secured to the body at the pad end, the cap being arranged over the cap contact surface and having a pad contact face and an opposite body contact face; and a resilient member arranged between the body and the cap; wherein, on application of a braking force, the cap is arranged in an initial position where the cap contact surface of the body is spaced apart from the body contact face of the cap, whereby the cap is moveable transversely relative to the axis of the body into an intermediate position; and wherein the cap is moveable axially relative to the body from the intermediate position into a final position where the cap contact surface contacts the body contact face such that movement of the cap transversely relative to the axis of the body is restrained in the final position.