Brake Caliper Support Surface Machining Without Weakening the Caliper
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing caliper disc brakes for commercial vehicles weaken the brake caliper and require additional complex components or sealing issues, and expose connecting elements to heavy loads during operation.
Innovation Solution
A method that forms the support surface within a one-piece, closed caliper without additional openings, using an L-shaped processing tool inserted through the assembly/disassembly opening to form both the support and guide surfaces, allowing for rotational and translational movements to access the interior without weakening the caliper and eliminating the need for heavy-load connecting elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a working opening is created in the saddle to insert the machining tool, then the support surface can be formed, but the brake caliper is weakened and additional sealing measures are required
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of creating an opening in the saddle body, the invention uses the brake disc recess as the access point. The machining tool is introduced from the disc side through the existing recess, reversing the conventional approach of accessing the support surface from the saddle exterior. This eliminates the need for additional working openings while maintaining full machining capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The brake disc recess, originally designed solely for disc accommodation, is repurposed to serve dual functions: housing the brake disc and providing access for machining the support surface. This multi-functional use of the recess eliminates the need for separate working openings.
2Ease of operation
If the saddle is divided into two sections to improve accessibility, then the support surface can be formed, but connecting elements are exposed to heavy loads during operation
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than dividing the saddle to access the support surface, the invention approaches the problem from the opposite direction - accessing the support surface through the disc recess from the disc side. This maintains the saddle as a monolithic structure, avoiding weak connecting elements while achieving full accessibility for machining.
3Ease of manufacture
If a separate component is used for the support surface, then the saddle interior can be accessed, but sealing problems occur and additional anchoring is required
Solution Approach 1:
The support surface is formed directly as an integral part of the saddle, eliminating the need for separate components that would require sealing and anchoring. The machining process creates the support surface in situ, and the surface itself serves its function without requiring additional sealing measures or attachment mechanisms.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for producing a caliper for a caliper-type disk brake, in particular for utility vehicles, wherein the caliper has the following: a brake-application-side caliper section (10) with at least one support surface (22.1, 22.2) for absorbing clamping forces during braking, a rim-side caliper section which is formed in one piece with the brake-application-side caliper section (12), and a first recess (14) which is situated between the two caliper sections and into which at least one brake disk projects at least in sections in the installed state. It is provided according to the invention that, to form the support surface, a machining tool (40) is moved through the first recess into the region in which the support surface is to be formed.