Brake Wear Element Coating With Projections for Wear Indication
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current brake discs made from steel or grey cast iron experience significant wear, leading to fine particle emissions that violate environmental regulations, and the wear status of protective coatings is difficult to measure, necessitating complex dismantling for assessment.
Innovation Solution
A wear element with a non-even surface featuring projections, partially or fully covered by a protective coating, which adjusts the friction coefficient and reduces particle emissions by exposing projections as wear progresses, allowing for smoother transitions between coated and uncoated states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If a protective coating is applied to the brake disc surface, then particle emissions are reduced and wear is minimized, but the coating wear status becomes difficult to measure and requires complex dismantling for assessment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a visual indicator system where the coating contains pigments or dyes that change color or reveal different colors as the coating wears. This allows the wear status to be detected by simple visual inspection without dismantling, directly resolving the measurement difficulty while maintaining the particle emission reduction benefit of the protective coating
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary visual indicator layer within the coating structure that mediates between the protective coating and the observer. This intermediary layer provides wear information through color changes or pattern revelations, enabling easy wear assessment without requiring direct measurement of the protective coating thickness or condition
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If the protective coating is made thinner to allow wear indication, then wear status becomes more detectable, but the coating lifespan and particle emission reduction effectiveness are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the coating into multiple functional layers: a thick protective base layer that provides long-term particle emission reduction, and a thinner indicator layer that provides wear detection. This segmentation allows each layer to optimize its function without compromising the other, maintaining both coating lifespan and wear detectability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by making only a portion of the coating (the indicator layer) thin and visible for wear detection, while the majority of the coating (the protective base layer) remains thick to ensure long lifespan and effective particle emission reduction. This partial thinning achieves detectability without sacrificing overall coating durability
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the coating completely covers the base element surface, then particle emissions are minimized, but friction coefficient may become too low to fulfill braking requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating regions of different coating coverage: areas with complete coating coverage provide particle emission reduction, while areas with partial or no coating (exposing the base element) provide higher friction coefficient. This local variation in coating quality allows simultaneous optimization of both particle emission reduction and braking performance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite friction surface consisting of coated regions (providing low particle emissions) and uncoated base element regions (providing high friction). This composite structure combines the advantages of both materials, achieving both particle emission reduction and sufficient friction coefficient for braking requirements
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 1c
Figure 2a~2b
AI summary
A wear element (1) for frictional force transmission is disclosed. The wear element (1) comprises a base element (2), a protective coating (3) and a friction surface (4) for frictional force transmission, wherein the base element (2) comprises a non-even surface (7) with at least one projection (6), wherein the protective coating (3) is provided on the non-even surface (7) to at least partially form the friction surface (4) in an unworn state of the wear element (1). Further, a friction brake, a vehicle and a method for producing a wear element are disclosed.