Ventilated Brake Disc Vanes With Protrusions for Heat Dissipation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ventilated brake discs for motorsport and high-performance road cars face challenges in efficiently dissipating thermal energy during severe braking operations, leading to increased brake disc and pad temperatures, which can reduce braking effectiveness, and this is particularly problematic due to size and weight restrictions in motorsport applications.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a ventilated brake disc with a vane structure that features continuously swept vanes extending from the hub to the rim, including protrusions on the vane surfaces, which create recirculating regions in the airflow, enhancing heat transfer through conduction and convection, and a manufacturing method that maintains compatibility with the most widely used and cost-effective casting technique.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the size of the brake is increased to reduce thermal energy per unit mass, then heat dissipation improves, but weight and size restrictions in motorsport are violated
Solution Approach 1:
The brake disc is segmented into multiple vanes that create separate airflow channels between them. This segmentation divides the cooling function into multiple parallel paths, increasing the effective heat dissipation surface area without proportionally increasing the overall disc size or weight. The vanes act as independent heat transfer elements that collectively improve cooling efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes the radial dimension by extending vanes from the hub region outward toward the rim, creating three-dimensional heat dissipation pathways. Airflow is directed through the depth of the disc structure rather than just across the surface, adding a volumetric cooling component that enhances heat removal without increasing the disc's external footprint.
2Temperature
If conventional casting methods are used to manufacture ventilated discs, then manufacturing cost and ease of production are maintained, but the vane structure cannot provide optimal heat transfer due to cutting head passage requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the vane structure by adding protrusions that extend into the airflow passages. These protrusions modify the flow characteristics and heat transfer surface area without fundamentally changing the casting process. The parameters are optimized to maintain compatibility with existing core box manufacturing while achieving superior thermal performance.
Solution Approach 2:
Protrusions are strategically positioned on specific vanes at locations that maximize heat transfer efficiency. Rather than uniformly modifying all vanes, the local quality approach applies geometric features only where they provide the greatest thermal benefit, maintaining manufacturing simplicity while achieving targeted performance improvements.
3Temperature
If vanes are spaced apart to allow cutting head passage during manufacturing, then ease of manufacture is maintained, but heat transfer efficiency is reduced due to larger spacing
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process is designed to preliminarily create the vane structure with adequate spacing for cutting head access. After the core box is manufactured and the basic vane geometry is established, the protrusions are then added to the vanes. This preliminary action allows the initial spacing to be optimized for manufacturing, while subsequent modifications improve heat transfer without requiring the vanes to be closer together.
Solution Approach 2:
The protrusions act as intermediary structures that mediate between the manufacturing constraint (vane spacing) and the thermal performance requirement. By adding these intermediate geometric features to the existing vanes, the invention bridges the gap between the larger spacing required for manufacturing and the smaller spacing that would optimize heat transfer, achieving improved performance without violating manufacturing constraints.
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
This design significantly improves heat transfer efficiency, reducing brake disc temperature by 20-25% and maintaining structural integrity while being compatible with existing manufacturing methods, thus enhancing braking performance without increasing weight or size.
Implementation Method 1
During vehicle motion, the disc 10 rotates in direction D. As it does so, ambient air is entrained by the vanes 18 and moved from the hub to the rim due to a centrifugal pumping effect.
Implementation Method 2
Convection of the air towards the rim R and out of the disc body 12 moves the heat away.
Implementation Method 3
As air passes from the hub H to the rim R, heat is conducted to it via conduction from the hot disc body 12.
Implementation Method 4
the vane structure defines a plurality of protrusions on at least one circumferentially facing side... which create recirculating regions in the airflow, enhancing heat transfer through conduction and convection
Data Source
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AI summary
A ventilated brake disc (100) has a disc body (108) having a first disc plate (108), a second disc plate (110) and a vane structure (112) between the first and second disc plates, the vane structure separating the first and second disc plates to allow passage of fluid therebetween, in which the vane structure defines a plurality of vanes (112a, 112b, etc.), which vanes connect the first and second disc plates, are swept to extend in a radial and circumferential direction of the disc body and define a plurality of protrusions (128a, 128b etc.) on at least one circumferentially facing side (120).