Disc Brake Caliper Body Stiffening Bands
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional disc brake calipers face challenges in achieving sufficient structural rigidity while minimizing weight, particularly in high-performance vehicles where braking forces are high, and existing designs often require more material than necessary to maintain equivalent rigidity.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates peripheral stiffening bands on the caliper body's limbs, which interconnect outer lateral surfaces of cylinder housing portions and include openings to reduce material usage, along with tapered and partially domed cylinder housing profiles to enhance structural rigidity and reduce weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If conventional caliper body designs are used, then structural rigidity is maintained, but weight increases due to excessive material usage
Solution Approach 1:
The caliper body is segmented into distinct functional zones: cylindrical bores for pistons, peripheral stiffening bands for structural integrity, and cooling channels for thermal management. This segmentation allows each region to be optimized independently, using material only where structurally necessary while maintaining overall rigidity.
Solution Approach 2:
The caliper body employs varying wall thicknesses and material distributions tailored to local structural requirements. Thicker sections are positioned at the peripheral stiffening bands and mounting areas where rigidity is critical, while thinner sections are used in non-critical areas, optimizing the weight-strength ratio.
2Weight of moving object
If material is reduced to decrease weight, then weight decreases, but structural rigidity under dynamic braking loads deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The peripheral stiffening bands are designed with curved, arcuate profiles that follow the circumferential geometry of the caliper body. These curved structures provide superior resistance to bending moments and dynamic braking loads compared to straight structural elements, maintaining rigidity while using minimal material.
Solution Approach 2:
The caliper body integrates multiple material functions within a unified structure: aluminum alloy for base material, strategic material placement for stiffening, and cooling channels for thermal management. This composite approach optimizes the weight-strength-thermal management triad.
Data Source
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AI summary
A body (130) for a disc brake caliper has a mounting side limb (131) and a non-mounting side limb (132), each limb housing at least one hydraulic brake cylinder. The body has a peripheral stiffening band (145, 155) that extends about an outer lateral surface of at least one of the limbs (131, 132). In a preferred embodiment, a peripheral stiffening band (145, 155) extends about an outer lateral surface of each of the limbs (131, 132). The stiffening band or bands (145, 55) and other features of the caliper body (130) are designed to provide a desired level of stiffness in the body under dynamic braking conditions with a minimum of material. The resulting caliper body (130) has an asymmetric shape in plan. A method of designing and manufacturing a body for a disc brake caliper which involves analysing the stiffness of the body under dynamic rather than static braking conditions and producing a caliper body with a required level of stiffness under dynamic conditions whilst reducing the amount of material used to a minimum is also disclosed.