Disc Brake Caliper Bridge with Through Cavity
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Solution Overview
Problem
The automotive industry faces challenges in reducing the weight of disc brake caliper components while maintaining structural rigidity and improving cooling efficiency without increasing the caliper body weight.
Innovation Solution
A caliper body design featuring transversally spaced side formations connected by closed-loop bridge portions with through cavities, parallel ribs, and radially extended pillar elements to enhance mechanical resistance and ventilation, allowing for lighter and more efficient heat dissipation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If traditional solid bridge portions are used in caliper body, then structural rigidity is maintained, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge portion employs a closed-loop thin-walled structure that provides high structural rigidity relative to its weight. The thin walls form a rigid closed-loop geometry that resists deformation while minimizing material usage, achieving lightweight design without sacrificing strength
Solution Approach 2:
The caliper body utilizes composite construction combining thin-walled bridge portions with reinforced connection areas. The structure integrates different material densities and structural configurations to optimize the strength-to-weight ratio across different functional zones of the caliper
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional solid bridge portions are used in caliper body, then structural rigidity is maintained, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The thin-walled closed-loop bridge structure is designed with wall thicknesses and geometric features that facilitate core removal during casting while maintaining structural integrity. The thin walls allow for easier extraction of manufacturing cores compared to thick solid sections
3Temperature
If traditional caliper body design is used, then structural integrity is maintained, but cooling efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The closed-loop bridge structure creates internal cavities and channels that facilitate airflow through the caliper body. This porous-like internal geometry enables efficient convective cooling while the closed-loop structure maintains external structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The design transitions from solid three-dimensional bridge sections to thin-walled closed-loop structures with internal cavities. This dimensional transformation creates internal flow paths for cooling air while reducing material volume and weight
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 design results in a significantly lighter and more mechanically resistant caliper body with improved cooling efficiency, achieving a better resistance-to-weight ratio and reduced mechanical stress, applicable to both floating and fixed caliper bodies.
Implementation Method 1
the through cavity allows the passage of an airflow through the caliper body, thereby facilitating quick dissipation of the heat accumulated by the brake caliper
Implementation Method 2
Due to the hollow or closed-loop or tubular structure of the bridge portion, the caliper body can be considerably lighter and more mechanically resistant
Data Source
AI summary
Caliper bodies are provided which comprise two transversally spaced apart side formations and one or more transversally extending bridge portions, which connect the first and second side formations. Each bridge portion has a closed loop structure with an extrados, an intrados, two connecting portions transversally spaced apart connecting the extrados to the intrados and a through cavity, which extends in a tangential direction between the extrados and the intrados.