Convex Torque Pad Geometry for Lower Brake Pad Bending Stress
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current brake assemblies for vehicles face challenges in effectively reducing wheel rotation by concentrating bending stresses on torque pads, which can lead to material deformation and reduced operational life, especially under high temperatures and stress conditions.
Innovation Solution
The brake assembly incorporates a torque pad with a convex surface design that distributes compression force more evenly across the loading surface, reducing peak bending stresses by allowing the force profile to decrease in magnitude towards the edge, thus supporting the torque pad with a boss and enabling a more elongated design that reduces stress concentrations and enhances material durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the torque pad uses a flat loading surface to receive compression force, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but bending stresses concentrate at the edge leading to material deformation and reduced operational life
Solution Approach 1:
The pad face is designed with a convex surface geometry instead of a flat surface. The convex surface extends from the loading surface toward the edge of the pad body, creating a curved profile that redistributes the compression force more evenly across the torque pad, reducing peak bending stresses at the edge while maintaining structural simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The convex surface creates varying local geometries across the pad face, with the curvature being more pronounced near the loading surface and tapering toward the edge. This local variation in geometry optimizes stress distribution where it is most critical (near the loading surface) while maintaining a simpler profile at the edges
2Strength
If the torque pad is designed to be more elongated to reduce stress concentrations, then bending stresses are reduced and durability is enhanced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The elongated pad body is combined with a convex surface geometry that curves smoothly from the loading surface to the edge. This curved profile naturally reduces stress concentrations at the edges while the elongated shape provides additional structural support, achieving enhanced strength without requiring complex internal structures or reinforcements
Data Source
AI summary
In some examples, a brake assembly is configured to compress a brake disc stack to reduce and/or limit rotational motion of a wheel about a wheel axis. The brake assembly is configured to transmit a compression force on the disc stack to a backing plate. The backing plate is configured to transmit the compression force to a pad face of a torque pad, which transmits the compression force to a torque tube. A pad face of the torque pad defines a convex surface configured to cause a magnitude of a force profile on the pad face to decrease as the force profile distributes toward an edge of the torque pad. In examples, the pad face defines a first convex surface configured to reduce the magnitude as the force profile distributes toward a first end and a second convex surface configured to reduce the magnitude as the force profile distributes toward a second end substantially opposite the first end.