Disc Brake Indicator for Safe Reuse
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Solution Overview
Problem
The reuse of disc brake components is hindered by the inability to reliably assess the remaining service life of safety-critical parts, such as the brake caliper, due to unknown operational stresses, leading to safety risks and economic inefficiencies, as existing methods rely on empirical values and are prone to errors.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an indicator with a shorter service life than the safety-relevant components, such as a roller body with a notch or a rib, which deforms or fails at a predetermined load limit, ensuring only safe and reliable reuse of disc brake parts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If used functional parts of disc brake are reused after maintenance, then material value and manufacturing costs are conserved, but the reliability and safety of the refurbished brake cannot be guaranteed due to unknown operational stresses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by equipping functional parts with indicators before they are put into service. These indicators (such as notches, holes, or weakened sections) are pre-positioned at critical stress locations so that they will fail at predictable load cycles, providing advance warning before actual component failure occurs. This allows the component to be safely reused while maintaining reliability through proactive monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements this principle by using inexpensive indicator elements (notches, holes, or sacrificial components) that have shorter service lives than the main functional parts. These indicators act as disposable warning devices that fail first to alert operators that the main component is approaching its fatigue limit, allowing safe replacement timing without wasting the expensive main component.
2Reliability
If functional parts are exchanged for new parts instead of reuse, then safety risks are eliminated, but economic efficiency is reduced due to high production costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by creating a visible warning system through indicator failure. When the indicator (notch, hole, or sacrificial element) fails due to fatigue, it provides immediate feedback to operators that the component has reached its safe service life limit. This feedback mechanism enables informed decisions about component replacement, balancing safety requirements with economic efficiency by allowing reuse up to the point of indicator failure.
3Device complexity
If empirical values are used to assess remaining service life, then assessment process is simplified, but measurement precision and reliability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by transforming the abstract concept of remaining service life into a tangible, observable parameter - the physical state of the indicator (intact, deformed, or failed). Instead of relying on empirical estimates of fatigue cycles, the indicator's physical condition provides a direct, precise measurement of accumulated stress, enabling accurate assessment without complex calculation or subjective judgment.
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
Guarantees the reuse of disc brake components only when they meet safety requirements, eliminating risks and optimizing resource utilization by ensuring only functional parts with sufficient operational safety are reused.
Implementation Method 1
at least the safety-relevant functional parts are each equipped with an indicator which, in terms of stress, is characterized by a shorter service life than the safety-relevant areas of the respective functional part
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a disk brake, in particular for a utility vehicle, comprising functional parts that can be reused after use and subsequent examination for operational safety, which is designed in such a way that at least each of the safety-relevant functional parts (1) is equipped with at least one indicator (4), the operation-related service life of which is less than the safety-relevant ranges of the functional part.