Commercial Vehicle Disc Brake Lever Web Design
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Disc brakes for commercial vehicles, particularly those using the eccentric lever principle, face issues with vibration behavior and material usage due to the design of the lever and counter bearing, leading to increased mass and unfavorable restoring forces.
Innovation Solution
A disc brake design featuring a web on the lever underside to stabilize and shape it as a bending beam, reducing material usage and improving vibration behavior, with a counter bearing in the caliper and the use of DU bearing shells and spring elements for optimal positioning and low friction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the lever is designed with a strong bend to lead the long lever arm from the pivot axis to the point of attack, then the lever strength is improved, but the material usage and lever mass increase
Solution Approach 1:
The lever design transitions from a planar structure to a three-dimensional web structure. The web extends in the longitudinal extent of the lever and provides structural reinforcement through spatial configuration rather than simply increasing material thickness, allowing the lever to maintain strength while reducing mass.
Solution Approach 2:
The lever is divided into functional segments: the arm part, the web, and the eccentric part. The web acts as a separate structural element that provides reinforcement where needed, allowing the arm part to be made slimmer without compromising overall lever strength.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the lever mass is reduced by making the arm part slimmer, then the vibration behavior is improved, but the lever strength may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
By introducing the web as a three-dimensional structural element, the lever achieves improved vibration characteristics through better mass distribution and center of gravity positioning, while the web itself provides the necessary structural reinforcement to maintain strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The lever combines different structural configurations (arm part, web, eccentric part) to create a composite structure that optimizes both dynamic characteristics and mechanical strength, using the web as a reinforcing element that works together with the slimmer arm part.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the counter bearing is designed as a single continuous structure, then the bearing stability is improved, but the installation complexity and adjustment difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The counter bearing is divided into multiple segments or openings that accommodate the web of the lever. This segmentation allows the bearing to be manufactured with standard tools and enables easier installation and adjustment, while the overall bearing structure maintains its stability through proper segmentation design.
4Force
If the lever arm is made longer to achieve the required moment balance, then the braking performance is improved, but the lever becomes more prone to vibration and requires more material
Solution Approach 1:
The web structure provides three-dimensional reinforcement that allows the lever arm to be made longer for improved moment balance while the web configuration optimizes mass distribution to reduce vibration, achieving both force requirements and dynamic characteristics.
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 slimmer lever with improved vibration behavior and reduced mass, enhanced center of gravity, and simplified installation, while maintaining necessary strength and stability.
Implementation Method 1
The roller is supported in an axially and radially secured manner on a longitudinal axis L of the roller about which the lever can be pivoted. A counter bearing is formed in the caliper, on which the roller is supported.
Implementation Method 2
At least one spring element is inserted between the holding elements and the roller, with which the roller can always be centered axially.
Implementation Method 3
The lever is rotatably mounted around the roller by means of a bearing shell. Such bearing shells, in particular so-called DU bearing shells, are characterized by low wear and low friction.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Disclosed is a disk brake for a vehicle, in particular a commercial vehicle, comprising a brake calliper (1), which engages over a brake disk, an application device which is arranged in the brake calliper (1) and by means of which at least one brake pad is pressed against the brake disk during braking, adjusting spindles (n), which are rotatably mounted in the brake calliper (1), a lever (2), which is supported in the brake calliper (1) in order to direct force onto the at least one brake bad, the application device having a roller (7) which lies in axially and radially secured manner against the lever (2), the roller (7) being mounted in a receptacle (11) of the lever (2) so as to be able to rotate about a longitudinal axis (L) of the roller (7).