Vehicle Disc Brake Pad Retainer Vibration Noise Reduction

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Vehicle disc brakes experience striking noise due to collisions between lug pieces and pad guide portions caused by larger vibrations than those encountered during normal vehicle operation, resulting from minute gaps between the lug piece movably supporting faces and pad spring-back pieces.

Innovation Solution

The design incorporates pad retainers with spring-back portions that are inclined radially inward to abut the lug pieces, reducing gaps between the lug piece movably supporting faces and spring-back portions, and featuring pad abutment portions and extension pieces that support the lug pieces, thereby minimizing collisions and noise. The spring-back portions are configured to absorb vibrations using their spring-back force, ensuring effective assembly and slidability of the friction pads.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If conventional pad retainers with pad spring-back pieces are used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but minute gaps exist between the lug piece movably supporting faces and pad spring-back pieces causing striking noise under large vibrations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of manufactureVSAvoidstriking noise
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The pad retainer is divided into multiple functional portions: retainer portions for positioning, pad spring-back portions for elastic support, and connecting pieces for structural integrity. This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall manufacturability through sheet metal forming processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The pad spring-back portions are designed with elastic properties to provide beforehand cushioning against vibrations. The elastic loop portions and pad returning portions are pre-configured to absorb and dampen vibrations before they can cause the lug pieces to collide with pad guide portions, thereby preventing striking noise before it occurs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the pad spring-back pieces are made to closely contact the lug pieces to eliminate gaps, then striking noise is reduced, but the assembly and disassembly of friction pads becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestriking noiseVSAvoidease of assembly
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The pad retainer incorporates elastic and movable portions that allow dynamic adjustment during assembly and operation. The elastic loop portions can deform to accommodate the lug pieces during assembly, and the pad returning portions can move to maintain contact under vibration, thus achieving both easy assembly and noise reduction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The design utilizes changes in elastic deformation parameters to achieve the desired balance. The elastic portions are designed with specific stiffness characteristics that allow them to be compliant during assembly (facilitating easy installation) but sufficiently rigid under normal operation to minimize gaps and prevent striking noise.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Object-affected harmful factors

If the pad retainer structure is made more complex to eliminate gaps and prevent collisions, then striking noise is suppressed, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestriking noiseVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The pad retainer is designed as a multi-functional component that simultaneously performs positioning (retainer portions), vibration absorption (elastic loop portions), and collision prevention (pad returning portions). This universal design achieves noise suppression without requiring separate components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The pad retainer utilizes flexible sheet metal construction with elastic loop portions that act as flexible elements. These thin, flexible portions provide vibration damping and gap elimination functions while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure, avoiding the need for complex rigid mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

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

This configuration effectively suppresses striking noise by reducing gaps between the lug pieces and pad guide portions, ensuring reliable support and assembly of the friction pads, and absorbing vibrations using the spring-back force, thus enhancing the overall performance of the vehicle disc brake.

Implementation Method 1

absorbing vibrations using the spring-back force

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSpring-back force: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP2495470B1Vehicle disc brake
Publication Date: 2015.11.04 NISSIN KOGYO CO LTD
  • EP2495470B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2495470B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2495470B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A vehicle disc brake includes pad retainers (10). The pad retainer includes retainer portions (10a) disposed on torque bearing faces, pad spring-back pieces (10b) projected from radially inner sides of the retainer portions and disposed on lug piece movably supporting faces, and a connecting piece (10g) connecting radially outer sides of the retainer portions (10a). The pad spring-back piece (10b) includes a spring-back portion (10j) extended from a base end portion (10i) thereof and inclined gradually radially inwards from the base end portion towards a distal end portion (10n), so that the distal end portion (10n) is allowed to be brought into abutment with the lug piece movably supporting face, in such a state that the lug piece is assembled to the pad guide portion via the pad retainer (10) and a pad abutment portion (10k) extended radially outwards from the spring-back portion (10j) to be brought into abutment with a radially inner face of the lug piece.