Vehicle Disk Brake Hinged Friction Pads Prevent Unintended Braking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional Electro Wedge Brakes for vehicles can experience unintended braking due to adhesion of moisture or foreign substances between the disk and wedge members, leading to friction pad attraction in the disk's rotating direction, resulting in unwanted braking.
Innovation Solution
The disk brake design incorporates a pair of friction pads with upper ends hinged to wedge members and lower ends supported by elastic members, which are protruded toward the disk, and back plates fixed to the friction pads' rear surfaces, allowing the friction pads to be rotated parallel to the disk during braking, minimizing contact area and reducing frictional force when not braking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the friction pads are pressurized toward the disk using wedge members in a conventional EWB, then braking force is generated, but adhesion between the disk and wedge members causes unintended braking due to friction pad attraction in the rotating direction
Solution Approach 1:
The friction pad is designed with a rotatable connection to the wedge member through a hinge protrusion and hinge part, allowing the friction pad to dynamically adjust its orientation. During braking, the friction pad rotates to become parallel with the disk for effective contact, while during non-braking states it maintains an angled position to minimize contact area and prevent adhesion-induced unintended braking.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic member provides localized support at the lower end of the friction pad, creating a specific contact region with the disk. This localized contact arrangement ensures that only the lower end portion of the friction pad contacts the disk when not braking, minimizing the contact area and reducing the harmful adhesion effects while maintaining reliable braking control when needed.
2Force
If the friction pads contact the disk over a larger area, then braking effectiveness is improved, but frictional force increases causing unintended braking when not braking
Solution Approach 1:
The friction pad's orientation is made dynamic through the hinge connection, allowing it to change from a parallel position during braking (maximizing contact area and braking force) to an angled position during non-braking (minimizing contact area and frictional force). This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between needing high braking force and preventing unintended braking.
Solution Approach 2:
During non-braking operation, only a partial portion (the lower end) of the friction pad contacts the disk through elastic support, rather than the entire friction pad surface. This partial contact minimizes frictional force and prevents unintended braking, while during braking the full contact area is utilized for effective braking force generation.
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 design limits frictional force between the disk and friction pads to the edges of the lower ends, preventing unintended braking by minimizing contact area and reducing frictional force, thus ensuring controlled braking.
Implementation Method 1
the lower ends of the friction pads are supported by elastic members so as to be protruded toward the disk
Implementation Method 2
the upper ends of the friction pads are respectively hinged to the wedge members... allowing the friction pads to be rotated parallel to the disk during braking
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a disk brake for vehicles including a disk rotated together with a wheel of a vehicle, a pair of friction pads disposed at both sides of the disk opposite to each other, and a pair of wedge members installed on the rear surfaces of the friction pads, wherein the upper ends of the friction pads are respectively hinged to the wedge members, and the lower ends of the friction pads are supported by elastic members so as to be protruded toward the disk. Even though friction between the disk and the friction pads occurs under the condition that braking is not performed, the friction is limited to regions between the edges of the lower ends of the friction pads and the disk, thereby reducing frictional force between the disk and the friction pads and thus preventing unintended braking.