Offset Brake Lever Structure for Lower Brake Shaft Lateral Loads
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Solution Overview
Problem
High offset in brake lever designs for heavy-duty vehicles leads to significant lateral loads on the brake shaft during actuation, causing wear and tear on the brake shaft splines and the slack adjuster mechanism.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a stiffening member into the brake lever design that extends along a direction contained inside a specific plane and includes an orifice for fitting the brake shaft, which acts as a support leg to absorb lateral efforts and reduce premature wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If high offset is used in brake lever design to accommodate packaging constraints, then the angle between the brake lever and perpendicular plane increases, but significant lateral loads are induced on the brake shaft causing wear and damage
Solution Approach 1:
The brake lever is segmented into multiple functional parts: a first portion for brake shaft connection, a second portion for push rod connection, and a central portion extending obliquely between them. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized for its specific function while collectively solving the lateral load problem through the engineered offset geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The brake lever transitions from a straight linear design to a three-dimensional oblique structure. The central portion extends at an angle θ (5°-45°) relative to the plane perpendicular to the brake shaft axis, introducing a spatial dimension that simultaneously achieves packaging compactness and lateral load management through geometric redistribution of forces.
2Volume of moving object
If high offset brake lever is used to reduce packaging space, then vehicle architecture constraints are better met, but wear and tear on brake shaft splines and slack adjuster accelerates
Solution Approach 1:
Different portions of the brake lever are designed with distinct geometric properties optimized for their local functions. The first portion has a specific offset distance d1 from the brake shaft axis, while the second portion has offset d2, creating localized quality variations that distribute lateral loads appropriately across different connection points and reduce concentrated wear.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention optimizes specific geometric parameters including the offset distances d1 and d2, the angle θ of the central portion, and the relative positioning of connection points. By carefully selecting these parameters within specific ranges, the design achieves a balance between compact spatial footprint and reduced lateral loading on the brake shaft, extending its service life.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a brake lever (20) for a drum brake arrangement (12), said brake lever being designed for transmitting the movement of a cylinder rod (14) to a brake shaft (22), wherein the brake lever (20) comprises a first portion (20a) delimiting a hole (24) for fitting the brake shaft (22) and a second portion (20b), which is configured to be pivotally connected to the cylinder rod (14) and wherein the first portion and the second portion are offset from each other with respect to a central axis (X24) of the hole (24). The brake lever further includes a stiffening member (28) that extends along a direction (L1) contained inside a plane (P1) perpendicular to the central axis (X24) of the hole and that includes an orifice (32) for fitting the brake shaft (22).