Pressed Brake Disc Assembly for Thin-Fin Cooling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional brake disc manufacturing methods, particularly casting, face challenges in reducing fin width, improving cooling performance, and lowering weight and cost, due to limitations in thickness reduction and material uniformity.

Innovation Solution

The brake disc is manufactured by pressing two first members and at least one second member with a fin holding part, where the members are joined through welding, allowing for thinner fins, increased fin count, and reduced thickness, thereby enhancing cooling performance and reducing weight and cost.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If brake disc is manufactured by casting, then manufacturing process is simple, but fin thickness cannot be reduced and cooling performance is limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooling performanceVSAvoidmanufacturing process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The brake disc is divided into multiple pressing members (first pressing member with sliding surfaces, second pressing member with fins, and optionally third pressing member with mounting part). This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured by pressing independently, enabling thinner fin thickness and improved cooling performance while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through modular assembly.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Temperature

If fin thickness is reduced to improve cooling performance, then cooling efficiency increases, but manufacturing difficulty increases with conventional methods

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooling performanceVSAvoidfin manufacturing difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The conventional casting method is replaced with a pressing-forming method. This substitution enables precise control of fin thickness and geometry through pressing molds, allowing for thinner fins with optimized cooling performance while avoiding the manufacturing limitations and high costs associated with thin-walled casting.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Weight of moving object

If material thickness is reduced to lower weight and cost, then weight and manufacturing cost decrease, but structural integrity may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebrake disc weightVSAvoidstructural integrity

Core Design Contradiction:

Weight of moving objectVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The brake disc employs a composite structure formed by joining multiple pressing members together. This composite construction allows each individual member to have reduced thickness for weight savings, while the assembled composite structure maintains overall structural integrity through the coordinated design and joining of multiple components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

4Temperature

If number of fins is increased to improve cooling performance, then cooling efficiency increases, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooling performanceVSAvoidfin structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Replacing casting with pressing-forming methodology enables efficient manufacturing of brake discs with increased fin count. The pressing process can accommodate complex fin patterns and high fin densities that would be difficult or costly to achieve with conventional casting, thereby improving cooling performance without proportionally increasing manufacturing complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

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 approach enables improved cooling performance, weight reduction, and cost savings by allowing for thinner, more numerous fins and uniform material distribution, while eliminating the need for deep drawing and reducing material thickness.

Implementation Method 1

Each of the two first members and the at least one second member is manufactured by pressing

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPressing: Compression

Implementation Method 2

the brake disc is manufactured as the two first members and the at least one second member manufactured by pressing are joined to each other

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectWelding: Welding

Data Source

PatentUS11229945B2Brake disc and brake disc manufacturing method

Publication Date: 2022.01.25 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK

AI summary

The brake disc includes two first members and at least one second member. Each of the first members has a sliding surface, and has almost a disc shape or an almost annular plate shape. The second member has a plurality of fins and a fin holding part. Each of the two first members and the at least one second member is manufactured by pressing. The brake disc is manufactured as the two first members and the at least one second member manufactured by pressing are joined to each other.