Rail Wheel Brake Disc Segmentation for Mass and Thermal Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wheel brake discs for rail vehicles face challenges in balancing thermal stability and mass reduction, particularly in high-speed applications where energy absorption and friction performance are critical, and existing designs often compromise on mass and temperature management.
Innovation Solution
The wheel brake disc features an annular friction belt with reduced thickness, cooling ribs, and elastic screw receptacles, along with annular grooves on the friction surface to manage thermal expansion, allowing for efficient heat dissipation and reduced mass without compromising friction performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the thickness of the friction belt is reduced, then the mass of the wheel brake disc is reduced, but the temperature management and friction performance may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The brake disc is segmented into a thin friction belt and a thicker cooling body with cooling ribs. This segmentation allows the friction belt to be thin (reducing mass) while the cooling ribs provide thermal management, resolving the contradiction between low mass and temperature control.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention moves from a uniform thickness design to a variable thickness design where the friction belt is thin but the overall disc includes thick cooling ribs extending in the radial direction. This dimensional change allows mass reduction in the friction area while maintaining thermal capacity through the cooling structure.
2Weight of moving object
If the thickness of the friction belt is reduced, then the mass is reduced, but the structural strength and deformation resistance may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The structure is divided into a thin friction belt for friction contact and a thicker support structure with cooling ribs for mechanical strength. This segmentation allows the friction belt to be thin (low mass) while the cooling ribs provide the necessary structural strength and deformation resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The brake disc employs a composite structure combining a thin friction belt material with a thicker cooling body material, optimizing both mass and strength properties through material and structural composition rather than uniform material selection.
3Temperature
If cooling ribs are added to the wheel brake disc, then heat dissipation is improved, but the mass and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Cooling ribs are added only in specific locations where thermal management is needed, rather than uniformly throughout the entire disc. This localized approach improves heat dissipation while minimizing the mass increase and structural complexity.
4Weight of moving object
If the friction belt thickness is reduced, then mass is reduced, but the permissible temperature gradient and thermal stability may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The thin friction belt is segmented or supported by cooling ribs that prevent excessive thermal gradients. The cooling ribs act as thermal anchors, allowing the thin friction belt to maintain thermal stability despite its reduced thickness and lower thermal mass.
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 maintains permissible friction temperatures and reduces mass, enhancing thermal stability and energy efficiency while minimizing dynamic screw forces and material accumulation, thus preventing permanent deformations.
Implementation Method 1
a multiplicity of cooling ribs which are formed on an assembly side facing away from a friction surface of the friction belt
Implementation Method 2
The thickness of the friction belt is less than a third of the maximum thickness of the wheel brake disc
Implementation Method 3
an annular friction belt, a multiplicity of cooling ribs which are formed on an assembly side facing away from a friction surface of the friction belt
Implementation Method 4
a region of the screw receptacles of the wheel brake disk surrounding the bore is, according to an advantageous variant, designed to be elastic in a direction axial to the longitudinal axis of the screw neck
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A wheel brake disc (3) for a rail wheel of a rail vehicle has an annular friction belt, a plurality of cooling fins (32, 36) which are integrally formed on a mounting side facing away from a friction surface (311) of the friction belt, several screw receptacles (33) for receiving a nut or screw head of a screw for fastening the wheel brake disc (3) to a wheel web of a wheel body of the rail wheel, wherein the thickness (d1) of the friction belt (31) is less than one third of the maximum thickness of the wheel brake disc (3).