Straddle Balance Mill Correction for Disc Brake Rotors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for balancing disc brake rotors are inefficient due to variations in the core gap caused by the casting process, leading to inaccurate material removal and potential unbalanced rotors requiring additional correction operations.
Innovation Solution
A method using a rotary straddle cutting tool to remove material from specific regions of the annular friction plates, ensuring material is cut only from uniform areas, thereby avoiding areas with manufacturing variations in the core gap.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If material is removed from the outer diameter of the rotor including core gap areas, then balancing correction can be performed, but manufacturing variations in the core gap cause inaccurate material removal and require additional correction operations
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor is segmented into two distinct zones: the core gap area with manufacturing variations and the friction plate areas with uniform surfaces. The method segments the material removal operation to exclude the core gap zone and target only the friction plate zones, thereby avoiding inaccurate material removal while maintaining effective balancing correction capability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies different quality requirements to different zones of the rotor. The friction plate zones are identified as having uniform surface quality suitable for precise material removal, while the core gap zone is recognized as having variable quality due to manufacturing processes. Material removal is localized to the high-quality friction plate zones to ensure balancing precision
2Productivity
If a conventional cutter wheel is used to remove material from the rotor circumference, then balancing material can be removed, but material from both rotor discs and core gap is removed leading to potential over-correction or under-correction
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting operation is made dynamic and selective rather than uniform. The method dynamically identifies which zones (friction plates) should receive material removal based on their uniform surface characteristics, while excluding zones (core gap) with manufacturing variations. This dynamic selection ensures both operational efficiency and precise material removal accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
Before material removal begins, the method performs preliminary identification and calculation to determine the precise zones suitable for cutting. The uniform regions are pre-identified and the material removal parameters are pre-calculated to ensure accurate balancing correction in a single operation, preventing the need for re-balancing
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 reduces the likelihood of re-balancing operations by precisely removing material from uniform regions, ensuring accurate balancing and minimizing errors caused by core gap variations.
Implementation Method 1
A rotary straddle cutting tool is aligned with and cuts respective regions of the first and second circumferential surfaces
Data Source
AI summary
A method is provided for balancing a disc brake rotor having a first annular friction plate, a second annular friction plate, and a core gap. The first annular friction plate includes a first circumferential surface. The second annular friction plate includes a second circumferential surface. Respective regions are determined for removing material within the first circumferential surface and the second circumferential surface for balancing the disc brake rotor if the disc brake rotor is out of balance. A rotary straddle cutting tool is aligned with respective regions of the first circumferential surface and the second circumferential surface. Material is cut from the respective regions of the first circumferential surface and the second circumferential surface with the rotary straddle cutting tool. Cutting material from the respective regions includes removing material within the width of the first circumferential surface and the second circumferential surface.