Vented Commercial Brake Rotor Structure for Thermal Rigidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vented brake rotors for commercial vehicles face issues with reduced rigidity due to void spaces, leading to thermal shock and thermal cycling failures, which cause bending and crack propagation, exacerbated by high torque loads and temperature differentials.
Innovation Solution
A unitary, one-piece annular brake rotor design with alternating outboard and inboard connecting portions that provide symmetry in thermal expansion and contraction, enhancing rigidity and limiting radial expansion, while incorporating inboard and outboard air inlets for improved airflow and cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If vents are added to the brake rotor to improve cooling, then heat dissipation is improved, but rigidity is reduced due to void spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The brake rotor is divided into multiple segments by the vent channels, creating a segmented structure that allows air flow paths through the rotor. This segmentation enables cooling while the surrounding solid material maintains structural integrity. The vent channels are strategically positioned to provide cooling without compromising the overall rigidity of the rotor assembly.
2Strength
If the brake rotor is made more rigid to handle high torque loads, then strength is improved, but heat dissipation capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The vent channels extend axially through the rotor, utilizing the axial dimension to create cooling paths. This allows the rotor to maintain its radial and tangential strength for handling torque loads while providing three-dimensional cooling pathways that efficiently dissipate heat without reducing the rotor's load-bearing capacity.
3Temperature
If air inlets are positioned to maximize cooling, then heat dissipation is improved, but the packaging space on the wheel hub is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The air inlet passages are nested within the existing rotor structure, utilizing the internal volume of the rotor assembly rather than requiring additional external space. The vent channels are integrated into the rotor body, allowing cooling airflow to be channeled through the existing structural geometry without increasing the overall packaging footprint on the wheel hub.
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
The design improves robustness by reducing temperature-induced bending and crack propagation, maintaining even heat distribution and contact with brake pads, and enhancing the brake rotor's ability to handle high loads.
Implementation Method 1
A vented commercial vehicle brake rotor may be less rigid than similarly sized brake rotor without vents due to the void spaces in the brake rotor required to form the vents. The improvement in heat transfer provided by vents of a commercial vehicle brake rotor
Implementation Method 2
Some prior vented brake rotors have a geometry that causes inboard and outboard sides of the brake rotor to expand and contract at different rates in response to thermal cycling of the brake rotor
Implementation Method 3
Brake rotors for commercial vehicles are subject to high torque loads and high temperatures during braking operations
Data Source
AI summary
In one aspect of the present disclosure, a commercial vehicle brake rotor is provided that includes a unitary, one-piece annular body having a central axis of rotation. The annular body includes vents and a braking portion having inboard and outboard braking surfaces. The annular body includes a central mounting flange having through openings to receive studs of a wheel hub. The through openings each have at least a portion thereof extending axially intermediate the inboard and outboard braking surfaces of the annular body. The annular body further includes inboard and outboard air inlets in communication with the vents.