Composite brake drum

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12366273-B2
Application number	US-202218087217-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2022
Priority date	Dec 22, 2022
Publication date	Jul 22, 2025
Grant date	Jul 22, 2025

Abstract

A brake drum having a composite structure includes a cylindrical body defining an inner friction surface and an outer surface. The cylindrical body includes a drum core comprising an Al—Si alloy, the drum core including an inner surface, and an outer surface of the drum core defining the outer surface of cylindrical body. The cylindrical body includes a thermal barrier layer comprising a thermally insulating material on the inner surface of the drum core, and a wear-resistant layer comprising an Fe—Al—Si—Zr alloy on the inner surface of the drum core over the thermal barrier layer, the wear-resistant layer defining the inner friction surface of the cylindrical body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A brake drum having a composite structure, the brake drum comprising:
a cylindrical body defining an inner friction surface and an outer surface, the cylindrical body comprising:
a drum core comprising an Al—Si alloy, the drum core including an inner surface, and an outer surface of the drum core defining the outer surface of cylindrical body;
a thermal barrier layer comprising a thermally insulating material on the inner surface of the drum core; and
a wear-resistant layer comprising an Fe—Al—Si—Zr alloy on the inner surface of the drum core over the thermal barrier layer, the wear-resistant layer defining the inner friction surface of the cylindrical body.

2. The brake drum of claim 1 , wherein the wear-resistant layer is configured to engage one or more brake linings or brake shoes of a vehicle to slow rotation of the cylindrical body during braking of the vehicle.

3. The brake drum of claim 2 , wherein the cylindrical body is configured to couple with an axle of the vehicle to slow rotation of one or more wheels connected to the axle in response to the one or more brake linings or brake shoes engaging the wear-resistant layer.

4. The brake drum of claim 1 , wherein the Fe—Al—Si—Zr alloy comprises, by mass, greater than or equal to 45% to less than or equal to 60% iron, greater than or equal to 35% to less than or equal to 45% aluminum, greater than or equal to 1% to less than or equal to 3% zirconium, and greater than or equal to 0.5% to less than or equal to 2% silicon.

5. The brake drum of claim 4 , wherein:
the Fe—Al—Si—Zr alloy comprises, by mass, comprises a grain refiner in an amount, by mass, greater than or equal to 0.05% to less than or equal to 1% of the Fe—Al—Si—Zr alloy; and
the grain refiner comprises at least one of chromium(III) boride and tantalum boride.

6. The brake drum of claim 4 , wherein:
the Fe—Al—Si—Zr alloy has a density of greater than or equal to 4,800 kilograms per cubic meter to less than or equal to 5,200 kilograms per cubic meter;
the Fe—Al—Si—Zr alloy has a specific heat capacity of greater than or equal to 0.61 kilojoules per kilogram-kelvin to less than or equal to 0.67 kilojoules per kilogram-kelvin; and
the Fe—Al—Si—Zr alloy has a thermal conductivity of greater than or equal to about 11 watts per meter-kelvin to less than or equal to 13 watts per meter-kelvin.

7. The brake drum of claim 1 , wherein the thermally insulating material comprises a high entropy alloy, a high entropy ceramic, or a combination thereof.

8. The brake drum of claim 7 , wherein:
the thermally insulating material has a thermal conductivity of greater than or equal to 0.4 watts per meter-kelvin to less than or equal to 0.7 watts per meter-kelvin;
the thermally insulating material has a specific heat capacity of greater than or equal to 1.3 kilojoules per kilogram-kelvin to less than or equal to 1.7 kilojoules per kilogram-kelvin; and
the thermally insulating material has a density of greater than or equal to 1,300 kilograms per cubic meter to less than or equal to 1,700 kilograms per cubic meter.

9. The brake drum of claim 7 , wherein the thermal barrier layer is perforated and includes a plurality of through-holes extending from the inner surface of the drum core to the wear-resistant layer.

10. The brake drum of claim 9 , wherein the Fe—Al—Si—Zr alloy of the wear-resistant layer is metallurgically bonded to the Al—Si alloy of the drum core via the plurality of through-holes of the thermal barrier layer.

11. The brake drum of claim 1 , wherein the Al—Si alloy comprises, by mass, greater than or equal to 7% to less than or equal to 20% silicon, greater than or equal to 0.4% to less than or equal to 0.9% magnesium, and greater than or equal to 79.1% to less than or equal to 92.6% aluminum.

12. The brake drum of claim 11 , wherein the Al—Si alloy comprises 359.0 cast aluminum.

13. The brake drum of claim 11 , wherein:
the Al—Si alloy has a density of greater than or equal to 2,500 kilograms per cubic meter to less than or equal to 2,900 kilograms per cubic meter;
the Al—Si alloy has a specific heat capacity of greater than or equal to 0.9 kilojoules per kilogram-kelvin to less than or equal to 1.3 kilojoules per kilogram-kelvin; and
the Al—Si alloy has a thermal conductivity of greater than or equal to about 186 watts per meter-kelvin to less than or equal to 225 watts per meter-kelvin.

14. A method of manufacturing a brake drum, the method comprising:
casting an Al—Si alloy into a shape of a brake drum core, the brake drum core defining a cylindrical body including an inner surface and an outer surface;
depositing a thermally insulating material directly on the inner surface of the brake drum core to form a thermal barrier layer; and
depositing an Fe—Al—Si—Zr alloy on the inner surface of the brake drum core over the thermal barrier layer to form a wear-resistant layer, the wear-resistant layer including an inner friction surface configured to engage one or more brake linings or shoes of a vehicle to slow rotation of the brake drum during braking of the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the thermally insulating material and the Fe—Al—Si—Zr alloy are deposited on the inner surface of the brake drum core using a directed energy deposition process.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the thermally insulating material is deposited on the inner surface of the brake drum core such that the thermal barrier layer is perforated and includes a plurality of through-holes extending from the inner surface of the brake drum core to the wear-resistant layer.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein, during deposition of the Fe—Al—Si—Zr alloy on the inner surface of the brake drum core, the Fe—Al—Si—Zr alloy flows into and through the through-holes in the thermal barrier layer to metallurgically bond the Fe—Al—Si—Zr alloy of the wear-resistant layer to the Al—Si alloy of the brake drum core.

18. A brake drum having a composite structure, the brake drum comprising:
a cylindrical body defining an inner friction surface and an outer surface, the cylindrical body comprising:
a drum core comprising an aluminum (Al) alloy, the drum core including an inner surface, and an outer surface of the drum core defining the outer surface of cylindrical body;
a thermal barrier layer comprising a thermally insulating material on the inner surface of the drum core; and
a wear-resistant layer comprising an Iron-Aluminum-Silicon-Zirconium (Fe—Al—Si—Zr) alloy on the inner surface of the drum core over the thermal barrier layer, the wear-resistant layer defining the inner friction surface of the cylindrical body.

19. The brake drum of claim 18 , wherein the thermally insulating material comprises a high entropy alloy, a high entropy ceramic, or a combination thereof.

20. The brake drum of claim 18 , wherein the thermal barrier layer is perforated and includes a plurality of through-holes extending from the inner surface of the drum core to the wear-resistant layer.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Lee Heewook
• Liu Zhongyi
• Sachdev Anil K
• Brown Tyson Whittier
• Kukreja Ratandeep Singh

Classifications

• F16D2200/0039

  Ceramics · CPC title

• F16D2200/003

  Light metals, e.g. aluminium · CPC title

• F16D2200/0017

  corrosion-resistant · CPC title

• F16D2065/132

  layered · CPC title

• F16D2250/0046

  Coating · CPC title