Brake caliper with cooling system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9400025-B2
Application number	US-51631206-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2006
Priority date	Dec 18, 2006
Publication date	Jul 26, 2016
Grant date	Jul 26, 2016

Abstract

A brake caliper for disc brake has two side walls, one on either side of a brake rotor or disc. Each of the side walls has at least one seat which receives a brake pad having a friction surface which engages the disc, and a thrust surface opposite the friction surface. A brake piston engaging the thrust surface of the pad pushes the pad against the brake disc. The caliper has cooling ducts for conveying a flow of cooling air to the pad. These cooling ducts comprise a first outlet port that is configured to generate a first partial cooling flow on the side of the friction surface of the pad and a second outlet port configured to generate a second partial cooling flow on the side of the thrust surface of the pad.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A brake caliper comprising:
two side walls spaced apart from each other, which define a disc space for accommodating a portion of a brake disc, in which a first of these side walls comprises means for rotatably and translatably integrally fixing the caliper to a vehicle and the side walls are connected to each other by a connecting structure, in which each of said side walls defines at least one seat for at least one pad having (a) a friction surface that is intended to engage the brake disc and (b) a thrust surface opposite the friction surface;
each of said side walls contains at least one piston for engaging the thrust surface of the pad to push the pad against the brake disc; and
each of said side walls has cooling ducts for conveying a flow of cooling air to the pad, wherein each of said cooling ducts comprise:
a first outlet port configured to direct a first partial cooling flow at the friction surface side of the pad;
a second outlet port different from said first outlet port and configured to direct a second partial cooling flow at the thrust surface side of the pad, said second partial cooling flow being different from said first partial cooling flow,
wherein said first outlet port is arranged radially outside the pad and facing the interface between the friction surface of the pad and the corresponding friction surface of the brake disc; and
said second outlet port is formed in the first side wall of the caliper and is configured to direct said second partial cooling flow transverse to the plane defined by the friction surface of the pad, such that said second partial cooling flow directly hits said thrust surface of the pad.

2. The brake caliper according to claim 1 , wherein the plane defined by the friction surface of the pad intersects said first outlet port such as to direct said first partial cooling flow to said interface between the friction surface of the pad and the friction surface of the brake disc.

3. The brake caliper according to claim 1 , wherein one or more of said first outlet ports and one or more of said second outlet ports are formed on each side of the plane defined by the brake disc, such as to cool the interface between the disc and pad and the interface between the pad and pistons on both sides of the disc.

4. The brake caliper according to claim 3 , comprising:
a feeding duct for the cooling air, which is arranged on the first side wall of the caliper;
one or more bridge ducts that are in communication with said feeding duct and extend astride the disc space from the first side wall to the second side wall of the caliper;
one or more outer cooling ducts that are in communication with said feeding duct and radially arranged outside the disc space, wherein said outer cooling ducts form said first outlet ports;
one or more inner cooling ducts formed in the first side wall of the caliper and in communication with said feeding duct;
one or more further inner cooling ducts that are formed in the second side wall of the caliper and in communication with said bridge ducts;
wherein said inner cooling ducts form said second outlet ports.

5. The brake caliper according to claim 4 , wherein said outer cooling ducts are cantilevered from said first side wall of the caliper.

6. The brake caliper according to claim 5 , wherein said outer cooling ducts are supported by one or more supports that are arranged on the second side wall of the caliper.

7. The brake caliper according to claim 4 , wherein said first outlet ports are formed by diffusing elements defining an outlet slot.

8. The brake caliper according to claim 7 , wherein said outlet slot has an extension parallel to the plane of the pad which is greater than or substantially equal to the width of the corresponding outer cooling duct in which said diffusing elements are formed.

9. The brake caliper according to claim 4 , wherein said bridge ducts are at least partially defined by a bridge element of said connecting structure which extends astride the disc space and connects the two side walls of the caliper.

10. The brake caliper according to claim 9 , wherein said bridge element is arranged halfway between two end bridges of the caliper.

11. The brake caliper according to claim 9 , wherein said outer cooling ducts are in a number of two and are arranged on two opposite sides of said bridge element.

12. The brake caliper according to claim 4 , wherein said inner cooling ducts are formed beside said cylindrical housings.

13. The brake caliper according to claim 12 , wherein said inner cooling ducts are formed between two of said sequential cylindrical seats that are formed in the same side wall.

14. The brake caliper according to claim 4 , comprising a ventilation lid which is fabricated separate from the caliper body and connected thereto, wherein said ventilation lid forms:
said feeding duct;
said outer cooling ducts; and
a cover shell having a middle portion that together with the bridge element of the connecting structure defines said bridge duct as well as two side portions that define, together with corresponding portions of the side walls, communication passageways from the feeding duct to the one or more inner cooling ducts, respectively, of the first side wall and from the bridge duct to the one or more inner cooling ducts of the second side wall.

Assignees

• Maestrini Luca
• De Angeli Andrea
• Freni Brembo Spa

Inventors

• Maestrini Luca
• De Angeli Andrea

Classifications

• F16D2125/06

  Pistons · CPC title

• F16D55/228

  with a separate actuating member for each side · CPC title

• F16D65/847 Primary

  with open cooling system, e.g. cooled by air · CPC title