Friction mechanisms

Claim 1

An annular friction member for use in a disc brake or like friction mechanism, a plurality of interconnected substantially segmental-shaped friction elements, each element being arranged to be operatively associated with either a rotatable or nonrotatable portion of the disc brake or friction mechanism, each of the friction elements having a single attachment to said retaining ring to provide unrestricted thermal expansion and thermal shrinkage independently of said retaining ring which is proportioned to extend adjacent one of the peripheries of the elements, and each such frictional element comprising a pair of principal load-carrying outer layers and an inner layer sandwiched therebetween, the inner layer of each element being circumferentially displaced relative to the outer layers of the element so that the outer layers of each element also overlap the inner layer of the circumferentially adjacent element, the outer layers of each of the friction elements being secured to a retaining ring arranged to extend adjacent one of the peripheries of the elements, the retaining ring arranged to communicate the tendency of the two outer layers of each element to rotate in their own planes during braking, under the action of a moment set up by the resultant frictional force acting on the element and the reaction force applied to the element by the rotatable or nonrotatable portion of the disc brake or friction mechanism, to one of the two inner layers directly associated with the outer layers of each element, said inner layer being associated with the two overlapping pairs of outer layers so as to resist their respective tendencies to rotate under braking, each friction element being interconnected with the two circumferentially adjacent friction elements in such a manner as to resist any tendency of the element to rotate in its plane during braking under the action of a moment set up by the resultant frictional force acting on the element and the reaction force applied to the element by the rotatable or nonrotatable portion of the disc brake or friction mechanism, two associated ring abutments, an inner layer of each element held in position by abutting contact at its inner periphery with the two associated ring abutments and at its outer periphery by abutting contact with two inserts, one secured to each of the pairs of associated outer layers.