Disc brake caliper and mounting structure

Claim 1

In a disc brake: a rotor having a pair of friction faces; a pair of friction elements, one of said elements being disposed adjacent each of said friction faces; a torque member having a pair of circumferentially spaced arms extending generally parallel to one of said friction faces and defining a recess therebetween slidably receiving one of said friction elements, said one element being movable toward and away from said one friction face; each of said arms terminating in a component extending generally parallel to the axis of said rotor, each of said components including portions disposed radially outwardly of the periphery of said rotor and extending across at least half of the axial width of the latter, said components carrying bearing surfaces extending parallel to the Axis of the rotor, said bearing surfaces extending over a substantial portion of the axial length of said components including the portions of the latter extending across at least half of the axial width of the rotor; and a caliper member having a fluid motor portion disposed adjacent said one friction face, a bridge portion extending across the periphery of said rotor, and a radially inwardly extending portion extending generally parallel to the other friction face and carrying the other friction element whereby the braking torque generated by engagement of the other friction element with said other friction face is transmitted through said caliper member; said caliper member having bearing surfaces extending parallel to the axis of the rotor carried by said fluid motor portion and bridge portion of the caliper member, said bearing surfaces on said caliper member being supported by the bearing surfaces on said components to thereby slidably support said caliper member for movement generally parallel to the axis of said rotor, the cooperation of those portions of said components and said caliper member extending over the periphery of the rotor being effective to resist twisting of the latter in a horizontal plane due to the braking torque exerted on the caliper member by engagement of said other friction element with said other friction face, the bearing surfaces on one of said members being defined by axially extending recesses integral with said one member, said recesses defining an upper bearing surface and a lower bearing surface in said one member, the bearing surfaces on said other member being defined by axially extending projections integral with said other member, said projections defining an upper bearing surface on one side of said projections and a lower bearing surface on the other side of said projections, the upper and lower bearing surfaces on said projections cooperating with the upper and lower projections on said recesses respectively whereby rotation of the caliper member with respect to the torque member in a vertical plane is prevented; said caliper member being supported on said torque member solely by the bearing surfaces on the caliper member and the corresponding bearing surfaces on the torque member, the caliper member being otherwise free of support by said torque member.