Aerodynamically ventilated disc brake

Claim 2

In a motor vehicle for travel in a selected direction equipped with a drive shaft assembly located parallel to the direction of travel and differential housing accommodating a pinion shaft of said drive shaft assembly, the combination of an aerodynamically and thermovolumetrically cooled central disc brake unit comprising a disc assembly having a non-rotatable attachment to the pinion shaft assembly and a braking member having a fixed attachment to the differential housing, said disc assembly comprising a pair of forward and aft spaced balanced parallel discs in a plane perpendicular to said direction of travel, each disc comprising a plurality of paired airfoil shaped vanes and spacers at uniformly circumferentially spaced locations, each paired vane and spacer on one disc being at locations alternating with each paired vane and spacer on the other disc, said airfoil shaped vanes and spacers being arcuate and extending from an inside end to an outside end obliquely rearwardly relative to a clockwise rotation of said drive shaft, said air foil shaped vane and spacers each being thicker at the inside end than at the outside end, the space between adjacent inside ends of said air foil shaped vanes being less than the space between adjacent outside ends of the same vanes whereby there are passageways in between adjacent vanes expanding progressively outwardly from an inside end to an outside end, the outside ends of said passageways being in unobstructed communication with the surrounding atmosphere, said spacers being located in said passageways, and a forward facing port on the forward disc in communication with the inside end of each said passageway.

Claim 3

A disc brake unit as in claim 1 wherein there is a bushing on the disc assembly having a keying attachment for engagement with said differential pinion gear shaft.

Claim 4

A disc brake unit as in claim 2 wherein there is an annular dust seal between the bushing and the differential housing.

Claim 5

A disc brake unit as in claim 1 wherein said ports extend through both discs between said passageways and the exterior.

Claim 6

A disc brake as in claim 1 wherein said spacers comprise bosses each having a length less than the length of the passageway and being located adjacent the outer ends of the passageways between adjacent vanes.

Claim 7

A disc brake unit as in claim 5 wherein there is a caliper on each opposite side of the transverse centerline and a pair of hydraulic cylinders for each caliper, oppositely facing cylinders of said pairs being in longitudinal alignment with each other.

Claim 8

A disc brake as in claim 1 wherein substantially half of the air foil shaped vanes and spacers are formed integrally with one of said discs and the rest of the airfoil shaped vanes and spacers are formed integrally with the other of said discs.

Claim 9

A disc brake as in claim 1 wherein protruding outer ends of the vanes extend radially outwardly beyond the circumferential edges of the disc assembly whereby to enhance the pressure drop at the perimeter.

Claim 10

A disc brake as in claim 8 wherein the protruding outer ends extend angularly rearwardly relative to the clockwise rotation of the disc assembly.

Claim 11

A disc brake unit as in claim 1 wherein the braking member comprises complementary friction faced calipers on opposite exterior faces of the discs, a bracket on the differential housing and links forming articulated connections between said calipers and the bracket.

Claim 12

An automatic disc brake system comprising a differential unit including a stationary housing and a rear pinion shaft section in said housing having a splined outer end, a forward drive shaft section having a U joint yoke at the rearward end, a disc brake unit comprising a disc assembly having connections respectively to said splined outer end and said forward drive shaft section, said disc brake unit comprising a pair of forward and aft spaced and balanced parallel disc elements on an axis concentric with said forward drive shaft section, each disc comprising a plurality of paired airfoil shaped vanes and spacers at uniformly circumferentially spaced locations, each paired vane and spacer on one disc being at locations alternating with each paired vane and spacer on the other disc, said airfoil shaped vanes and spacers being arcuate and extending from an inside end to an outside end obliquely rearwardly relative to a clockwise rotation of said drive shaft, said air foil shaped vanes and spacers each being thicker at the inside end than at the outside end, the space between adjacent inside ends of said air foil shaped vanes being less than the space between adjacent outside ends of the same vanes whereby there are passageways in between adjacent vanes expanding progressively outwardly from an inside end to an outside end, the outside ends of said passageways being in unobstructed communication with the surrounding atmosphere, said spacers being located in said passageways, and a forward facing port on the forward disc in communication with the inside end of each said passageway, said passageways being open to said atmosphere at the circumference of the disc brake unit and in a direction transverse with respect thereto, said disc elements having a splined engagement with said rear shaft section and a non-rotatable attachment to said forward shaft section, and a brake actuating unit comprising a bracket on said differential housing, a pair of complementary friction faced caliper elements mounted on said bracket in positions of engagement with respective opposite faces of said disc elements and complementary power units in operating engagement with respective friction faced caliper elements adapted when energized to exert braking action simultaneously against opposite faces of said disc elements.

Claim 13

An automatic disc brake system comprising a differential unit including a stationary housing and a rear pinion shaft section in said housing having a splined outer end, a forward drive shaft section having a U joint yoke at the rearward end, a disc brake unit comprising a disc assembly having connections respectively to said splined outer end and said forward drive shaft section, said disc brake unit comprising a pair of forward and aft spaced and balanced parallel disc elements on an axis concentric with said forward drive shaft section, each disc comprising a plurality of paired airfoil shaped vanes and spacers at uniformly circumferentially spaced locations, each paired vane and spacer on one disc being at locations alternating with each paired vane and spacer on the other disc, said airfoil shaped vanes and spacers being arcuate and extending from an inside end to an outside end obliquely rearwardly relative to a clockwise rotation of said drive shaft, said air foil shaped vanes and spacers each being thicker at the inside end than at the outside end, the space between adjacent inside ends of said air foil shaped vanes being less than the space between adjacent outside ends of the same vanes whereby there are passageways in between adjacent vanes expanding progressively outwardly from an inside end to an outside end, the outside ends of said passageways being in unobstructed communication with the surrounding atmosphere, said spacers being located in said passageways, and a forward facing port on the forward disc in communication with the inside end of each said passageway, said passageways being open to said atmosphere at the circumference of the disc brake unit and in a direction transverse with respect thereto, said disc elements having a splined engagement with said rear shaft section and a non-rotatable attachment to said forward shaft section, and a brake actuating unit comprising a bracket on said differential housing, a pair of complementary friction faced caliper elements mounted on said bracket in positions of engagement with respective opposite faces of said disc elements and complementary power units in operating engagement with respective friction faced caliper elements adapted when energized to exert braking action simultaneously against opposite faces of said disc elements.