Hydrodynamic brake

Claim 2

A hydrodynamic brake comprising: a stator disk and a rotor disk coaxially juxtaposed, said disks having confronting faces each provided with an annular groove centered on the common axis of said disks, said disks being further formed with respective sets of angularly equispaced vanes subdividing each of said grooves into a multiplicity of pockets, said sets of vanes being aligned with each other in certain relative angular positions of said disks, the vanes of one of said disks being each split into first and second segments; a housing rigid with said stator disk forming a toroidal chamber around said rotor disk; and conduit means for alternately filling said chamber with hydraulic fluid and draining said fluid therefrom, the presence of said fluid in said pockets impeding the relative rotation of said disks; said one of said disks being split into a body carrying said first segments and an annular insert centered on said axis, said insert carrying said second segments and being limitedly rotatable about said axis between a first and a second position relative to said body for mutually isolating the pockets of said split disk by relatively aligning said first and second segments in said first relative position and for interconnecting the last-mentioned pockets at locations remote from the other disk by relatively offsetting said first and second segments in said second relative position.

Claim 3

A brake as defined in claim 1 wherein the vanes of said split disk are pitched in the direction of the oncoming vanes of the other disk whereby a torque is exerted upon said insert through the hydraulic fluid by the relative rotation of said disks, said torque tending to displace said insert from said second to said first relative position.

Claim 4

A brake as defined in claim 2 wherein said split disk is provided with biasing means urging said insert into said second relative position with a force insufficient to resist said torque upon relative rotation of said disks while said chamber is substantially completely filled with said fluid.

Claim 5

A brake as defined in claim 3 wherein said insert and said body are provided with coacting formations limiting their relative displacement, said biasing means comprising a spring bearing upon said formations.

Claim 6

A brake as defined in claim 1 wherein said insert is interposed between said body and the other disk.

Claim 7

A brake as defined in claim 1 wherein said split disk is the stator disk.

Claim 8

A hydrodynamic brake comprising: a stator disk and a rotor disk coaxially juxtaposed, said disks having confronting faces each provided with an annular groove centered on the common axis of said disks, said disks being further formed with respective sets of angularly equispaced vanes subdividing each of said groves into a multiplicity of pockets, said sets of vanes being aligned with each other in certain relative angular positions of said disks; a housing rigid with said stator disk forming a toroidal chamber around said rotor disk; and

Claim 9

A hydrodynamic brake comprising: a stator disk and a rotor disk coaxially juxtaposed, said disks having confronting faces each provided with an annular groove centered on the common axis of said disks, said disks being further formed with respective sets of angularly equispaced vanes subdividing each of said groves into a multiplicity of pockets, said sets of vanes being aligned with each other in certain relative angular positions of said disks; a housing rigid with said stator disk forming a toroidal chamber around said rotor disk; and

Claim 10

1 conduit means for alternately filling said chamber with hydraulic fluid and draining said fluid therefrom, the presence of said fluid in said pockets impeding the relative rotation of said disks; one of said disks being split into a body and an annular insert centered on said axis, said insert being integral with at least a portion of each vane of said split disk and being limitedly rotatable about said axis between a first and a second position relative to said body for mutually isolating the pockets of said split disk in said first relative position and for interconnecting the last-mentioned pockets at locations remote from the other disk in said second relative position, thereby forming a bypass path for fluid impelled by the relative rotation of said disks, the vanes of said split disk being pitched in the direction of the oncoming vanes of the other disk whereby a torque is exterted upon said insert through the hydraulic fluid by the relative rotation of said disks, said torque tending to displace said insert from said second to said first relative position; said split disk being provided with biasing means urging said insert into said second relative position with a force insufficient to resist said torque upon relative rotation of said disks while said chamber is substantially completely filled with said fluid, said biasing means being able to move said insert to said second relative position upon a draining of said fluid from said chamber to permit relative rotation of said disks substantially unimpeded by residual fluid in said pockets.

Claim 11

1 conduit means for alternately filling said chamber with hydraulic fluid and draining said fluid therefrom, the presence of said fluid in said pockets impeding the relative rotation of said disks; one of said disks being split into a body and an annular insert centered on said axis, said insert being integral with at least a portion of each vane of said split disk and being limitedly rotatable about said axis between a first and a second position relative to said body for mutually isolating the pockets of said split disk in said first relative position and for interconnecting the last-mentioned pockets at locations remote from the other disk in said second relative position, thereby forming a bypass path for fluid impelled by the relative rotation of said disks, the vanes of said split disk being pitched in the direction of the oncoming vanes of the other disk whereby a torque is exterted upon said insert through the hydraulic fluid by the relative rotation of said disks, said torque tending to displace said insert from said second to said first relative position; said split disk being provided with biasing means urging said insert into said second relative position with a force insufficient to resist said torque upon relative rotation of said disks while said chamber is substantially completely filled with said fluid, said biasing means being able to move said insert to said second relative position upon a draining of said fluid from said chamber to permit relative rotation of said disks substantially unimpeded by residual fluid in said pockets.

Claim 12

A brake as defined in claim 7 wherein said insert and said body are provided with coacting formations limiting their relative displacement, said biasing means comprising a spring bearing upon said formations.

Claim 13

A brake as defined in claim 7 wherein said insert and said body form complementary portions of the pockets of said split disk, said complementary portions being relatively offset by substantially half the angular separation of said vanes in said second relative position to provide a bypass path for fluid impelled by the relative rotation of said disks.