Manual release for a spring applied brake assembly

Claim 1

A spring engaged, pressure fluid-disengaged, brake assembly comprising: a shaft adapted to be affixed to a rotating component of a mechanism and having splines on an end thereof; a housing adapted to be affixed to the frame of a mechanism; means carried by said housing journalling said shaft such that said splines are within said housing; additional splines within said housing; at least two brake discs within said housing and about said shaft, one slidably engaged with said shaft splines and the other slidably engaging said additional splines, said discs being engageable with each other; an annular piston within said housing and movable therein toward and away from said discs; springs in said housing biasing said piston toward said discs to engage said discs; a fluid chamber within said housing and receiving said piston, the application of fluid under pressure to said chamber biasing said piston away from said discs to disengage said discs; an aperture in said housing extending axially of said shaft; a threaded bore carried by said piston and opening toward said aperture and axially aligned therewith; whereby a bolt may be introduced into said aperture to be threaded in said bore to draw said piston towards said aperture and against the bias of said springs to disengage said discs; said piston, on its radially inner surface, carrying a radially inwardly directed lip, said bore being located in a lip engaging plate engaging said lip on the side thereof remote from said aperture, and means preventing relative rotation between said piston and said lip engaging plate, said preventing means comprising recesses in said lip and tongues carried by said plate and disposed in said recesses, said tongues being defined by the opposite ends of a clamping plate secured to said lip engaging plate so that said lip engaging plate is clamped to said piston to move substantially therewith.