BRAKE PAD, DISK BRAKE ASSEMBLY, AND VEHICLE

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a brake pad including a friction pad and a mounting structure includes providing a cure mold; filling the cure mold with granulated thermoset plastic to form the mounting structure and particulate friction material to form the friction pad; and press curing in a single step the filled cure mold to form the brake pad.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a brake pad comprising a friction pad and a mounting structure, wherein the method comprises: providing a cure mold; filling the cure mold with particulate friction material to form the friction pad and with granulated thermoset plastic to form the mounting structure; and press curing in a single step the filled cure mold to form the brake pad.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein filling the cure mold with the granulated thermoset plastic and the particulate friction material comprises: filling a first portion of the cure mold with particulate friction material and filling a second portion of the cure mold with the granulated thermoset plastic.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises filling the cure mold with a particulate underlayer material between the particulate friction material and the granulated thermoset plastic.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the particulate underlayer material comprises phenolic resin, steel wool, petrol coke, glass fibers, an abrasive, Aluminum Oxide, a lubricant, a thermal insulator, glass fibers, mineral filling, rubber particles, and combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the particulate friction material comprises a phenolic resin and/or wherein the granulated thermoset plastic comprises Novolac.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the granulated thermoset plastic comprises any one of the following: glass fibers, mineral filling, and combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the particulate friction material comprises any one of the following: steel wool, petrol coke, glass fibers, an abrasive, Aluminum Oxide, a lubricant, and combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises partially mixing the particulate friction material and granulated thermoset plastic to form an adhesion layer between the friction pad and a mounting structure.

9. A brake pad being formed as a single press cured piece, wherein the brake pad comprises a friction pad and a mounting structure, wherein the mounting structure comprises a thermoset plastic.

10. The brake pad of claim 9, brake pad further comprises an underlayer between the friction pad and the mounting structure, wherein the single press cured piece comprises the underlayer, wherein the underlayer material preferably comprises any one of the following: phenolic resin, steel wool, petrol coke, glass fibers, an abrasive, Aluminum Oxide, a lubricant, a thermal insulator, glass fibers, mineral filling, rubber particles, and combinations thereof.

11. The brake pad of claim 9, wherein the friction pad comprises phenolic resin and/or the mounting structure comprises Novolac.

12. The brake pad of claim 9, wherein the mounting structure comprises any one of the following: glass fibers, mineral filling, and combinations thereof and/or wherein the friction pad comprises any one of the following: steel wool, petrol coke, glass fibers, an abrasive, a lubricant, and combinations thereof.

13. The brake pad of claim 9, wherein the brake pad comprises a boundary layer between the friction pad and the mounting structure, wherein the boundary layer comprises a mixture of particulate friction material of the friction pad and thermoset plastic of the mounting structure.

14. A disc brake assembly comprising a brake disc, a brake caliper, and a brake pad according to claim 9 and wherein the brake caliper is configured for receiving the mounting structure of the brake pad.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] In the following embodiments of the invention are explained in greater detail, by way of example only, making reference to the drawings in which:

[0042] FIG. 1 shows a cross sectional view of an example of press cure mold for manufacturing a brake pad;

[0043] FIG. 2 illustrates the filling of a first portion of the press cure mold of FIG. 1 with a particulate friction material;

[0044] FIG. 3 illustrates the filling of a second portion of the press cure mold of FIG. 1 with a granulate thermoset plastic;

[0045] FIG. 4 illustrates a piston beginning to compress the granulated thermoset plastic and the particulate friction material;

[0046] FIG. 5 illustrates the press curing a brake pad in a single step;

[0047] FIG. 6 shows a cross sectional view of the brake pad manufacture in FIG. 5;

[0048] FIG. 7 shows the filling of the press cure mold of FIG. 1 with a particulate friction material, a particulate underlayer material, and a granulated thermoset plastic;

[0049] FIG. 8 shows a cross sectional view of the brake pad manufactured using the filled press cure mold of FIG. 7;

[0050] FIG. 9 shows a cross sectional view of a further example of a brake pad; and

[0051] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a vehicle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] Like numbered elements in these figures are either equivalent elements or perform the same function. Elements which have been discussed previously will not necessarily be discussed in later figures if the function is equivalent.

[0053] FIGS. 1-5 illustrate the manufacture of a brake pad using a single press curing step. First in FIG. 1 the step of providing 100 a cure mold 102 is shown. Next in FIG. 2 the step of filling a first portion 202 of the cure mold 102 with particulate friction material 204 is shown. The particulate friction material 204 may for example be provided in either a powder or liquid form depending upon the type or form of the resin used. In this example there is a nozzle 206 which is spraying the particulate friction material 204 into the first portion 202 of the cure mold 100.

[0054] FIG. 3 shows the filling 300 of a second portion 302 of the cure mold 102 with a granulated thermoset plastic 304. After the particulate friction material 204 was filled into the cure mold 102 an amount of granulated thermoset plastic 304 was placed on top. In this example the granulated thermoset plastic 304 has grains that are much larger than the particles of the particulate friction material 204. This causes a rough boundary region 306 between the particulate friction material 204 and the granulated thermoset plastic 304.

[0055] Next in FIG. 4 it is shown the compression with a piston 402. The piston 402 continues to be depressed during the press curing process.

[0056] FIG. 5 shows the press curing 500 of a brake pad in a single step. During the press curing 500 the boundary region 306 between the particulate friction material 204 and the granulated thermoset plastic 304 is still visible. After the press curing 500 is finished the finished brake pad may be removed.

[0057] FIG. 6 illustrates the brake pad 600 after it has been removed from the cure mold 102. The brake pad 600 can be seen as having a friction pad 602 connected to a mounting structure 604. There is still the boundary region 306 between the friction pad 602 and the mounting structure 604. Because of the way the brake pad 600 was formed in a single step, the boundary region 306 provides a region of very strong and great adhesion between the friction pad 602 and the mounting structure 604. The bond between the friction pad 602 and the mounting structure 604 is much greater than if the friction pad 602 and the mounting structure 604 had been formed separately and then joined together or glued together.

[0058] FIG. 7 illustrates another example where there is particulate underlayer material 702 filled between the particulate friction material 204 and the granulated thermoset plastic 304. FIG. 7 shows a filled 700 cure mold with particulate friction material 204, particulate underlayer material 702 and granulated thermoset plastic 304. To fill the cure mold 102 the first portion 202 of the mold 102 was first filled with the particulate friction material 204 partially and then the particulate underlayer material 702 was filled on top of this. Then the second portion 302 of the cure mold was filled with the granulated thermoset plastic 304. The particulate underlayer material 702 has similar properties to the particulate friction material 204. The particulate underlayer material 702 may for example have insulating materials such as rubber particles which help to prevent the transport of heat from the friction pad to the mounting structure. To produce a brake pad the material in the cure mold 102 in FIG. 7 may be heated and compressed with a piston as was illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0059] FIG. 8 illustrates the brake pad 800 produced from the filled cure mold 102 illustrated in FIG. 7. The brake pad 800 is similar to the brake pad 600 in FIG. 6 except there is additionally an underlayer 802 between the friction pad 602 and the mounting structure 604. In both FIGS. 7 and 8 there can be seen a boundary layer 704 between the friction pad 602 and the underlayer 802. There is also another boundary layer 706 between the underlayer 802 and the mounting structure 604. The properties of the brake pad 800 can be modified by controlling the thickness and material used in the underlayer 802. Typically underlayer materials 802 are also able to function as friction pads once the friction pad 602 has been worn through. The density of the underlayer 802 may be adjusted relative to the friction pad 602 to fine tune the resonant frequency of the brake pad 800.

[0060] An advantage of making a brake pad using a single press curing step is that the form of the brake pad may be modified. FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a modified brake pad 900. In this example there is still the friction pad 602, a mounting structure 604 with an intermediate underlayer 802. In this example the shape of the mounting structure 604 has been altered. Instead of having a plate-like structure as is illustrated in FIG. 8, the mounting structure 604 has a ridged or ribbed 902 surface which may be used to lock or the brake pad in a brake caliper. The use of the single press curing step to form the brake pad 900 enables a change in the basic form and design of brake pads 900.

[0061] FIG. 10 shows an illustration of a vehicle 1000. The vehicle 1000 has had one wheel removed and a disc brake assembly 1002 is visible. The disc brake assembly 1002 comprises a brake disc 1004 and a brake caliper 1006. The brake caliper 1006 holds a brake pad according to an example.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0062] 100 provide cure mold

[0063] 102 cure mold

[0064] 200 fill first portion of cure mold with particulate friction material

[0065] 202 first portion of cure mold

[0066] 204 particulate friction material

[0067] 206 nozzle

[0068] 300 fill second portion of cure mold with granulated thermoset plastic

[0069] 302 second portion of cure mold

[0070] 304 granulated thermoset plastic

[0071] 306 boundary region

[0072] 400 compressing with a piston

[0073] 402 piston

[0074] 500 press curing in a single step

[0075] 600 brake pad

[0076] 602 friction pad

[0077] 604 mounting structure

[0078] 700 fill cure mold with particulate friction material, particulate underlayer material, and granulated thermoset plastic

[0079] 702 particulate underlayer material

[0080] 704 boundary layer between particulate friction material and particulate underlayer material

[0081] 706 boundary layer between particulate underlayer material and granulated thermoset plastic

[0082] 800 brake pad

[0083] 802 underlayer

[0084] 900 brake pad

[0085] 902 ribs

[0086] 1000 vehicle

[0087] 1002 disk brake assembly

[0088] 1004 brake disk

[0089] 1006 brake caliper