Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
DISC BRAKE ANTI-RATTLE MEANS
BaclcF~round of th~ Invention
Field of the Inven~ion. The present irlventior~
relates to a disc bra~e assembly and more specifically to
an improved means for bia~ing friction pads into abutment
witb supporting means in the disc brake as~embly.
The present inventio~ is particularly applicable
to a disc brake assembly of the type which includes a rotor
or disc mounted for rotation with a vehicle wheel and a
10 floating caliper ~traddling the periphery of tltle rotor.
The caLiper is usually mounted on a support or torque pLa~e
by mea~s permit~ing movemen~ of the caliper in arl axial
direction relative to the torque plate and ro~orc Brake
pads are carried by the caliper on oppo~ite sides of the .
lS rotor and are movable into contact with oppositely disposed
friction braking ~urfaces of the rotor by means of a
suitable actuating mechanism wbich is usually driven by a
fluid motor. In a floating caliper disc brake, eac~
friction pad i~ located intermediate one leg of the caliper
and the adjacent friction surface o~ the rotor. The brake
pad supporting mean~ is designed to permit axial movement
of the brake pads and, without further restraint, the
friction pads may vibrate against the supporting means or
"rattle" when t~e assembLy is not actuated~ The actuating
mechanism is usually carried by one leg of the caliper and
serves to move the ~riction pad adjacent to that leg
axialLy into contact with t~e rotor, che reac~ion force of
the contact serving co draw the other leg of the caliper
and the o~her friction pad inco contact wic~ ~he opposite
surface o the roror.
DescripCion o~ t~e Prior Art. Various
anti-ra~tle devices for di3c brake friction pads are
disclo~ed in U.S. ~atent Nos. 4,L94,597; 3,056,174;
3,972,393; 4,049,087 and 3,027,751. Some of these require
means sucb as rivets, aper~ure~ or rece~es on the riction
pad assembly for attaching the an~i-rat~le device to ~hc
friction pad. Other anti-ra~tle devices are disposed
10 between the friction pad.backing plate edge a~d t~e
~upporting mean~ and are noC readily accessible for removal
or replacemcnt.
The pre~ent invention avoids the~e prob1ems by
providi~g an anti-r~ttle:spring clip ea~ily acce3~ible for
removal and replacement purpose~ which does not require
spec;al attaching mean~ on the friction pad backing plate~.
Summary of the Ir~vent;on
According to the invention there is provided
an anti-rattle spring clip for a disc brake comprising
an elongate element formed to provide two spaced leg
segments joined by an intermediate segment, each of said
leg segments adjacent said intermediate segment of said
element comprising means formed to abut a radially outer
edge of a first frict.ion pad, the ends of said leg seg-
ments comprising means formed to abut a radially outer
edge of a second friction pad and stabilizing means
formed in each of said legs between said means formed
to abut said first friction pad and said means formed
to abut said second friction pad.
Other aspects of the invention are described and
claimed in copending Canadian pa~.ent application Serial
No. 388,~78 filed on October 27, 1981, of which the
present application is a division.
T~e advantages offered by tbe present invention
will become apparent from the following description of the
embodiment stlown in ~e accompanying dras~-ings.
~9 ~
In the drawings, wberein like reference numerals
refer to like parts:
Figure 1 i~ a side elevation of a disc brake
incorporating the present inve~ior~;
Figure 2 is a front elevation view of ~be disc
brake as~embly of Figure l;
Figure 3 is a perspective v iew of the anti-rattle
spring 'lip; and
Figure 4 is a v iew partly in sec~ion taken along
the linP 4-4 of Figure 2.
Description of the Invention
With reference ~o the drawings, Figures 1 and 2
show a disc brake assembly generally designated by the
numeraL 10. The assembly 10 includes a floating caliper 12
mounted by means of circumEerentially spaced, axially
aligned pair~ o bosses 14 and lS, and 16 and 17 on slide
pins 19 and 20. The slide pins 19 and 20 are respeccively
secured by a draw keys 23 within bores provided to bosses
21, 22 at che radially outPr excremicie~ of
circumferencially spaced, radially ex~endin~ arm3 24, 25 of
--4~
the brake supporting torque plate or spider 26. The torque
plate 26 is provided with a circular array of apertures 28
which receive a plurality of bolts not shown which in turn
secure the support or torque plate 26 to a 1ange weld~d to
S a vehicle axle 29. The torque plate 26 could of course be
welded directiy to the axle 29. A rotor 30 having axially
spaced, radially extending3 oppositely disposed friction
braking surfaces 31 and 32 is secured for ro~ation with a
w~eel hub ~not shown) carried by t~e vebicle axle 29
adjacent the disc brake assembly 10.
The caliper 12 i~ a cast metal component
comprised of a depending leg 40 extending radially inward
adjacent the friction surface 32 of rotor 30, an oppo~itely
disposed depending 12g or wall 41 adjacent t~e fric~ion
15 surface 31 of ro~or 30 and a bridge 42 ~traddLir~g tbe
periphery of rotor 30 and joining the leg 40 ~o the wall
41. The walL 41 i5 formed wi~ a generally cylindrieal
housing 44 baving a borc 45 slidably mounting a piston 43
formed integral:Ly with a load applying plate 47. The
20 cootour of the :Load plate 47 i~ similar to the contour of
the backing plate 35 of the rictio~ pad 34 and moves the
pad 34 axially into contact wi~h the rotor f~icti~n surface
31 in response to actua~ion of ~he bra~e a~sembly. The
piston 43 and l~ad plate 47 may be moved by suitable
25 ~ydraulic or mechanical actuating means, not sho~n. The
bridge 42 of caliper 12 is pro~ided with an aperture 46
defined by a radially disposed edge 48 and a pair of
circumferentially spaced,axially extending, radially
converging edges 50 and 51. The circumferentially spaced
edges SO, 51 converge in a radial direction at an included
angle o~ abou~ 32 degree~. The circumferentially spaced
edges 50, SL are each provided with a slot 52, 54. The
bottoms 56, 58 of the slots S2, 54 are substantially
parallel and t~e slots S2, 54 are located radially outward
from the periphery o~ the rotor 30 so as to extend at Leas~
partly across the periphery of the rotor 30 as best shown
by Figure 2 .
Friction pads 34, 37 are respectively comprised
7~
- of backing plate~ 35, 38 with ~riction material 36, 39
secured thereto. The backing places 38 also include
abutment surface~ 61, 62 adjacent the radially converging
edges 65 and 66, respectively. The abutment surfaces 71,
S 72 extend only a short radial distance relacive to the
length of the radially converging edges 65 and 66. T~e
friction pads 34, 37 are axially located between t~e
depending portion~ 40, 41 of the caliper 12. Friction pad
34 is axially located between the load plate 47 and
friction ~urfaçe 31 of the rotor 30. Friction pad 37 i5
axially located between the friction surface 32 of rotor 30
and the caLiper leg 40. In Figure~ L and 2, t~e friction
pad~ 34, 37 are hown opera~ively locat d adjacent the
oppositely disposed fr1ction ~urfaces 31, 32 of rotor 30
L5 wi~h the fric~ion material 36, 39~ respectively, facing the
surface~ 31, 32.
The friction pads 34, 37 are suppo~ted by means
of radially extending ~b~ 64 and 67. The f~iction pad
bac~.ing pLate tabs 64 and 67 are respectively bounded.by
circumferentially spaced, radially converging edges~65, 66
and 68, 69 which are slidably carried by ~e
circumferentialLy. spaced edges 50, 51 of the caliper
aperture 46. S~allow slots 73, 74 and 75, 76 are provided
to ~he radially outer edge~ of friction pad tab~ 64 and 67,
respectively. The circumferentially spaced edges 65, 66 of
friction pad tab 64 and edges 68, 69 of friction pad ~ab 67
converge at an angle substantially ~he same as t~e included
angle provided to the radially converging ed~e~ 50, 51 of
caliper aperture 46 ~o permit ~he friction pad tabs 64 and
67 to ~lide freeLy along the edges 50 and 51. The abutment
surfaces 61, 62 of friction pad backing plate 35~and the
abutment surfaces 71, 72 of backing plate 38 abut the
radially inner surface 13 of the caLiper 12 adjacent t~e
aperture edges 50, 51 to radialLy loca~e the riction pads
relative to the surface 13. The circu~ferentially spaced,
axially extending, radially converging edges 50, 51 of
caliper aperture 46 ~hus support che tabs 64, 67 of
friction pads 34, 37 in their respeccive operative
,- position~ adjacent the oppositely disposed friction
surfaces of the rotor 30.
The slots 52, 54 are respectively provided
throug~ the circumferentially spaced edges 50, 51 to
provide an additional clearance or length which when taken
together with ~he circumferential length o the caLiper
aperture 46, i~ adequa~e to radially inwardly pass the tabs
64, 67, respectively, of fric~ion pads 34, 37 and thereby
permic installacion and removal of ~he friction pad3 34,
37. The width of the slots 52, 54 î~ slightly greater than
10 the thickness of the friction pad backing plate tabs 64, 67
and ~he ~lo~ 52, 54 are axially located radislly outward
of the peripbery of the rotor 30 ~o preven~ the backi~g
plate tabs 64, 67 from accidentally o~ inadvert~ntly
becoming aligned wi~h the access slots 52, 54 when the
15 riction pad~ 34, 37 are re~pecti-rely in ~heir s~perative
positions ad3acent the oppositely dis~osed fric~ion
surfaces 31, 32 of roto~ 30.
An an~i-rattle spring clip 80 is dispo~ed within
the aperture 46. As best shown by Figure 3, the
anti-ra~tle cL;p 80 is preferably formed ~rom a continuou~
Length of spr;ng steel wire to provide two gpaced leg
segments 81, 82 joined by an intermediate segment 84. The
clip legs 81 and 82 are respec~ively formed adjacent the
intermediate segment 84 to provide raised U-shaped bends 85
2S and 86 adapt~d to abut circumferentially spaced areas of
the radially outer edge of friction pad tab 67. The distal
ends 87, 88 of the clip leg~ are raised to the same level
as the bends 85, 86 to abut circumferentially spaced area~
of the radially outer edge of friction pad tab 64. The
clip leg bends 87, 88 are substantially coplanar with ~he
closed end of the U-shaped bends 85, 86. The leg ends 87,
88 extend a substantial distance, approximately 5.5
centimeters, to permit the friction pad 34 to move toward
the friction pad 37 while maintaining contact between the
leg ends 87, 88 and friction pad tab 64 as the fric~ion
Living material wears.
7-
The clip legs 8L, 82 are respectively formed
intermcdiate the U-bends 85, 86 a~d the ends 87, 88 with
laceraLly projecting stabilizing means ~1, 92. The
stabilizing meanq 91, 92 are found to extend laterally away
S Erom each other in substantially the ~ame plane which i3
spaced downward or radially inward (Figure 4) from the
pLane of ~he U-bends 85, 86 and the leg ends 87, 88. As
best s~o~n by Figure~ 2 and 4, the stabilizing means 91, 92
extend under the aperture edges 50, 51 to engage the
~0 undersurface of tbe caliper bridge 42. T~ orsionally
loads the spring clip 80 and provides a orce in U-bends
85, 86 and leg end~ 87, 88 biasing the tab~ 64 and 67
radially inward ~o force the circumferentially spaced edge
of the tabs into abutment wit~ t~e aperture edges 50 ~ 51n
The spring clip 80 may be easily înstalled by
disposing the U-bends 85, 86 over ~he radially outer edge
of the friction pad tab 67 until tbey seae in the grooves
75, 76. One of the seabilizing means 91, 92 is positioned
under its corre~pondi~g aperture edge and the clip leg ends
are moved toward one another until the other s~abilizing
means clears it:s corre~ponding aperture edge and ca~ be
released to ext:end lateral~y beneath ~hat edge surface.
The leg ends 87, 88 are then sea~ed ;n the shallow grooves
73, 74 provided to tbe radially outer edge of friction pad
tab 64.
The present invention thus provides a simple
economical means for biaqîng the friction pads into bearing
abutment with the supporting edge~ of the caliper aperture
to prevent the friction pad backing plates from vibrating
against the supporting edges when the brake assembly is not
actuated. The anti-rattle spring clip is also readily
accessible through the caliper aperture.
The invention may also be embodied in other
specific ~orms ~ithout deparcing from the spirit or
essential characteristics thereof. The foregoing
description is therefore to be considered as iLluscrative
and noc restricti~e, the scope of the inventio~ being
_ de~ined by the appended claims and all changes which come
within the meaning and range o equivalency of the cLaims
are therefore intended to be embra.ed t~ereby.
