Dana Corporation

Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake LLC

James H Sheets

Geoffrey T Paton

James Robert Clark

Ralph Larson

Dominic Licavoli

Kraig J Schlosser

David G Moses

Paul R Pollock

Larry G Sparks

A cam for a brake is provided that allows for greater brake shoe travel and thicker brake linings while providing the same or greater mechanical force as compared to conventional cams. One or more lobes of the cam include multiple portions having varying profiles in axial cross-section. The variation in the cam profiles results in a cam in which the outermost ends or tips of the lobes are longer than in conventional cams yet retain the same mechanical strength.

Cam actuated drum brake

A wheel mount for a wheel comprises a spindle, a hub for surrounding the spindle and a bearing assembly interposed between the spindle and the hub. The spindle extends from an end of an axle of a vehicle and has a generally decreasing diameter from its proximal end to its distal end. The spindle is provided with a pair of lands near the ends of the spindle for receiving bearings, and has bearing retainers near the respective ends also, the distal retainer being removably attached. These inboard and outboard bearing retainers define an axial bearing space. The hub has a central aperture with an inboard land and an outboard land provided on an internal surface of the central aperture, also for receiving bearings. The bearing assembly comprises an inboard bearing and an outboard bearing in spaced apart relationship within the axial bearing space. The inboard bearing has an internal diameter larger than the internal diameter of the outboard bearing. The bearing assembly further has a conical shim placed in frictional fit between the cone portions of the inboard and outboard bearings and holding the respective bearings in the spaced apart relationship.

Wheel end assembly

A wheel end assembly for driving an individual wheel of a motor vehicle, with the assembly comprising a stationary, annular spindle which is operably affixable to the vehicle, a wheel hub rotatably mounted to and coaxial with the spindle, and an electric motor and axially spaced apart inboard and outboard speed reduction gear sets for driving the wheel hub and vehicle wheel at a speed less than the speed of the motor output shaft. The assembly further comprises a cartridge bearing disposed between the inboard and outboard gear sets with the wheel hub rotatably mounted to the spindle via the cartridge bearing. The wheel end assembly is advantageously configured to accommodate a brake assembly disposed in surrounding relationship with the cartridge bearing between the inboard and outboard gear sets and to minimize the assembly length from the cartridge bearing to the inboard end of the assembly which maximizes the available space from the centerline of the associated vehicle to the inboard end of the assembly for enhanced accommodation of vehicle design features.

Brake shoe ribs are formed in a continuous strip stock utilizing a method to decrease the amount of trim stock. The strip stock is selected to have a width approximately equal to the maximum dimension between the ends of a rib to reduce trim stock along the edges of the strip. Each rib is formed with a pair of notches in an outer periphery and the ends of an adjacent rib extend adjacent the notches to reduce the amount of trim stock between the ribs. A brake shoe table is attached to the outer periphery of a rib by continuous welding along both sides of the rib even across the spaces defined by the notches and a brake lining is attached to an outer surface of the table.

Growing community of inventors

Fort Wayne, IN, United States of America

James H Sheets