Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Robert W Hyde

Frank W Brooks, Sr

Michael William Fanelli

Douglas M Copp

Norbert J Green, Jr

Gary G Holliday

Scott R Leist

Irl S Wallace

Robert N Dawson

A disc brake with a caliper housing having first and second side walls, the first wall having a cavity with a piston slidably mounted therein, the piston having a first shoe for frictional engagement with one of the sides of a rotor, the housing also having a bridge spanning the sides of the rotor and extending from the bridge, the housing having a second wall with an attached second shoe for frictional engagement with the rotor opposite the first shoe. A bracket is connected with the vehicle having first leading and second trailing reaction arms. The caliper is slidably mounted with the bracket arms. Extending the piston from the caliper housing to actuate the brake brings the shoes into engagement with the rotor and causes the inboard shoe to react on the trailing bracket arm and the caliper housing to react in the trailing direction into the leading bracket arm.

Shell disc brake

A drum brake is provided of the leading-trailing shoe type in which a single piece spring installed as a part of the assembly holds down the brake shoe assemblies against the backing plate and also retracts the shoes after brake actuation. The single piece spring also retains the lower ends of the shoes against the anchor plate. This arrangement eliminates the need for separate shoe hold-down springs and separate upper and lower return springs, resulting in a significant reduction in parts and labor for assembly.

Unispring drum brake assembly

Each of a pair of wire springs has a loop end fitting on an anchor mount for a leading-trailing shoe assembly. Each spring has an arm extending from its loop end along the web of a shoe and terminates in a hook end which fits within a slot in the associated shoe web. The springs will return the brake shoes to their retracted position after serice or parking brake operation by cantilever spring bias force stored in the spring arms as the springs are installed, reengaging the adjuster/strut assembly after actuation of the wheel cylinder during service brake operation; retain the lower ends of the shoes against the anchor plate; and hold the shoes down against the backing plate by torsional spring bias forces of the springs which are stored in the spring loop ends and are directed onto the web of each shoe toward the backing plate through the spring arms and the arm outer portions which are immediately adjacent to the spring arm hook ends. The anchor mount is constructed to receive the loop ends in their torsional spring biased conditions and retain them in that condition, and also to hold the spring loop ends as the cantilever spring bias forces are stored in the spring arms.

Drum brake shoe hold-down and retraction springs and anchor post therefor

A thermal compensating self-adjusting vehicle wheel drum brake apparatus and method is provided including a wheel cylinder, a plate for mounting the wheel cylinder, an adjuster strut with a star wheel for adjustably extending a pair of brake shoes. An adjuster pawl is provided for turning the adjuster star wheel. The adjuster pawl is inserted within an aperture of one of the shoes. A thermal elongating stop extendible at a predetermined temperature contacts and wedges the adjuster pawl to prevent pivotal motion thereof whenever the temperature of the brake is above a predetermined value.

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Dayton, OH, United States of America

Robert W Hyde