The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 07, 1993
Filed:
Aug. 16, 1991
David R Hennessy, Minneapolis, MN (US);
James P LeClaire, St. Paul, MN (US);
James V Radomski, New Brighton, MN (US);
Richard G Christensen, Brooklyn Park, MN (US);
Horton Manufacturing Co., Inc., Minneapolis, MN (US);
Abstract
A torque and/or rotational control apparatus is disclosed in a preferred form of a brake (10) including a plurality of pairs of actuators (18) positioned on opposite sides of a friction disc (16) by spacers (120) having tear shaped cross sections. The pads (32) of the actuators (18) are removably held by a slideable locking pin (70) biased by a spring (80) into an aperture (68) of a backing plate (62) for the pad (32). A notch (64) formed in the pad (32) and the backing plate (62) is slideably received on a rail (66) axially extending from the housing (35) of the actuator (18) to prevent rotation about the locking pin (70). The friction disc (16) includes elongated and shortened fins (42, 43) upstanding between and equally circumferentially spaced intermediate first and second component discs (40, 41). The fins (42, 43) are free of circumferential interconnections to allow air to radially pass freely between the fins (42, 43). The elongated fins (42) extend generally tangentially from the inner edges of the component discs (40, 41). The spacers (120) are orientated with their lengths extending generally perpendicular to the fins (42, 43) and generally parallel to the air movement from between the component discs (40, 41). The shape and orientation of the spacers (120) promote laminar flow and reduce air turbulence to increase air flow around the spacers (120) and through the friction disc (16) and the brake (10).