Patent Application
20060144655
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bicycle brake pad, and more particularly to a bicycle disc brake pad.
2. Description of the Prior Arts
Bicycle braking devices are used to stop or decelerate a bicycle, and include many types: caliper brake, cantilever brake, disc brake and the like. The disc brake has been commonly used on the bicycle, which comprises a disc rotor mounted on the rear or the front wheel, and a brake assembly mounted on the frame of a bicycle. The brake assembly is provided with a pair of brake pads located at both sides of the disc rotor. By pulling the brake line, the brake pads will be actuated to clamp the disc rotor from both sides, so that the hub fixed at the center of the disc rotor and the wheel on the hub will be caused to stop. Therefore, the brake pad is an indispensable component of the disc brake device.
The brake pad of any disc brake device is comprised of a friction member formed on a metal plate, the friction member is typically molded from a rubber that is cross-linked with sulfur and used to contact side surface of a disc rotor. The side surface of the disc rotor is hard and smooth since it is anodized, which results in good braking performance in dry conditions, but poor braking performance in wet conditions. The conventional rubber brake pad only can provide good braking performance in dry conditions.
Attempts have been made to improve braking performance, especially in wet conditions, by manufacturing rubber brake shoes with refractory fillers. For example, rubber brake pads have been manufactured with alumina (Al2O3). While such improved rubber brake pads provide good wet and dry performance, such brake pads with alumina cause too much wear of side surfaces in the anodized disc rotor.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a bicycle disc brake pad that has improved braking performance in wet conditions.
The secondary object of the present invention is to provide bicycle disc brake pad that does not excessively wear the rim during deceleration or stopping of the rim by the bicycle brake shoes braking while maintaining good performance in wet conditions.
A disc brake pad provided in accordance with the present invention comprises:
a support board coated at a side surface thereof with epoxy resin;
a friction member being press formed out of a compound of alumina, Kevlar, graphite and resin and then being affixed to side surface of the support board by hot pressing, so that the epoxy resin will be melted and polymerized to combine the support board with the friction member as a whole, whereby the disc brake pad does not excessively wear the disc rotor during deceleration and stopping of the disc rotor while maintaining good performance in wet conditions.
The support board is press forged to conform to the shape of a disc brake device, the support board and the friction member will be treated with a grinding process and a finishing process after being fixed together by hot pressing, the grinding process is a process for grinding the friction member to a specific thickness, and the finishing process is a process for applying anti-rust treatment to the support board.
The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.
Referring to
The support board 11 is coated at side surface 111 with epoxy resin, and the support board 11 can be made of metal, alloy or composite material. The support board 11 is press forged in the shape of the disc brake assembly.
The friction member 12 is press formed out of the compound of alumina, Kevlar, graphite and resin, and then is affixed to the side surface 111 of the support board 11 by hot pressing, so that the epoxy resin will be melted and polymerized to connect the support board 11 with the friction member 12 as a whole. The resin can be Rubber Modified Phenolic Resin.
Hence, the disc brake pad 10 does not excessively wear the disc rotor during deceleration or stopping of the disc rotor while maintaining good performance in wet conditions, so that the disc rotor can be used for a long period of time without being replaced frequently.
Referring to
The press forging 31 is a process for producing the support board which is press forged according to the shape of the disc brake assembly.
The gluing 32 is a process for applying epoxy resin to a side surface of support board.
The agitating 33 is a process for agitating and mixing the alumina, the Kevlar, the graphite and the resin together, and then mixture of the alumina, the Kevlar, the graphite and the resin is made into a desired shaped friction member in the pre-forming press 34.
The hot pressing 35 is a process for fixing the friction member to the support board, by heating, the epoxy resin will be melted and polymerized to combine the support board with the friction member as a whole.
The grinding 36 is a process applied to the combination of the friction member and the support board, and more particularly to the friction member for grinding it to a specific thickness.
The finishing 37 is a process applied to the ground combination of the friction member and the support board, and more particularly to the ground support board, for applying anti-rust treatment to the ground support board so as to prevent it from rust and corrosion. For example, forming an isolation layer on surface of support board by paint spraying treatment.
Referring further to
While we have shown and described various embodiments in accordance with the present invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
