DESC:FORM 2
The Patent Act 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
The Patent Rules, 2005

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See Section 10 and Rule 13)

TITLE OF THE INVENTION
“BILATERAL-COOLED BRAKE DRUM”

VE Commercial Vehicle Ltd.
of VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd, 102, Industrial Area
No. 1 Pithampur-454775, Dist. Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, India

The following specification particularly describes and ascertains the nature of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.
Field of Invention
[001] The invention relates to drum brakes of commercial vehicles. It more particularly relates to brake drums of commercial vehicles that have been provided with features to facilitate heat removal to improve their life and performance.
Background of the Invention
[002] Brake fade in conventional drum brakes is a well-known problem chiefly resulting from poor heat evacuation characteristics of drum brakes. This problem results from heating-related brake drum expansion that causes deterioration in braking performance. Excessive overheating of the brake lining is also known to cause glazing, which causes brake fade. Conventionally, engineers have tried to solve this problem by providing features that increase the surface area from which heat dissipation can occur. Such solutions have been known to affect the brake drum's load-handling characteristics negatively. Implementing these solutions, therefore, necessitates using difficult manufacturing processes and high-quality, costly materials with the required physical strength characteristics to counteract such negative effects. This inevitably increases the final product costs, nullifying the primary advantage of using drum brakes. For this reason, vehicle designers in price-conscious markets ordinarily don’t implement such known solutions. Instead, the ordinary rated life of the drum brake is reduced, which therefore necessitates the replacement of the brake drums and their associated brake components at shorter time intervals than what would otherwise have been possible by resolving the heat removal problem of drum brakes.
[003] Unresolved heat removal issues of drum brakes become even more prominent when the vehicle operator excessively operates the brake in different vehicle operating conditions, such as aggressive driving, prolonged braking while going downhill, driving with excessive loads, etc. In worst cases, overheating of drums of drum brakes is known to cause the tyres mounted on the wheels to heat up and burst, thereby reducing the safety of vehicle operation even further. This has made drum brakes less suitable for use in combination with advanced braking systems, such as an anti-lock Brake system.
[004] Specifically, in the case of electric vehicles, where battery cost is still an issue, there is a need to reduce costs elsewhere to keep the overall costs down. The lack of a cost-effective technical solution for brake drum heat removal is, therefore, proving an impediment to the utilisation of drum brakes in electric vehicles. Given the price sensitivity of our country’s market, wherever drum brakes have still been utilised despite of their limitations, they have proven to be a less than satisfactory solution for meeting the braking requirements. Therefore, an objective of the present invention is to provide a brake drum that can effectively remove heat from within itself.
[005] It is another objective of the present invention to provide a brake drum that can better deal with the problem of brake fade resulting from overheating.
[006] It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a brake drum that can improve the safety of vehicular operation.
[007] It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a brake drum that reduces the possibility of tyre bust due to braking-associated overheating.
[008] It is also another objective of the present invention to provide a brake drum that is cost-effective enough to be utilised on electric vehicles without compromising on braking performance.
Summary of the Invention
[009] The invention achieving the stated objectives, i.e. the bilateral-cooled brake drum comprises of a lower diameter hollow cylindrical portion, projections, a higher diameter hollow cylindrical portion, integrated ventilation channels, connecting points, ring-shaped inward-facing flange, ring-shaped outward-facing flange, and curved transition portions. In the bilateral-cooled brake drum, the lower diameter hollow cylindrical portion is provided with a ring-shaped inward-facing flange on its one end. The ring-shaped inward-facing flange accommodates evenly spaced connection openings that allow it to connect to the vehicle's hub using conventional fastening means. The lower-diameter hollow cylindrical portion is provided with a ring-shaped outward-facing flange along its other end that transitions into the higher-diameter hollow cylindrical portion.
[0010] The outer surface of the lower-diameter hollow cylindrical portion is also provided with projections that proceed from one end of said lower-diameter hollow cylindrical portion and end along the ring-shaped outward-facing flange. The two longer edges of each of the projections are parallel to each other and proceed in a straight line after originating on the ring-shaped inward-facing flange to end on the ring-shaped outward-facing flange. The projections transition into the higher-diameter hollow cylindrical portion through curved transition portions.
Brief Description of Drawings
[0011] The present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings that indicate its various parts. The description of the present invention would, therefore, be better understood with reference to accompanying diagrams, wherein
[0012] Figure 1 discloses perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0013] Figure 2 discloses a side view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0014] Figure 3 discloses a cut-section perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0015] Figure 4 discloses rear view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0016] Figure 5 discloses a view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention as provided on the vehicle.
Detailed Description of the Invention
[0017] Referring to figures 1 and 2, a bilateral-cooled brake drum (100), in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the disclosed invention, comprises a lower diameter hollow cylindrical portion (10), projections (15), a higher diameter hollow cylindrical portion (20), integrated ventilation channels (25), connecting points (35), ring-shaped inward-facing flange (40), ring-shaped outward-facing flange (45) and curved transition portions (50).
[0018] The lower diameter hollow cylindrical portion (10) (refer Fig. 1) of the bilateral-cooled brake drum (100) is provided with a ring-shaped inward-facing flange (40) on its one end. The ring-shaped inward-facing flange (40) accommodates evenly spaced connection openings (35) that allow it to connect to the vehicle's hub using conventional fastening means such as nuts and bolts. The ring-shaped inward-facing flange (40) (refer to Fig. 4) has an inner surface identifiable as a hub mounting face and an outer surface identifiable as a wheel rim mounting face. The lower-diameter hollow cylindrical portion (10) is provided with a ring-shaped outward-facing flange (45) (refer to Fig. 3) along its other end that transitions into the higher-diameter hollow cylindrical portion (20).
[0019] The outer surface of the lower-diameter hollow cylindrical portion (10) is also provided with projections (15) (refer to Fig. 3) that proceed from one end of said lower-diameter hollow cylindrical portion (10) and end along the ring-shaped outward-facing flange (45). The projections (15) are evenly spaced along the outer curved surface of the lower-diameter hollow cylindrical portion (10). The two longer edges of each of the projections (15) are parallel to each other and proceed in a straight line after originating on the ring-shaped inward-facing flange (40) to end on the ring-shaped outward-facing flange (45). The projections (15) transition into the higher-diameter hollow cylindrical portion (20) through curved transition portions (50). The brake liner face (55) is provided on the curved inside surface of the lower-diameter hollow cylindrical portion (10) (refer to Fig. 4).
[0020] The higher-diameter hollow cylindrical portion (20) is provided with evenly spaced integrated ventilation channels (25). These integrated ventilation channels (25) are specifically profiled openings that draw in air and direct it towards a central axis of the bilateral-cooled brake drum (100) (refer to Fig. 2).
[0021] The inner curved surface of the said lower-diameter hollow cylindrical portion (10) functions as the brake liner face when provided in the drum brake. The projections (15) (refer to Fig. 2) provide the extra surface area required to evacuate heat generated when the brake shoe rubs against the brake liner face. The projections (15) provide sufficient structural strength to the bilateral-cooled brake drum (100) to resist being bent by torsional forces acting on it during braking operations.
[0022] The profile of the projections (15), as described, is best suited for providing the strength required for resisting forces acting on the bilateral-cooled brake drum (100) during vehicle operation without necessitating the need to use any special materials and manufacturing processes to compensate for any loss of strength incurred by their provision. The evenly spaced integrated ventilation channels (25) (refer to Fig. 2) that are given on the higher-diameter hollow cylindrical portion (20) are precisely profiled to draw in air when the bilateral-cooled brake drum (100) is rotating. This air is directed by the integrated ventilation channels (25) towards the central axis of the bilateral-cooled brake drum (100) to provide additional cooling during vehicle operation. The bilateral-cooled brake drum (100) as assembled on the vehicle, is depicted in Figure 5.
[0023] The bilateral-cooled brake drum (100) so disclosed achieves all the stated objectives.
[0024] Technical advantages offered by the invention, i.e., the bilateral-cooled brake drum (100), are-
- It is very effective in removing heat generated during braking operation.
- It is more capable of dealing with the problem of brake fade resulting from overheating than conventional brake drums.
- It is cost-effective enough to be provided on electric vehicles without compromising braking performance because of increased maintenance-free operational life.
- It can be used in combination with advanced braking systems, such as ABS, to dramatically improve vehicle safety.
- Its use reduces the possibility of tyre bust due to braking-associated overheating.
[0025] It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the present invention has been herein described in terms of its preferred embodiment, those skilled in the art will recognize that the preferred embodiment herein disclosed, can be practiced with modifications within the scope of the invention herein described.
,CLAIMS:We Claim,
1. A bilateral-cooled brake drum (100) comprising,
• a lower diameter hollow cylindrical portion (10),
• projections (15),
• a higher diameter hollow cylindrical portion (20),
• integrated ventilation channels (25),
• connecting points (35),
• ring-shaped inward-facing flange (40),
• ring-shaped outward-facing flange (45),
• curved transition portions (50).
wherein,
- the lower diameter hollow cylindrical portion (10) is provided with a ring-shaped inward-facing flange (40) on its one end;
- the ring-shaped inward-facing flange (40) accommodates evenly spaced connection openings (35) that allow it to connect to the vehicle's hub using conventional fastening means;
- the lower-diameter hollow cylindrical portion (10) is provided with a ring-shaped outward-facing flange (45) along its other end that transitions into the higher-diameter hollow cylindrical portion (20);
- the outer surface of the lower-diameter hollow cylindrical portion (10) is also provided with projections (15) that proceed from one end of said lower-diameter hollow cylindrical portion (10) and end along the ring-shaped outward-facing flange (45);
- the two longer edges of each of the projections (15) are parallel to each other and proceed in a straight line after originating on the ring-shaped inward-facing flange (40) to end on the ring-shaped outward-facing flange (45); and
- the projections (15) transition into the higher-diameter hollow cylindrical portion (20) through curved transition portions (50).
2. The bilateral-cooled brake drum (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the conventional fastening means are selected from nuts and bolts of standard sizes.
3. The bilateral-cooled brake drum (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the higher-diameter hollow cylindrical portion (20) is provided with evenly spaced integrated ventilation channels (25).
4. The bilateral-cooled brake drum (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein, the integrated ventilation channels (25) are specifically profiled openings that are configured to draw in air and direct it towards a central axis of the bilateral-cooled brake drum (100).
5. The bilateral-cooled brake drum (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the ring-shaped inward-facing flange (40) has an inner surface identifiable as a hub mounting face and an outer surface identifiable as a wheel rim mounting face.
6. The bilateral-cooled brake drum (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the projections (15) are evenly spaced along the outer curved surface of the lower-diameter hollow cylindrical portion (10).

Dated 29th day of January 2025

VIDIT CHOUBEY
(IN P/A 5566)
AGENT FOR THE APPLICANT(S)

To,
The Controller of Patents,
The Patent Office, at Mumbai