Light-weight and sound-damped brake rotor and method of manufacturing the same

摘要

A light-weight and sound-damped brake rotor for a vehicle braking system includes a rotor hat and a rotor cheek supported by the rotor hat. The rotor hat includes an axially-protruding central hub and a flange that extends radially from and circumferentially around the central hub. The rotor cheek, which provides at least one braking surface, is formed from two or more separate and distinct pieces which are fixedly secured to the flange of the rotor hat. Located within the rotor cheek underneath the at least one braking surface is a vibration damping element. The brake rotor derives its vibration-deadening and sound-damping effects from the vibration damping element through the occurrence of relative frictional contacting movement.

主权项

1. A sound-damped brake rotor, for a vehicle braking system, that co-rotates with a vehicle wheel in close relationship to one or more brake pads that can be selectively applied against the brake rotor to slow the rotational speed of the wheel, the brake rotor comprising:
a steel rotor hat that comprises an axially-protruding central hub along a longitudinal axis of the rotor hat and a flange that extends radially from and circumferentially around the central hub, the flange having a first annular surface and a second annular surface opposite the first annular surface; a rotor cheek which concentrically surrounds the central hub about the longitudinal axis and is supported by the rotor hat, the rotor cheek providing at least one axially-facing annular braking surface and being constructed from two separate and distinct cast iron rotor cheek halves that are fixedly secured to the rotor hat, wherein a first rotor cheek half includes a first outer circumferential edge and a first inner circumferential edge and a second rotor cheek half includes a second outer circumferential edge and a second inner circumferential edge, the first inner circumferential edge forming a first circumferential flange seam with the first annular surface, the second inner circumferential edge forming a second circumferential flange seam with the second annular surface, the first and second outer circumferential edges abutting along a circumferential edge seam and together forming a rotor cheek edge, and wherein the first and second rotor cheek halves are fixedly secured to the flange of the rotor hat by at least one of a rotor cheek edge metallurgical joint situated along the circumferential edge seam, a first flange metallurgical joint situated along the first circumferential flange seam, or a second flange metallurgical joint situated along the second circumferential flange seam; and a vibration damping element located within the rotor cheek beneath the at least one braking surface, the vibration damping element facilitating a physically distinct, non-bonded, surface-to-surface interface where relative frictional contacting movement can occur when vibrations are imparted to the rotor cheek.