A Parametric Modeling Approach for the Preliminary Design of Automotive Disc Brakes

The design of a mechanical assembly such as an automotive disc brake involves a host of considerations aside from the necessary performance and cost objectives. Other aspects, which define a successful design, relate to maintainability, robustness over the product life, and NVH characteristics. The conflicting goals and objectives that define a successful design cannot be achieved without compromise, and determining the most suitable configuration to best balance these conflicting goals defines the optimal brake design. To evaluate these characteristics at the earliest stages of design, a general parametric disc brake model has been developed for single and twin-piston pin-slide brakes, and embedded in a multibody dynamic analysis environment. The utility of the parametric model relates to the large number of variables that may be considered in automated sensitivity studies, design of experiment, and optimization efforts. To outline the capabilities of this approach, a trade study for a twin-piston pin-slide disc brake is described. The evaluation of pad load distribution is considered, where piston diameter, piston location, and caliper finger placement are considered as design variables, with the goal of achieving optimal pad load uniformity under a prescribed operational condition.