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DE-102024132802-A1 - Brake caliper, method for manufacturing a brake caliper and computer-controlled method for manufacturing a brake caliper body

DE102024132802A1DE 102024132802 A1DE102024132802 A1DE 102024132802A1DE-102024132802-A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a brake caliper, preferably for use in a high-performance motor vehicle or a high-performance motorcycle, comprising: one or more pistons, and a monolithic brake caliper body having one or more sections for receiving the piston(s). The brake caliper is characterized in that the brake caliper body is manufactured by additive manufacturing, and the brake caliper body consists at least partially of titanium and/or a superalloy, preferably Inconel 718. The invention further relates to a method for manufacturing a brake caliper and a computer-controlled method for manufacturing a brake caliper body.

Inventors

  • Erfinder gleich Anmelder

Assignees

  • Federico Gaviraghi

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20241111

Claims (15)

  1. Brake caliper, preferably for use in a high-performance motor vehicle or a high-performance motorcycle, comprising one or more pistons (13), and a monolithic brake caliper body (1) having one or more sections (2) for receiving the piston(s) (13), characterized in that the brake caliper body (1) is manufactured by additive manufacturing, and the brake caliper body (1) consists at least partially of titanium and/or a superalloy, preferably Inconel 718.
  2. brake caliper according to Claim 1 , wherein the brake caliper body (1) is constructed by generative design using artificial intelligence.
  3. Brake caliper according to one of the preceding claims, wherein one or more brake fluid channels (3) are located at least partially outside the brake caliper body and have a plurality of projections (5).
  4. Brake caliper according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the brake caliper body (1) has one or more coolant channels (7, 9, 10) which extend at least partially along the axis of the piston (13) within the brake caliper body (1) adjacent to a respective piston tube (14) and/or are bent along the circumference of the section (2) for receiving the piston (13) in the brake caliper body (1), wherein the inner surface of the coolant channel(s) (10) preferably has one or more projections (11) which connect the brake caliper body (1) to the piston tube (14).
  5. brake caliper according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the brake caliper body (1) has one or more coolant channels (12) which are orthogonal to an axis of the piston (13) and extend through the piston tube (14).
  6. Brake caliper according to one of the preceding claims, wherein different areas of the brake caliper body (1) have different densities.
  7. Brake caliper according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the brake caliper body (1) has one or more areas (16) which have unfused or only partially fused powder in order to better dampen vibrations by changing the natural frequencies of the brake caliper body (1).
  8. brake caliper according to Claim 7 , wherein a region (16) which has unmelted or only partially fused powder is located in the mounting area of the brake caliper on a wheel carrier and/or between the section or sections (2) for receiving the piston(s) on the side of the brake caliper body (1) facing away from a rim, preferably between the sections (2) for receiving the pistons on the side of the brake caliper body (1) facing a rim.
  9. brake caliper according to Claim 6 , wherein the different areas of the brake caliper body (1) which have the different densities have at least partially a lattice structure (17) and/or at least partially a honeycomb structure and/or at least partially a structure formed from several pyramidal elements, wherein preferably a cavity of the lattice structure (17), the honeycomb structure or the structure formed from several pyramidal elements in a less stressed area of the brake caliper body (1) is larger than a cavity of the lattice structure (17), the honeycomb structure or the structure formed from several pyramidal elements in a more stressed area of the brake caliper body (1).
  10. brake caliper according to Claim 9 , wherein the different areas of the brake caliper body (1), which have the lattice structure (17) or the honeycomb structure or the structure formed from several pyramidal elements, have unmelted or only partially fused powder in the cavities of the lattice structure (17) or the honeycomb structure or the structure formed from several pyramidal elements.
  11. brake caliper according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the piston(s) (13) are at least partially made of titanium, preferably coated with diamond-like carbon, or of a ceramic material.
  12. Method for manufacturing a monolithic brake caliper made of titanium and/or a superalloy, preferably Inconel 718, comprising the following step: Manufacturing the brake caliper body (1) by additive manufacturing.
  13. Method for manufacturing a brake caliper according to Claim 12 , comprising the following step: Designing the brake caliper body (1) using generative design techniques with the application of artificial intelligence.
  14. Method for manufacturing a brake caliper according to Claim 12 or 13 , comprising the following steps: machining cavities for piston sealing seats and/or for piston tubes (14) by electrical discharge machining, and finishing remaining areas of the brake caliper preferably by CNC milling.
  15. A computer-controlled method for manufacturing a brake caliper body (1) from titanium and/or a superalloy, preferably Inconel 718, by generative design using artificial intelligence, comprising the following steps in the order listed: Defining a maximum volume available for the brake caliper body (1), Defining areas that must not be changed by the optimization performed by the artificial intelligence, Defining loads acting on the brake caliper body (1), Defining required structural and dynamic properties of the brake caliper body (1), for example, a maximum permissible total weight of the brake caliper body (1) and/or a maximum permissible deformation of the brake caliper body (1), and Finalizing structural elements of the brake caliper body (1), for example, adding coolant channels (7, 9, 10, 12).

Description

Technical field The invention relates to a brake caliper, preferably intended for use in a high-performance motor vehicle or a high-performance motorcycle. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for manufacturing a brake caliper and a computer-controlled method for manufacturing a brake caliper body. State of the art Modern high-performance cars and motorcycles use multi-piston brake calipers that are cast or forged from aluminum and then CNC machined. The DE 10 2016 202 542 A1 discloses a method for manufacturing a vehicle brake caliper from aluminium by additive manufacturing, wherein the base body is subsequently encased with an aluminium alloy and/or titanium elements and/or steel. Brakes in high-performance cars and motorcycles typically operate in a temperature range above 150-200°C, and sometimes even above 1000°C. While brake calipers, and especially caliper bodies, are lightweight when made of aluminum alloys, their mechanical properties deteriorate when the temperature exceeds approximately 120°C. Consequently, their braking performance suffers. Therefore, it would be conceivable to use titanium or superalloys for the brake caliper, particularly for the caliper body, to ensure that the caliper maintains high stiffness even at high temperatures. The higher the stiffness, the greater the braking performance—that is, the ratio between the achieved deceleration and the force applied to the pedal—and the better the brake sensitivity—that is, the gradient at which the braking performance changes with varying forces applied to the pedal. However, brake calipers made of titanium or superalloys are too heavy. Description of the invention The invention is based on the objective of providing a brake caliper that has improved braking performance. A brake caliper according to the invention is defined in claim 1. A method according to the invention for manufacturing a brake caliper is defined in claim 12. A computer-controlled method according to the invention for manufacturing a brake caliper body is defined in claim 15. The dependent claims relate to specific embodiments. The brake caliper according to the invention, preferably for use in a high-performance motor vehicle or a high-performance motorcycle, comprises one or more pistons and a monolithic caliper body having one or more sections for receiving the piston(s). The inner surface of this or these sections is referred to in this description as the piston tube. The brake caliper according to the invention is characterized in that the caliper body is manufactured by additive manufacturing and the caliper body consists at least partially of titanium and/or a superalloy, preferably Inconel 718. One advantage of the brake caliper according to the invention is that it allows for improved braking performance compared to the prior art. In particular, since the caliper body is manufactured using additive manufacturing, geometries can be produced that allow for a brake caliper with reduced weight. Furthermore, because the caliper body is at least partially made of titanium and/or a superalloy, higher caliper stiffness can be achieved at room temperature and at elevated temperatures. Specifically, a titanium brake caliper exhibits good stiffness up to approximately 500°C, and a superalloy brake caliper up to approximately 800°C. A brake caliper body made of Inconel 718 can even achieve high caliper stiffness at temperatures above approximately 800°C. However, a titanium brake caliper is generally less brittle than one made of a superalloy. Furthermore, titanium conducts heat approximately 95% less efficiently than aluminum. Therefore, with the same number of braking cycles, the brake fluid in the brake caliper according to the invention heats up less than in a conventional brake caliper. This can extend the service life of the brake fluid. Furthermore, a monolithic brake caliper can achieve higher stiffness. Using multiple pistons allows for a better distribution of mechanical stress across the brake pads. This reduces brake pad wear and improves service life. In one embodiment, the brake caliper body can be designed using additive manufacturing. The application of artificial intelligence is being constructed. This allows for the design of a brake caliper with geometries that enable it to achieve an improved stiffness-to-weight ratio. In one embodiment, one or more brake fluid channels may be located at least partially outside the brake caliper body and may have a plurality of projections. Since the brake fluid channels are located at least partially outside the caliper body, less heat is transferred to the brake fluid by conduction from the caliper body. Consequently, the brake fluid temperature can be kept lower, thus reducing or preventing the formation of vapor bubbles in the brake fluid and the drastic reduction in braking performance caused by these bubbles. This, in turn, increases driver safety. By incorporating numerous protrusions, the heat excha