Patent Description:
Braking assemblies for applying a braking force to a rotating body e.g. a wheel, are well known and typically comprise a brake stack of alternating rotor and stator disks. The braking assembly is actuated by applying a force to an actuator e.g. a piston which applies force to a pressure plate which compresses the rotor and stator disks of the brake stack together to cause deceleration and braking by friction. Typically, the rotor disks are provided with circumferential drive lugs via which the compressive force is applied to the rotor disks. Such braking mechanisms are well known and will not be described further in any detail. Brake assemblies operating in this way are common in aircraft and other vehicles. Where a high braking force is required, such as in aircraft, the rotor disks have to be made of a strong, heavy duty material such as a strong steel material or, more recently, carbon material. Carbon is preferred in many applications e.g. in aircraft, because it is more lightweight than steel for the same strength. Reduced weight of parts in or on aircraft allow for a reduction in fuel consumption and, in turn, reduced CO<NUM>. Because of the material used, the rotor disks are expensive parts. In order to prolong the life of these disks, rotor clips are typically provided on the outer circumference of the disk e.g. on the drive lugs to provide some protection against wear of the rotor disk material. The clips transfer the drive force to the rotor drive lug. These clips, when they become worn, can be easily and relatively inexpensively replaced, allowing the more expensive rotor disks to be reused and extending their life.

Various designs for rotor clips are known, these include a spring clip secured over the rotor drive lug by means of a rivet or similar fastener. Half cap clips are also known, which fit over just the end part of the drive lug. Floating clips are also known, which are positioned between drive lugs and allow for some movement of the clip during braking. Again, these clips are secured in position by means of rivets or pins or similar fasteners. Usually, two rivets are passed through aligned holes in the clip and the lug and are secured by rivet heads.

As high torques are transferred by the clip, the fasteners securing the clips in place are also subject to high forces acting perpendicular to the force to be transmitted to the clip and these rivets/pins are subject to bending or breakage due to these forces. Furthermore, such fasteners will have a head that protrudes beyond the surface of the clip which can also be damaged or can cause damage to other parts. The force on the fasteners and the forces exerted by the fasteners in known designs might not be equally distributed and hot spots can be created where the fasteners exert forces on the clip or the rotor, e.g. at the back of the rivet heads, thus causing damage to the clip and/or rotor disk. Rivets that can provide the required strength and security are expensive and difficult to manufacture and use. The use of these rivets also introduces the risk of damage to the rotor disk material when the clips are being replaced. To assemble the clip, several steps are required - the clip has to be placed over the rotor lug and the holes in the clip aligned with the holes through the lug, then two separate pins or rivets need to be passed through the holes and secured with a further head or nut.

There is a need for an improved clip that avoids or mitigates these problems.

According to the invention, there is provided a clip for a rotor disk of a brake assembly, the clip arranged to fit over an end of a lug of the rotor disk, in use, the clip having two opposing sides and an end portion across the two opposing sides, and a top portion, the top portion, the sides and the end portion each having an inner surface and an outer surface and the inner surface of the top portion, the sides and the end portion together defining a receptacle to receive the rotor lug, the clip having at least one aperture in each of the sides; and characterized in that the clip further comprising a reinforcement member extending from the inner surface of the end portion internal of the receptacle, between the two sides.

Also provided is a method for assembling such a clip, as well as a rotor disk, a brake assembly and a wheel assembly having such a clip design.

Examples of the clip according to the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that other examples are possible within the scope of the claims.

Referring first to <FIG>, a wheel brake assembly is shown for purposes of explanation. The brake assembly <NUM> is mounted within a wheel <NUM> which rotates about an axis A-A' <NUM>. The brake assembly comprises a stack of alternate rotor disks <NUM> and stator disks <NUM> with the rotor disks rotatable with the wheel, and relative to the stator disks, about axis <NUM>. To decelerate or brake rotation of the wheel pressure is applied by means of actuators in the axial direction A-A' to the brake stack to compress the rotor and stator disks together, causing friction between the rotor and stator disks and thus slowing the wheel. The rotor disks have rotor lugs <NUM> defined around their circumference and extending radially outwards with respect to the axis of rotation <NUM>. Slots <NUM>, shown in <FIG>, are defined between adjacent lugs <NUM>. Torque bars <NUM> acts as drive lugs that engage the wheel with the rotor disks via the rotor lugs.

As mentioned above, in order to protect the rotor disk material against wear, the rotor lugs <NUM> may be provided with protective clips <NUM> via which the torque is transferred from the torque bars <NUM> to the rotor lugs <NUM>, and hence to the rotor disk. During use, the operation of the brake assembly will cause the brake clips <NUM> to wear before the rotor disk material wears, and the clips <NUM> can be removed and new clips fitted, without needing to replace the entire rotor disk.

The provision of clips on the rotor lugs can also been seem in the simpler view of <FIG> which shows a rotor disk <NUM> having lugs <NUM> provided around its circumference, with clips <NUM> attached to the ends of the rotor lugs.

Conventionally, these clips are attached to the rotor disks or rotor lugs by means of rivets that pass through the rotor lug from one side to the other. An example of such known clip designs is shown in <FIG>.

<FIG> shows a so-called half cap clip <NUM> which has at least one rivet aperture <NUM> (in this example, there are two rivet apertures <NUM>). The clip <NUM> is shaped to fit over the end of a rotor lug <NUM> and is secured to the lug by means of rivets <NUM> secured to the side of the lug through the clip apertures <NUM>. As mentioned above, these rivets pass through the width of the rotor lug and can be subjected to bending forces. They can be expensive and difficult to manufacture and install and a hotspot of force can occur around the region of the rivet head <NUM>.

The clip <NUM> according to the present disclosure, described below with reference to <FIG>, provides an alternative to the half-cap clip described above for securing the clip to the lug, which allows for improved stress distribution, less risk of damage to the carbon of the brake and less risk of bending of the rivet(s), particularly when used on relatively wide rotor lugs where the rivet needs to be long.

The clip <NUM> according to the disclosure is shaped as a cap to fit over the end of a rotor lug in a manner similar to the conventional clip described above. As with the conventional clip, the clip has a substantially flat planar, top portion <NUM> that extends in a first plane, a first side <NUM> and an opposite, second side <NUM> spaced from the first side by the top surface, and an end portion <NUM> that extends in a second plane from the top portion. The top portion may be square or rectangular or may be provided with a curved edge <NUM> as shown in the Figs. The top portion <NUM>, the first and second sides <NUM>, <NUM>, and the end portion <NUM> each have an inner surface and an outer surface, and the inner surfaces of the top portion, the sides and the end portion together define a recess <NUM> to receive an end of a lug onto which the clip is mounted, in use. Transitions between the top portion <NUM>, the end portion <NUM>, and/or the sides <NUM>, <NUM> may include sloped or rounded bends or corners <NUM>, <NUM>. Alternatively, the corners may be sharp. The shape of the clip is such that the end portion <NUM> lies flat against the end of the lug <NUM> so that a normal force is transferred through the flat surfaces. Each of the first and second sides <NUM>, <NUM> is provided with an aperture <NUM> that, when mounted on the end of the lug <NUM>, aligns with a passage (not shown) through the lug such that a rivet <NUM> can be passed through the aperture <NUM> in the first side <NUM> of the clip, the passage through the lug and out through the aperture <NUM> in the second side <NUM> of the clip to secure the clip <NUM> to the lug <NUM> when mounted thereon, in use. Whilst it is possible to only use a single rivet <NUM>, additional security and better force distribution (and therefore less stress on the rivet) can be provided by using two rivets as shown in this example, in which case, each side has two apertures and the lug has two passages. More than two rivets could, in theory, also be used if space provides. These features are all similar to those of the clip described in relation to <FIG>, above.

The rivet(s) has/have a rivet head <NUM> and a rivet body <NUM> extending from the head along a rivet axis X. The size of the aperture <NUM> is such as to allow passage of the rivet body therethrough but is smaller than the rivet head such that the rivet head stops against the side at the aperture and cannot pass through the aperture. The length of the rivet is such that when the rivet is fully inserted, the head abuts against one of the clip sides at the outer surface of the side, the rivet body spans the recess <NUM> and the other end <NUM> of the rivet opposite the head <NUM> protrudes from the aperture in the other side beyond the outer surface of the other side. Preferably (but not necessarily) the end <NUM> protrudes past the outer surface of the other side by about the same distance as the rivet head protrudes from the first side. A cap or fastener or other finish may be provided on the protruding end <NUM> to prevent the rivet being withdrawn back through the passage inadvertently. To replace the clip, however, this can be removed so that the rivet(s) can be withdrawn and the clip can be disassembled. Seals and/or washers may be provided between the rivet head and the side of the clip.

In addition to the two clip sides <NUM>, <NUM> that define the sides of the recess <NUM>, the clip of the present disclosure also has a reinforcement member <NUM> that extends from the inner surface of the end portion <NUM> along the recess <NUM>. The reinforcement member <NUM> extends substantially parallel to and between the first and second sides <NUM>, <NUM>. In the example shown, the reinforcement member <NUM> extends from around the middle of the end portion <NUM> (defined with respect of the length between the two sides <NUM>, <NUM>), but the reinforcement member could, if desired, be spaced closer to the first side or closer to the second side. The reinforcement member <NUM> also has one or more apertures <NUM> that align with the apertures <NUM> in the sides <NUM>, <NUM>. The number of apertures in the reinforcement member should match the number of apertures in the sides (or could, in theory be more if there is a need to provide redundant apertures for e.g. manufacturing reasons) and thus will also match the number of rivets used. The width and length of the reinforcement member is selected such that it will fit into a slot <NUM> in the end of the lug.

To mount the clip <NUM> to the lug <NUM>, the clip is positioned over the end of the lug such that the top portion <NUM> rests against the top of the lug and the end portion <NUM> abuts against the end face of the lug. The reinforcement member <NUM> will locate in the slot <NUM> in the lug. The sides <NUM>, <NUM> will rest against or be closely adjacent the sides of the lug. The aperture or apertures are aligned with the passage/passages through the lug. The, or each, rivet is then inserted through the aperture <NUM> in the first side, through the passage through the lug and the aperture <NUM> in the reinforcing member <NUM> and out through the aperture <NUM> in the second side <NUM> until the rivet head abuts against the first side. The other end of the rivet is then fastened or secured and the clip is held in position.

The reinforcement member <NUM> adds further support to the rivets as they pass through the lug to reduce or prevent bending of the rivets. This is particularly important where the distance the rivet has to extend through the lug is great because longer rivets may be subjected to bending in extreme conditions and this reinforcement member mitigates this problem.

Claim 1:
A clip for a rotor disk of a brake assembly, the clip (<NUM>) arranged to fit over an end of a lug of the rotor disk, the clip having two opposing sides (<NUM>, <NUM>) and an end portion (<NUM>) across the two opposing sides, and a top portion (<NUM>), the top portion, the sides and the end portion each having an inner surface and an outer surface, and the inner surface of the top portion, the sides and the end portion together defining a recess (<NUM>) configured to receive the rotor lug, in use, the clip having at least one aperture (<NUM>) in each of the sides; and characterised by the clip further comprising a reinforcement member (<NUM>) extending from the inner surface of the end portion internal of the recess, between the two sides.