Abstract: A drum-in-hat brake assembly (10) having first (12) and second (14) brake shoes retained on a backing plate (16) by first (18) and second (20) pins connected to the backing plate (16). The first (12) and second (14) brake shoes are aligned on the backing plate (16) by an anchor post (40) and connected to a reverse actuator (26). The reverse actuator (26) receives an input force to respectively move first (42) and second (44) friction pads associated with the first (12) and second (14) brake shoes into engagement with a drum (46) to effect a brake application. The reverse actuator (26) includes a first lever (52) and a second lever (54), each of which have a flat plate (60,76) that extends through an opening (62) in the backing plate (16). A resilient member (90) located in the opening (62) maintains the flat plates (60,76) in a same perpendicular plane with respect to the backing plate (16).

Abstract: A vehicle wheel drum brake assembly includes an improved brake actuator assembly having a stabilizing cam and roller design. The cam and roller include a centering and guiding surface that cooperate to prevent relative movement between the cam and the rollers in an axial direction which is generally perpendicular to a direction of movement of the brake shoes caused by the cam camming the rollers. The rollers and brake shoes are provided with similarly cooperating centering and guiding surfaces to prevent undesirable relative movement between the shoes and rollers. The centering and guiding surfaces include non-parallel sidewalls such that a wedge of surface contact is provided. The centering and guiding surfaces provide a centering feature and increase the amount of surface contact and the amount of desirable friction experienced in the system.

Abstract: A drum-type brake actuator provides increased force transmission efficiency and assembly simplicity. An anchor carries two pistons which are moved to apply a brake shoe by the cooperative operation of a lever and strut arrangement. The utilization of three pivot joints in a simplified mechanism results in high efficiency output.

Abstract: A replaceable roller insert is provided for supporting a cam roller follower within roller supports acting against a cam element moving at least one brake shoe inward and outward relative to a brake drum where the roller insert is easily replaced by removing a worn roller insert and mounting a replacement roller insert to the brake shoe web.

Abstract: A brake shoe for an internal shoe drum brake has an arcuate platform carrying a lining of friction material on its outer face. A web extends perpendicularly from the inner face of the platform and provides a shoe tip intended to be supported on an angled surface of the brake abutment. This shoe tip has a pair of differently directed surface portions. The invention also embraces an internal shoe drum brake incorporating a pair of the aforesaid shoes of which the abutment shoe tips are arranged so that the abutment is engaged respectively by non-corresponding ones of the shoe tip surface portions.

Abstract: A brake return spring retention system for a cast brake shoe where a slot is located on the inside rib of the brake shoe having a width which exceeds that of a spring hook formed on one end of a brake return spring where the spring hook passes into the slot and engages a spring retention pin which is positioned transverse to the slot.

Abstract: A roller follower (12) and bracket (20) combination for use in a rotary cam type brake shoe assembly (100) is provided in which bracket (20) is supported on a web (2) of a brake shoe in such a manner that, when a free-end (27) of bracket (20) is inserted into an opening (26) in a trunnion (24) of a pin (11) that supports roller follower (12) for rotation, bracket (20) is operative to prevent roller follower support pin (11) from being rotated by the cam to lessen noise heretofor created by the rotation of trunnion (24) against web (2).

Abstract: A drum brake assembly has brake shoes 2 and 3 within a rotatable drum 1. The shoes 2 and 3 are displaceable to effect braking by an hydraulic ram 7 and free ends 9 of the shoes react against an abutment 10. This reaction is effected through a layer of viscoelastic damping material and metal plate laminate 110 which may be carried by either the brake shoes or the abutment 10. The viscoelastic layer may be bonded between steel plates and secured by a spring clip to either the brake shoe or the abutment 10. Alternatively the viscoelastic layer may be bonded to the abutment 10. The laminate 110 can be accommodated within a recess in the abutment 10. The provision of the viscoelastic layers through which the brake shoes react on the abutment 10 alleviates the development of noise or squeal during use of the brake assembly.

Abstract: An anchor collar or bracket (100) is provided that is adapted to fit loosely about a shaft (34) of a rotary drum brake assembly such as assembly (200). Bracket (100) is adapted to secure at least one pair of resilient biasing members such as coiled springs (36 and 36') to respective pivotally mounted opposed brake shoe assemblies (20 and 20') and resiliently urge them towards each other upon release of the brake while being able to be moved to enable access to hidden portions therebehind.

Abstract: An internal shoe brake, which is being used as a parking brake in a disc hub, is designed so that it can be preassembled in a ready-to-be-installed fashion. For that purpose, the anchor plate, serving as a cover plate, is mounted to a support by at least two fixing members. The fixing members are provided with heads which mesh free from play with bores provided in the axle support. Fixing of the support and the anchor plate to the axle support is effected through the intermediary of a screw. The screw and the fixing members jointly transmit the circumferential forces onto the axle support.

Abstract: A brake assembly, for a vehicle axle having a beam, including a spider mounted on the beam, a camshaft mounted on one end of the spider, a pair of anchor pins mounted on an opposite end of the spider, and a pair of brake shoes. Each of the brake shoes has at least one bearing surface disposed at one end thereof mounted on an outer portion of one of the anchor pins and a roller mounted on an opposite end thereof operatively engageable with the camshaft. A spring interconnects upper portions of the brake shoes and pivotally biases the upper ends of the brake shoes toward each other into retracted positions. A retainer adjacent the anchor pin ends of the brake shoes biasingly urges the bearing surfaces of the brake shoes into engagement with the anchor pins. The retainer is a U-shaped spring element having a hook section at each of its free ends encompassing the anchor pin ends of the brake shoes.

Abstract: A brake shoe guide member (50) is provided that is adapted to be firmly secured to the brake spider (38) and which features a pair of spaced-apart guide surfaces (56, 56) on one side of the brake shoe web (16) and an opposed guide surface (58) on an opposite side of web (16) intermediate surfaces (56, 56) such that web (16) is held in substantial parallel alignment with spider (38) by guide surfaces (56, 56 and 58) as web (16) moves therebetween when the brake shoe moves between the retracted and expanded positions.

Abstract: A roller retainer for a cam actuated vehicle brake assembly comprising a member preferably formed from spring wire to provide two substantially parallel legs with a tang at the end of each leg and a manual grip intermediate the legs. The tangs are seated in apertures provided to a dual web brake shoe and a portion of the member intermediate the manual grip and the tanged ends extends only partially around the roller so the manual grip and the tanged ends are disposed on the same side of a reference plane parallel to the legs and passing through the axis of the roller. This enalbes the retainer to be rotated about the apertures thereby allowing the roller to be safely removed from the brake shoe while the shoe remains in the assembly without the use of any tools.

Abstract: A one piece spring clip is positioned on a headed brake shoe hold-down pin so that the spring clip is compressed with a camming action until the clip reaches an over-center condition. Further installing movement of the spring clip permits the spring to expand and lock itself in the installed position. The spring has a primary spring section absorbing normal compression loads and secondary spring sections resisting excessive compression loads.

Abstract: This invention relates to a drum brake with two internal expanding brake shoes pivoted at substantially diametrically opposite axes. It incorporates the negative feedback of the brake shoe sliding friction forces to oppose the applied hydraulic brake actuating forces for the purpose of reducing variation in brake torque due to random or uncontrolled variations in the coefficient of friction between brake shoes and brake drum. The required brake shoe friction force feedback is accomplished by eliminating the normally leading brake shoe with its undesirable lock-up prone positive feedback and replacing it with a brake shoe pivoted about an axis diametrically opposite the pivot axis of the normally trailing brake shoe. The location of the shoe pivots is chosen to establish the required feedback magnitude by use of lever ratios whose adequacy is verified by the force equilibrium equations of the brake system.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a brake shoe and brake assembly for automotive vehicles, comprising a pair of brake shoes (14) having ends pivotably mounted on a brake spider (12), and a actuator cam (26) located between the opposite ends of the brake shoes (14). The webs (24) of brake shoes (14) have adequate apertures in the pivoting ends, to engage rotational anchor pins (16). The apertures have radial sections and lateral flats to engage radial sections and lateral flats in the ends of the anchor pins (16). The apertures form slidable, but not rotational, connections with anchor pins (16), to support brake shoes (14), and allow a pivoting movement of brake shoes (14), through anchor pins (16), when an application and release of the brake is effected.

Abstract: A brake band is provided which is useful particularly in connection with transmissions. The band has welded at each free end thereof a bracket. The brackets are provided with recesses to receive the actuating struts which abut against one end of the recesses to cause closing of the band in a drum.

Abstract: Brake equipment comprising a brake shoe arrangement including a brake pad and a curved vane wherein the brake shoe arrangement is constrained by the curved vane to rotate about its center of mass only. The brake equipment mitigates problems associated with uneven wear of the brake pad resulting from operational vibration and possible consequent movement of the brake shoe arrangement because of imbalance thereof.

Abstract: A control linkage for a band-type brake having an actuating lever provided with a pair of anchor pins, a brake band adapted to be trained about a rotary element to be braked in either direction of its rotation, the band having one end connected to one of the anchor pins, an adjustment bracket connected to the other of the pins, and the other end of the band being connected to the adjustment bracket, and an anchor bracket having upwardly and downwardly opening slots loosely receiving the pins with the pin connected to the adjustment bracket being disposed in the downwardly open slot. A spring resiliently biases the pin in a downwardly open slot upwardly into engagement with the bottom of its associated slot to provide smooth braking action.

Abstract: Integrally formed brake shoe for use with cylindrical automotive brake drums in hydraulic brake systems are fabricated by bending and shaping sections of extruded lengths of the material having a T-shaped cross-sectional configuration. Connector pins for transmitting brake actuating forces between the hydraulic cylinder pistons and the brake shoes are concavely rounded at their piston abutting ends, and either concavely or convexly rounded at their brake shoe abutting ends, for face-to-face sliding contact with complemental abutting surface portions, respectively, of the hydraulic pistons and brake shoes.