Sliding caliper disk brake including a central return spring of an exterior brake shoe including wear play compensation means, spring and replacement kit

1. A motor vehicle disk brake ( 10 ) that includes:

a brake disk ( 12 ) that lies in a plane transverse to an axially oriented rotation axis (A) of the disk;

a support ( 14 ) fixed relative to a chassis of the vehicle;

a caliper ( 36 ) that is mounted to slide axially relative to the fixed support ( 14 ) and that includes:

a rear casing ( 41 ) in which a brake piston ( 46 ) is mounted to slide axially to cooperate, toward the front, with an interior brake shoe ( 18 I) that includes a friction lining ( 24 I) a transverse front friction face ( 25 I) of which cooperates with an associated braking track ( 22 I) of the disk ( 12 );

a front flange ( 42 ), axially fixed to the casing ( 41 ) to cooperate with an exterior brake shoe ( 18 E) that includes a friction lining ( 24 E) a transverse rear friction face ( 25 E) of which cooperates with an associated braking track ( 22 E) of the disk ( 12 );

the exterior brake shoe ( 18 E) being mounted to slide axially in the fixed support ( 14 ) between a rear active position in which said friction face ( 25 E) bears against the associated annular track ( 22 E) of the brake disk ( 12 ) and a front inactive position in which said transverse rear friction face ( 25 E) is spaced axially from said associated annular track ( 22 E) of the brake disk by a particular operating clearance (J 1 ),

wherein the disk brake includes an exterior return spring ( 48 E) for returning the exterior brake shoe ( 18 E) to its inactive position, a rear connecting portion ( 62 ) of the exterior return spring ( 48 E) is fixed, directly or indirectly, to an associated central portion ( 63 ) of the exterior brake shoe ( 18 E), and a front portion ( 50 ) of the exterior return spring ( 48 E) is fixed axially to an associated central portion ( 58 ) of the fixed support ( 14 ).

2. The disk brake as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the interior brake shoe ( 18 I) is constrained to move axially with the brake piston ( 46 ).

3. The disk brake as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the exterior return spring ( 48 E) for returning the exterior brake shoe ( 18 E) to its inactive position includes means for compensating wear play (J 2 ) of the friction lining ( 24 E) of the exterior brake shoe ( 18 E) that are deformed plastically when the movement of the exterior brake shoe ( 18 E) in an axial direction of movement as far as an active braking position is greater than said particular operating clearance (J 1 ).

4. The disk brake as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said associated central portion ( 63 ) of the exterior brake shoe ( 18 E) is substantially in line with the sliding axis of the brake piston ( 46 ).

5. The disk brake as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said associated central portion of the fixed support ( 14 ) is constituted by a central section ( 58 ) of a beam ( 60 ) of the fixed support ( 14 ) that lies in a front plane orthogonal to the sliding axis of the brake piston ( 46 ), substantially in line with this sliding axis of the brake piston ( 46 ).

6. The disk brake as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the front flange ( 42 ) of the caliper ( 36 ) includes two transversely spaced lateral parts ( 43 ) that are symmetrical with respect to the sliding axis of the brake piston ( 46 ) and delimit between them a central recess ( 64 ) in which the exterior return spring ( 48 E) is arranged.

7. The disk brake ( 10 ) according to claim 3 , wherein said means that are deformed plastically include a plastically deformable section (P 1 -B 2 -P 2 -B 3 -P 3 ) that is formed by an accordion fold that extends between said rear connecting portion ( 62 ) and said front fixing portion ( 50 ) of the exterior return spring ( 48 E).

8. The disk brake as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the exterior return spring ( 48 E) includes successively at least:

said front portion ( 50 ) for fixing the exterior return spring ( 48 E) to the fixed support ( 14 );

a second rigid branch (B 2 ) a proximal end (B 2 p ) of which is connected to the fixing portion ( 50 ) by a first bend (P 1 ) plastically deformable about a first deformation axis (A 1 ) orthogonal to the axial direction (A) of movement of the exterior brake shoe ( 18 E) and parallel to the plane in which the second rigid branch (B 2 ) lies;

a third rigid branch (B 3 ) a proximal end (B 3 p ) of which is connected to a distal end (B 2 d ) of the second rigid branch (B 2 ) by a second bend (P 2 ) plastically deformable about a second deformation axis (A 2 ) parallel to the first deformation axis (A 1 );

a fourth rigid branch (B 4 ) a proximal end (B 4 p ) of which is connected to a distal end (B 4 d ) of the third rigid branch (B 3 ) by a third bend (P 3 ) plastically deformable about a third deformation axis (A 3 ) parallel to the first deformation axis (A 1 ), and that is fixed to said associated central portion ( 63 ) of the exterior brake shoe ( 18 E) to constitute said rear connecting portion ( 62 ) of the exterior return spring ( 48 E); each rigid branch (B 2 , B 3 , B 4 ) is a strip that lies globally in a plane parallel to the first deformation axis (A 1 ); and the fourth rigid branch (B 4 ) is axially spaced (D) relative to the fixing portion ( 50 ).

9. The disk brake as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the front portion ( 50 ) for fixing the exterior return spring ( 48 E) to the fixed support ( 14 ) includes a first rigid branch (B 1 ) that is a strip that lies in a plane parallel to the first deformation axis (A 1 ) and the proximal end (B 2 p ) of the second rigid branch (B 2 ) is connected to a distal end (B 1 d ) of the first rigid branch (B 1 ) by the first plastically deformable bend (P 1 ).

10. The disk brake as claimed in claim 9 , wherein said associated central portion of the fixed support ( 14 ) is constituted by a central section ( 58 ) of a beam ( 60 ) of the fixed support ( 14 ) that lies in a front plane orthogonal to the sliding axis of the brake piston ( 46 ), substantially in line with this sliding axis of the brake piston, and the front portion ( 50 ) for fixing the exterior return spring ( 48 E) to the fixed support ( 14 ) includes a rigid lug that extends a proximal end (B 1 p ) of the first rigid branch (B 1 ) to constitute a bend forming a hook a concave portion of which receives said central section ( 58 ) of the beam ( 60 ) of the fixed support ( 14 ).

11. The disk brake as claimed in claim 7 , wherein each rigid branch (B 1 , B 2 , B 3 , B 4 ) is straight.

12. The disk brake as claimed in claim 7 , wherein each rigid branch (B 1 , B 2 , B 3 , B 4 ) includes stiffening means (Z 1 , Z 2 , Z 3 ).

13. The disk brake as claimed in claim 7 , wherein each plastically deformable bend (P 1 , P 2 , P 3 ) includes an area (F 1 , F 2 , F 3 ) of weakened mechanical properties.

14. The disk brake as claimed in claim 7 , wherein each plastically deformable bend (P 1 , P 2 , P 3 ) is a bent portion of a strip including a window (F 1 , F 2 , F 3 ) oriented parallel to the first deformation axis (A 1 ).

15. The disk brake as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the exterior return spring ( 48 E) is produced in one piece by cutting and shaping a sheet of material.

16. The disk brake as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the exterior return spring ( 48 E) is produced in one piece by cutting, pressing and bending a sheet of metal.

17. The disk brake as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the rigid branches (B 1 , B 2 , B 3 , B 4 ) and the bends (P 1 , P 2 , P 3 ) are produced in one piece by cutting, pressing and bending a strip of constant width.

18. The disk brake as claimed in claim 9 , wherein, in a state preceding any plastic deformation of the bends (P 1 , P 2 , P 3 ), the first rigid branch (B 1 ) and the second rigid branch (B 2 ) form an angle (α 1 ) equal to the angle (α 2 ) that the second rigid branch (B 2 ) and the third rigid branch (B 3 ) form and equal to the angle (α 3 ) that the third rigid branch (B 3 ) and the fourth rigid branch (B 4 ) form.

19. The disk brake as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the exterior return spring ( 48 E) is made from a material selected from a group including stainless steel, X2CrNbCu21 steel, 304L steel, gold, lead, a synthetic material, a synthetic material with a polymer matrix reinforced by natural or synthetic fibers.

20. The disk brake as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the exterior return spring ( 48 E) is made from a material the breaking strain of which is between 30% and 60%, the tensile strength of which is between 400 MPa and 1000 MPa and the 0.2% offset strain of which is between 0 and 500 MPa.

21. The disk brake as claimed in claim 20 , wherein the exterior return spring ( 48 E) is made from a material the breaking strain of which is between 40 and 60%, the tensile strength of which is between 400 MPa and 700 MPa, and the 0.2% offset strain of which is between 150 and 400 MPa.

22. The disk brake as claimed in claim 21 , wherein the exterior return spring ( 48 E) is made from a material the breaking strain of which is between 50 and 60%, the tensile strength of which is between 400 MPa and 600 MPa, and the 0.2% offset strain of which is between 200 and 300 MPa.

23. The disk brake ( 10 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the exterior return spring ( 48 E) includes a functional plate ( 70 ) connected to said front fixing portion ( 50 ) that lies in a front plane orthogonal to the sliding axis of the brake piston ( 46 ).

24. The disk brake as claimed in claim 23 , wherein the exterior return spring ( 48 E) is produced in one piece with said functional plate ( 70 ).

25. The disk brake ( 10 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the exterior brake shoe ( 18 E) includes at least one lateral lug ( 26 ) for guiding sliding thereof that is received in an axial slide ( 28 ) of the fixed support ( 14 ).

26. The disk brake ( 10 ) as claimed in claim 24 , further comprising a slider ( 32 ) that espouses the walls of the slide ( 28 ) and is fixed to the fixed support ( 14 ).