Drum brake shoe with vibration damping supports

1. A brake shoe for a drum brake, comprising:

a unitary body defining

a brake table;

a web supporting the brake table, the web having first and second ends, the first end configured for pivotally coupling to an associated brake spider of the drum brake and the second end configured to respond to a force applied by an actuator that causes the brake shoe to move between positions of engagement and disengagement with an associated braking surface; and,

a first support extending between the web and the brake table

wherein the first support comprises a vibration damper configured to deflect from an unloaded position to a loaded position in the presence of a load and to return from the loaded position to the unloaded position in the absence of the load.

2. The brake shoe of claim 1 wherein the first support extends between an outboard side of the web and a radially inner surface of the brake table.

3. The brake shoe of claim 1 wherein the first support is spaced from the web and the brake table except at first and second ends of the first support.

4. The brake shoe of claim 1 wherein the vibration damper includes first and second end sections and an intermediate section between the first and second end sections, the first and second end sections having a curvature greater than zero about corresponding first and second points disposed on a first side of the vibration damper and the intermediate section having a curvature greater than zero about a point disposed on a second side of the vibration damper opposite the first side.

5. The brake shoe of claim 1 wherein the vibration damper includes first and second end sections and an intermediate section between the first and second end sections, the vibration damper having a first inflection point between the first end section and the intermediate section and a second inflection point between the intermediate section and the second end section.

6. The brake shoe of claim 1 wherein a width of the web is greatest at one of the first end of the web and the second end of the web.

7. The brake shoe of claim 1 wherein a plane containing a circumferential center of the first support is angled relative to a radius of curvature of the brake table where the first support is coupled to the brake table.

8. The brake shoe of claim 1 , further comprising a second support on a first circumferential side of, and adjacent to, the first support and a third support on a second circumferential side of, and adjacent to, the first support, a distance between the first and second supports different from a distance between the first and third supports.

9. A method of manufacturing a brake shoe for a drum brake, comprising:

designing a brake shoe including

a brake table;

a web supporting the brake table, the web having first and second ends, the first end configured for pivotally coupling to an associated brake spider of the drum brake and the second end configured to respond to a force applied by an actuator that causes the brake shoe to move between positions of engagement and disengagement with an associated braking surface; and,

a first support extending between the web and the brake table, the first support configured to achieve a desired stiffness in the brake shoe or dampen vibration in the brake shoe at a selected frequency; and,

forming the brake shoe as a unitary body

wherein the first support comprises a vibration damper configured to deflect from an unloaded position to a loaded position in the presence of a load and to return from the loaded position to the unloaded position in the absence of the load.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the forming step includes the sub steps of:

creating a three-dimensional model of the brake shoe;

converting the three-dimensional model into program instructions for an additive manufacturing machine; and,

successively depositing layers of material, responsive to the program instructions, using the additive manufacturing machine to form the brake shoe.

11. A method of manufacturing a brake shoe for a drum brake, comprising:

designing a brake shoe including

a brake table;

first and second webs supporting the brake table and spaced from one another, each of the first and second webs having first and second ends, the first end configured for pivotally coupling to an associated brake spider of the drum brake and the second end configured to respond to a force applied by an actuator that causes the brake shoe to move between positions of engagement and disengagement with an associated braking surface;

a first support extending between the first and second webs or between one of the first and second webs and the brake table and having a first configuration; and,

a second support extending between the first and second webs or between one of the first and second webs and the brake table and having a second configuration different from the first configuration,

wherein each of the first and second supports is configured to achieve a desired stiffness in the brake shoe, but only one of the first and second supports is configured to dampen vibration in the brake shoe at a selected frequency; and,

forming the brake shoe as a unitary body.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the forming step includes the sub steps of:

creating a three-dimensional model of the brake shoe;

converting the three-dimensional model into program instructions for an additive manufacturing machine; and,

successively depositing layers of material, responsive to the program instructions, using the additive manufacturing machine to form the brake shoe.