Title: Planetary wheel drive with accessible low-torque disc brakes

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Abstract: In a planetary wheel drive, disc braking is provided with the discs located outwardly of the gearing so as to be readily accessible for servicing. One set of discs is splined to the drive shaft, rotating faster than the wheel by the factor of the gear ratio, so that advantages comparable to all those advantages heretofore attained by high ratio planetary wheel braking are still attained, with the accessibility here achieved. INTRODUCTION The invention to which the present disclosure is offered for public dissemination in the event that adequate patent protection is available relates to braking for planetary wheel drives. Planetary wheel drives or final drives are commonly used in trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles and may have a gear ratio of the order of 5 to 1 which is considered very advantageous. Wheels driven in this manner may be steerable wheels, and in that event the driving torque which must be transmitted through the necessary universal joints and the drive system to the axle is reduced by the said gear ratio. Disc brakes have been proposed for such planetary wheel drives theretofore, and in at least some instances have been of high ratio nature because of braking the sun gear, but they have not been accessible for servicing without removing the planetary gears. One such patent with braking discs located axially behind the planetary gearing is Voth et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,754,625 and another is Ashfield U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,498. In both of these one set of discs is splined to the sun gear, providing ratio-reduced disc-torque. In both of these, however, access to the brake discs necessitated rather complete disassembly of the gear housing, as well as removal of the wheel. According to the present invention, the discs are located axially outwardly from the wheel gearing, and within a housing formed by the wheel hub so that access to the discs is easily achieved without removing the wheel or removing the peripheral portion or shell of the housing. It is merely necessary to remove a housing end-cover, and with it the outer wheel bearing and the hydraulic actuator for the disc brakes. Both sets of discs are then readily slipped out. One set of discs is externally splined to the peripheral shell of the brake housing, which rotates with the wheel, and the other set is splined to the drive shaft so that the wheel drive-ratio is applicable between the sets of discs. The brake discs thus have higher relative speed and are subjected to a correspondingly reduced torque. Although the advantages which result are not new with the present invention, their achievement is made more practical by the present invention in making servicing easier. Whatever increased braking capability or increased reliability resulted from the same ratio before is here retained. Heavy-duty equipment has sometimes been plagued with destructive brake torques. For example, a lining or facing may be pulled loose or crumbled. It is not contended that there would be any reduction in the amount of heat developed, or in the total amount of wear. However, the brake housing is a continuation of the gear housing and is thoroughly sealed from the hydraulic brake applicator so that the discs may run in oil and heat transfer from the discs to the housing for dissipation to the atmosphere enhanced. The advantages and features of the invention will be more apparent from the following description and from the drawings.


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