Sphere Brakes for Passenger Vehicles

Overview

Sphere brakes are an innovative new brake technology that has been developed by Sphere Brake Defense for military vehicles. Due to the superior performance of this technology, Sphere Brake Defense sought to investigate the potential of this system on everyday civilian passenger vehicles. The engineering challenge that was undertaken for this project was to redesign the current sphere brake technology to be adapted to the wheel end of a 2009 Chevy Silverado 2500 without changing any additional stock vehicle components.

Objectives

The primary objectives were to ensure the redesign of the sphere brake system properly fit and functioned on the vehicle, ensure ability to change brake pads without tools, as well as meet or exceed previous brake performance in stopping power and weight savings.

Approach

• Gathered research on brakes and motor vehicle safety standards to help develop specifications.
• Conferred with industry advisors at Sphere Brake Defense to refine project specifications.
• Measured wheel ends of the Chevy Silverado to record dimensions for design.
• Performed concept generation as a team to develop working ideas.
• Produced CAD models with proper dimensional tolerancing for leading concepts.
• Selected materials to ensure a strong design with minimized weight.
• Executed finite element analysis on models under expected loading conditions.
• Produced 3D-printed full-scale prototypes for verification of proper fit.
• Modified designs based on test results from prototype fit test.
• Sent final design to industry sponsor for review and full-scale functional prototype manufacturing.

Outcomes

The following outcomes were observed at the conclusion of this project:
• The sponsor received a full redesign of their technology on passenger vehicles with documentation.
• The sponsor gained insight into potential market expansion into civilian vehicle sector.
• Total system weight of 150lbs improved on previous brake systems by 18%.
• Brake pads able to be changed in minutes without use of tools.
• System fit properly on vehicle wheel end with only minor adjustments needed.