Drisk Brakes

[Ted68]

Around '89-90 when I was working for Saleen, a Canadian company came with a demonstrator Mustang equipped with their brake system. It was called Drisk. A combination of Disk and Drum brakes. In short, imagine a brake drum with a caliper clamping both sides of the braking surface. Say a brake shoe in it's normal location and a pad on the opposite side, for a very large swept area. They worked very well, but required special wheels. I think they said they were a 747 jet design.

Anybody have any info on this company? I can only find hints of them on the web.

[Ciro Pabón]

Ted: Saleen has a web site at (you'll never guess it... ) http://www.saleen.com. I've heard a lot of chitchat about the Saleen Mustang from a friend in Bogotá (he's nuts for Mustangs). They make brakes, sure, but I could not find a design for the 747 brakes anywhere. The Saleen brake disk is grooved and it uses four piston calipers, like this:

[zac510]

It sounds like quite a heavy thing.

Did the pad need to be curved? How well did that wear over time?

Did it have more surface area than a normal pad:disc?

[Ted68]

Ciro, thanks for the link but I think you misunderstood me. I remember Saleen's brakes as I was a suspension/brake mechanic there. What I was referring to was a company called Drisk who demonstrated their system to us in an unsuccessful bid to become a supplier to Saleen.

Yep, Zac510, the pads were curved. Just like two brake shoes, one on the inside and one opposite it on the outside, both squeezed by a common caliper. They claimed the design was based on that of jumbo jets. It gave an incredibly large swept area. I would say more than the big 13-inch discs that have become common today. It was 10 inches in diameter, but had six 'spokes' coming from the hub to the braking surface (ring?), So the weight was about the same as the 11 inch discs we put on the cars.

They claimed wear was superior because of it's design. I don't know as we only played with it for a couple of hours.

But with the rest of the system equal, that thing stopped like a Porsche hitting a brick wall.

Thats why I'm looking for them, to bolt onto my '89 Saleen, but I guess they weren't successful anywhere else either.

[zac510]

One positive I can see is that there would be more space to build a stiffer caliper. You wouldn't be limited to the space inside the rim.

Do you think the 'spoke' design limited the mass that could absorb and disperse heat?

[Carlos]

I would think the same problem as a drum brake--large swept area of brake material leads to "gas" build up between shoe and contact surface.
On conventional drum brake--motorcycle--we used a standard technique
--drilled holes in the brake shoes--to vent " gas" generated--an improvement in braking even though we sacrificed some "swept area"
We went to a 4 shoe drum brake-- which was better--but the disc brakes emerging at the time--were superior--Only one application. Only an opinion
I doubt applying a "shoe " to inner and outer surface of--basically "drum "
brake would be so different. As I suggested in my PM--contact Saleen's
purchasing agency depart. or look at SAE site. Repeated application demonstrate superiority fo the disc brake. Also other improvements in disc design---multiple "pucks"---superior materials and other factors suggest the disc brake is best. Perhaps try harder "pucks"--- add brake ducting or a harder disc material--more contact patch via wider tires may offer some improvement. Innovate---machine components and add a second disc on each wheel---everything is possible. Just Blueskying on that last idea.
Also repeated "panic"stops is the determinate of a braking system. What was the repetition Cycle #/Time in the demo?

Regards Carlos

[Ted68]

Zac, I think the spoke design was to limit weight but also to move more air around for cooling. There was still a fair amount of mass. It was a really good design in my uneducated opinion. Our test proceedure was unscientifically brutal. Take the car to 100 mph on a side road as quickly as possible, stand on the brakes as hard as possible, giggle like schoolgirls, switch seats and do it again. So they got a workout. No fade.

Carlos, that was fifteen years, three locations and one corporate buy-out ago. Everyone has changed since then. Thanks, though. I just took a shot at someone here knowing about them.

[Carlos]

Ted68--I enjoy giggling like a school girl--especially on a constant radius
corner--under power induced oversteer--listening to the rev-limier "beep-beep" signal of my RX7 Rotary--unwilling to shift , in case I upset the chassis balance. Good Fun. Perhaps place a post on the SAE site. Somone may have saved information on the Drisk Brake. Thank you for the kind reference to my PM.

Regards Carlos

[Ciro Pabón]

Carlos, that was fifteen years, three locations and one corporate buy-out ago. Everyone has changed since then. Thanks, though. I just took a shot at someone here knowing about them.

Ted, sorry about the misreading of your post. I shouldn't have taken for granted you do not know about Saleen, specially after reading your posts on other threads. To try to compensate, I have been looking around for Drisk and even 747 brakes, but to no avail. I guess you will have to wait for Manchild to read this thread.

[Ted68]

Ah yes, Manchild, the keeper of all knowledge. No, no, it's fine. Let it die. Like I said they must be done for. I just thought someone may have some info or maybe a name of some other company that maybe acquired the technology. Thanks, Ciro.

[manchild]

Is this of any help?

It's a Canadian sigle seater using drisk brakes



Sponsors are liste here so perhaps one of the sponsors of team itself makes drisk brakes http://www.ptbo.igs.net/~f4racing/sponsors.htm

Chassis 1982 Xpit space frame
Engine Suzuki GSXR 750
Tires Racing Slicks
Brakes Drisk brakes
Steering Rack and Pinion
Suspension A-Arm with outboard coil over shock and springs
Areodynamics Front and rear wings with underbody ground effects


http://freepatentsonline.com/5474160.html

[Ciro Pabón]

Ah yes, Manchild, the keeper of all knowledge. No, no, it's fine. Let it die.

You do not seem very enthusiastic about it, but someone has to have memory and to collaborate, Ted.

Anyway, for the "collateral" references, I found that Goodrich is the supplier of carbon disks and brakes for 747 airplanes (http://ir.goodrich.com/phoenix.zhtml?c= ... highlight=).

I found on the page one hundred and something of my last attempt on googlin this thing (I am waiting for ArcGIS to finish a job that seems to last FOREVER), that at Mark Lenaert Westerlo, in California, you can buy a '68 Mustang with brakelines used on a 747 (you'll have to look for it at the middle of the page): http://www.california-import.com/

I am not sure what the "brakelines" reference means (of course, it must indicate only the lines, but...).

According to Mark Lenaert site, this Mustang was "build by a unfknblvble car nut, he build everyting self, this car has brakelines used by Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet , American Racing wheels, full digital dashboard, full bonke bonke music installation and a TV , a lot of Shelby parts, .... . This is not for pussies , if you think you can handle this baby , it is for sale ....".

Perhaps this is it, if you can afford it. And of course, if you are not a ... Sorry, sorry, the devil made me say that.

[Carlos]

Ciro--You are kind to encourage Ted in the pursuit of the Drisk Brake--I
to have done so in a PM just seconds ago. We are all behind you Ted. We are your expeditionary force. Our hours invested will bear fruit. The toolings may be available---the patent may be available---a company may have the tooling sitting on a shelf---happy to revive production---even for 1 set of DB's Proverbs to encourage you Ted " A pebble thrown in still water effects every ocean". "Do or Die ." " Be careful what you wish for--You might just get it." ( Our Help ) And as Hume said--(loosely quoted) " If you ask a question---Be willing to find the answer."

Regards Carlos

[Ted68]

Do you think the 'spoke' design limited the mass that could absorb and disperse heat?

Okay, Zac510, here's what I found out and, Carlos, why I dropped the idea.

My search led me to a lady Solo racer who ran them on her 944 Turbo. The problem she had with them was overheating the hub and killing wheel bearings. Just as Zac510 thought. This probably wouldn't be so much of a problem with the Formula car that Manchild found (Thank You, sir), but for a street driven car that isn't so good.

So that little problem along with a difficult (non-existant) supply situation is why I let it go. So Carlos I appreciate yours and Ciro's help, but it was a good idea that didn't pan out.