Design of a thermal compensating adjuster for drum brakes

This thesis presents the development of a thermal compensating adjuster for automotive rear drum brakes. The specific application is for a 225 x 38mm and a 250 x 55mm size rear brake assembly used with a drum brake application. A thermal compensating adjuster is used to eliminate over-adjustment of the brake assembly that occurs with thermal expansion of the brake components after repeated usage and in high temperature environments.; Development of the thermal compensating adjuster involves several steps. These include: identifying initial design goals; establishing temperature ranges when excessive thermal expansion occurs; developing design concepts; selecting the best design; and fabricating prototypes for testing. Recommendations are given for reducing development timing and design improvements for the thermal compensating adjuster.