Importance

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Abstract

A brake assembly of the type in which there are provided brake discs (87,89) which are pressed into frictional engagement by a lock piston (65). The lock piston is of the type applied by a set of Belleville washers (73) and released by fluid pressure in a chamber (113). The invention provides a disengagement mechanism (95) associated with the lock piston (65) and including a manually operable handle (107) disposed external to a housing (21) enclosing the brake assembly. The handle is moveable between a normal position (FIG. 2) and a disengagement position (FIG. 4) in which the lock piston is moved toward at least a partially retracted position, in opposition to the force of the Belleville washers. When pressurized fluid is again communicated to the chamber (113), the lock piston is biased to its fully retracted position, and the handle (107) of the disengagement mechanism (95) returns to its normal position (FIG. 2), ready for the next time the operator wants to manually disengage the brakes.

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First Claim