Search Results

Thermoelastic instabilities in the contact of brake friction material cause hotbands and hotspots on the surface of brake disc. These phenomena generate thermal stresses that result in generation of cracks, which limit the lifetime of the discs. In the present work, the influence of the chemical composition of brake discs on the thermoelastic behavior of the system and on the lifetime of the discs was investigated. The experimental evaluation was carried out in an inertial dynamometer using the SAE J3080 standard procedure applied on a brake system. Two discs (namely A and B) with different chemical compositions were subjected to the tests. The brake pad composition was kept fixed. The thermoelastic effects on the inner surface of the disc were observed by contact (thermocouple) and noncontact measurement techniques (thermography), as well as through photographic images of the disc’s surfaces. Disc A showed negligible amount of Nb while disc B exhibited 0.360%.