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We studied the relationship between disc thickness variation (DTV) and casting material properties and clarified that the circumferential homogeneity of brake discs has significant effects on brake judder. As a solution, we established an integrated system for developing and manufacturing homogeneous brake discs to reduce judder by making the most of our integrated business process from R&D through manufacturing, including our in-house foundries. The system we developed consists of the following elements: foundry engineering to obtain homogeneous discs, an original flake graphite structure index (K-FGI) to measure the homogeneity of our products, and accelerated wear tests on a brake dynamometer to estimate the potential on-brake DTV growth.

Reducing vehicle weight for promoting a sustainable global environment is one of the most significant challenges in the automotive industry. It is difficult to replace cast iron with lighter brake-disc material for ordinary vehicles. Material homogeneity also affects the thermal strength of brake discs. In our previous study, we established an integrated system for developing and manufacturing homogeneous brake discs to reduce judder. With our system, we maintained the thermal strength of a lightweight brake disc by improving its material homogeneity. As a result, we can optimize the brake disc design for reducing a disc's weight and contribute toward sustaining our global future.