We introduce a new class of ventilated brake disk which incorporates an open cellular core: wire-woven bulk diamond (WBD). Transient and steady-state thermofluidic charac teristics are presented. As reference, a commercially available pin-finned brake disk is also considered. At a braking power of 1.9 kW, representative of a medium sized truck descending a 2% gradient at a vehicle speed of 40 km/h (i.e., 200 rpm), the WBD cored brake disk reduces the overall brake disk temperature by up to 24% compared to the pinfinned brake disk. Results also reveal that in typical operating ranges (up to lOOOrpm), the WBD core provides up to 36% higher steady-state overall cooling capacity over that obtainable by the pin-finned core. In addition, the three-dimensional morphology of the WBD core gives rise to a tangentially and radially more uniform temperature distribu tion. Although the WBD core causes a higher pressure drop, this is balanced by the bene fit o f a stronger suction of cooling flow. Flow mixing in an enlarged heat transfer area by the WBD core is responsible for the substantial heat transfer enhancement. The WBD core is mechanically strong yet light while providing a substantial reduction in a brake's operating temperature.

The transient thermal response of a newly developed ventilated brake disc cored with a porous medium (wire-woven bulk diamond) is compared with those of a solid brake disc and a conventionally ventilated brake disc with pin fins. The best-performing brake disc vis-à-vis the operating temperature is dependent on the duration of braking: for a short braking event, T(solid) \ T(pin-finned) \ T(porous); however, for extended braking T(porous) \ T(pin-finned) \ T(solid). These experimental results are explained in terms of the governing thermophysical parameters using a classical firstorder unsteady-state differential equation. The initial rate of increase in the brake disc temperature is dominated by the thermal capacity term; hence, for a short braking event, solid discs with a large thermal capacity operate at a low temperature. However, for extended braking, ventilated discs run cooler and reach lower steady-state temperatures than solid rotors do owing to the increased convective surface area and the forced convection in the ventilated channels. With the wire-woven bulk diamond core which allows a slightly lighter disc than the conventional pin-finned disc, a substantially lower steady-state temperature can be achieved, resulting from promoted flow mixing by three-dimensional wire-woven bulk diamond ligaments which enhance convection.