Study of the Influence of the Copper Component’s Shape on the Properties of the Friction Material Used in Brakes—Part One, Tribological Properties

Abstract

Brakes play an extremely important role in any vehicle. In today’s automotive industry, friction brakes are most often used, in which the composite material of the brake pad cooperates with a cast iron disc. While little can be modified in the case of discs, in the case of pads, the composition of the material used for its production can have an almost unlimited number of possibilities. Both scientists and manufacturers invent and test new combinations to achieve the desired end result. A similar task was undertaken in this work. Bearing in mind the fact that materials commonly used as reinforcing materials generate undesirable threats in the production process, it was decided to check whether this role could be taken over by another substance that is already present in brake pads; this substance is copper. A number of samples containing copper, in the form of powder and fibers, were made, and then the samples were subjected to tribological tests in order to determine the coefficient of friction and abrasive wear rate. The ball-cratering research method was used, and the Taguchi process optimization method was used to plan the experiment. As a result of the tests, it was found that the replacement of aramid fibers with copper fibers does not significantly affect the value of COF and the abrasive wear rate.

Influence of the shape of the copper component on the mechanical properties of the friction material used in the disc brakes

“…Currently, this role is most often played by aramid, and sometimes by carbon or glass fibers. Unfortunately, as described in a previous work (Borawski, 2023), their production is associated with particular hazards for humans and the environment.…”

“…In the previous works, it was shown that the shape of the copper could indeed affect the COF. Using fibers instead of round particles and removing aramid increased the coefficient of friction by about 13% (Borawski, 2023). The purpose of this work is to examine how the above change in the reinforcement method affects mechanical properties of the composite friction material.…”

Prediction of Brake Pad Wear of Trucks Transporting Oversize Loads Based on the Number of Drivers’ Braking and the Load Level of the Trucks—Multiple Regression Models

“…They observed that in composites, the use of small graphite particles compared to large particles improves the thermal properties of discs. The use of a coppermetal matrix for brake pads shows better tribological properties [8,9]. New materials are also used.…”

Temperature Influence on Brake Pad Friction Coefficient Modelisation

“…To achieve the desired outcome, manufacturers and scientists have created and experimented with different combinations. Borawski investigate whether copper could replace the materials often utilised as reinforcing materials, given that these materials are often associated unfavourable risks throughout the production process [ 10 ]. To find the abrasive wear rate and the COF, tribological experiments were performed on a number of samples that included copper in the form of both powder and fibres.…”