A computational study on structural and thermal behavior of modified disk brake rotors

Abstract

The brake mechanism is one of the inevitable and safety-critical components in an automobile. A proper rotor design and superior heat dissipating material provide better performance during the braking mechanism. In this study, modified ventilated disk brake rotor has been developed with curved vents, holes, and slots and analyzes the stress and temperature distribution. Finite element models of the rotor are shaped with SolidWorks and simulated using ANSYS. Structural and thermal characteristics are compared with a reference disk brake rotor. It is found that the proposed rotors outperformed the conventional one in terms of stress generation, temperature distribution, and factor of safety. Furthermore, computation has been done to find out the best-suitedmaterial for one of the proposed designs. The result provides a physical insight of the structural and thermal characteristics of the geometrically modified rotor that can be implemented in the automotive industry.