Evaluation of wear resistance of corn stalk fiber reinforced brake friction materials prepared by wet granulation

Abstract

In the design of brake friction materials, both composition and manufacturing technique should be comprehensive considered. In the present study, friction materials containing 5 wt%–13 wt% phenolic resin contents were fabricated based on wet granulation technology, and then effect of the resin contents on the tribological and morphological properties of the friction materials was investigated systematically. The results showed that wet granulation technology could improve the tribological and morphological properties of the friction materials, and it could also decrease the resin content to 7 wt% in the friction material which still had stable friction coefficient, excellent fade and recovery performances, and better wear resistance. The worn surfaces were inspected by a scanning electron microscope and a 3D laser scanning confocal microscopy. A number of primary and secondary plateaus and a reduced number of wear debris, micro-cracks, adhesive pit and groove were presented on the worn surface of the friction material containing 7 wt% resin (FG-7) after the friction-wear tests. This study indicated that friction stability and wear resistance of the friction materials are strongly influenced by the resin content and wet granulation technology; the wet granulation can effectively reduce resin content in the friction materials and still maintain or improve the tribological and morphological properties of the friction materials.