FRICTION AND WEAR BEHAVIOR OF DISC BRAKE PAD MATERIAL USING BANANA PEEL POWDER

Abstract

Brake Pad material is a heterogeneous material and is composed of a few elements and each element has its own function. The ideal brake material should have constant coefficient of friction under various operating conditions such as applied loads, temperature, speeds and mode of braking. During adverse braking conditions excessive frictional heat is generated which results in the drop of coefficient of friction of the brake pad material. This drop in coefficient of friction is due to the degradation of resin which is associated with the loos of its binding ability. In order to maintain constant coefficient of friction at higher temperature new brake pad material has been formulated which retains the binding ability of the resin. The formulation of new brake pad material includes four friction composites containing 13 ingredients including phenolic resin and banana peel powder as a modified binder. A reciprocating friction monitor is used to carry friction and wear tests. Three tests via t1, t2 and t3 with different loads and temperatures were conducted for duration of 10 minutes. The results showed that the coefficient of friction increased at higher temperature and friction and wear characteristics indicate that banana peel powder can be effectively used to increase the binding ability of phenolic resin at higher temperature.