Investigation of Multifield Characteristics in Braking of Lightweight Discs on a Self-Developed Platform

Abstract

Disc brakes are widely used in various kinds of light vehicles. Currently, it has become a tendency to reduce the mass and volume of brake systems because of the increasing lightweight requirement for vehicles, especially for passenger vehicles in populated cities and for outdoor sport. However, there is often conflict between light weight and reliability. In this article, the braking characteristics of a thin disc brake were investigated experimentally, using a self-developed inertia braking platform. The platform was designed to conveniently measure multifield characteristics in real time. The goal of the experiment is to verify the special performance of a brake system with a very thin solid disc. Measurements of transient temperature, lateral vibration, and noise in the dry friction contacts of a steel solid thin disc and two resin circular pads were performed. A frequency–time analysis method was used for the lateral vibration of the disc and braking noise. The results suggest that one of the reasons for lateral vibration is the mounting error of the thin disc–shaft system, which should receive extra attention for safety reasons. In addition, the braking noise is structural borne.