Physico-mechanical and tribological characteristics of composites used for brake pads

Abstract

Brake pads are a crucial component of the braking system in an automotive vehicle. It is a primary factor in ensuring the normal driving of motor vehicles and the safety of passengers. Therefore, the research and study of the brake pads are extremely important. The materials which used in the manufacturing of brake pads should be environmentally friendly as harmful substances releases during operations by asbestos containing brake pads, which pollute the environment and thus harmful for human so becomes a primary reason of acceleration for research and development of new materials for brake pads. Composite materials have required excellent properties, so it is gaining an important position in this field. In this research, composite materials with coconut fibre are produced in the laboratory which can be used to produce brake pads for braking systems of the medium-performance small car. This research aims primarily towards producing the composite material which consists of the best proportion of organic fibre to have superior physical-mechanical and tribological characteristics. To achieve these goals, the following steps have been taken, the laboratory manufacturing of organic composite materials, technological analysis of the samples, improving the qualitative characteristics of friction materials, determination of the physical-mechanical and tribological characteristics of the materials according to the standards in force. This paper provides a detailed investigation on the characteristics of composite materials made with coconut fibre for brake pads.