Practical Application Study of Hybrid Fibers Reinforced Organic Brake Pad for Railroad Passenger-Coach Braking

Abstract

A new type of latex modified phenolic resin was used as an organic binder for hybrid fibers that were used as reinforcement materials to fabricate organic brake pads that were employed in railroad passenger-coaches. Braking performance of the pad was evaluated on a full-scale bench tester according to Standard of China Railway Ministry TB/T 3118-2005. The results indicated that the pad completely met the corresponding requirements. Sixteen pairs of the pad were applied in a railroad passenger coach whose mileage was 1116 km everyday. Thickness of the pad and matched discs were measured on-line and the morphological characteristics of the pad and discs were observed. The results showed that the hybrid fibers reinforced brake pad had stable braking performance. After being applied in the passenger coach for 10 months (total distance of 320 000 km), the pad’s rubbing surface was quite trim, no crack failure, edge-detachment and scratches were observed on its surface, and no hot-spots or heat-cracks were observed on the matched brake discs. It was suggested that the surface film formed on the pad, which had a comparatively steady chemical composition, played an important role for the stable braking performance.