Tribological performance evaluation of fused mullite-reinforced hybrid composite brake pad for defence application

Abstract

The current study deals with the replacement of existing sintered bronze brake pad using hybrid composite brake pads for armour vehicle application. In the present work, fused mullite was added in three different weight percentages which was compensated by synthetic barites. The pads were produced by conventional manufacturing procedure. The physical and mechanical properties were measured as per industrial standards. The tribological performance was evaluated using Chase test following IS2742 Part-4 standards. The test results showed that 3 wt% of mullite abrasive in hybrid brake pad formulation produced reduced density, less squeal, less frictional undulations with the minimum wear of 0.887 g for 100 brake applications. Worn surface characteristics were analysed using scanning electron microscopy.