The Analysis and Optimization Approach for Solving the Thermomechanical Issues of Automotive Disk Brake

The thermal characteristics of brakes significantly influence the braking performance of passenger vehicles. During braking, most of the vehicle’s kinetic energy is converted into internal energy in the brake disk through friction, leading to complex coupled thermomechanical issues. This article focuses on the analysis of a disk brake from a specific vehicle model. Using STAR-CCM+, a virtual disk brake bench simulation model was established. Based on the multi-timescale and multi-field coupled simulation method, the analysis of the brake disk temperature and field distributions under cyclic braking conditions was carried out. Subsequently, this work investigated the effects of factors such as thermal conduction, thermal radiation, and the shape of ventilation ribs on the heat generation and dissipation characteristics of the brake disk. Finally, a thermal deformation simulation and optimization method was developed using STAR-CCM+, ABAQUS, and ALTAIR OPTISTRUCT software. In comparison with the test measurements, the accuracy of the thermal deformation simulation for the brake disk reached 94.5%, and the optimized brake disk’s thermal deformation was further reduced by 36.1%. This work provides a design verification method for brake disk optimization.