A Multifunctional Tribometer for Friction Characterization

The current paper presents some friction characterization obtained by using a multifunctional tribometer. The effect of two parameters (temperature and caliper drag) on friction were investigated by means of two different type of tests: i) high temperature tests, where braking tests are executed at different levels of temperature and ii) caliper drag tests, where the sample was intentionally kept in contact with the disc surface during the cooling period that occurs after each braking. The multifunctional tribometer proved to be a suitable tool for friction characterization at different temperature levels. Results show that is possible to evaluate fade effect by using the mentioned technology. Results from caliper drag tests showed that a low-metallic friction material is more prone to this effect than an organic friction material.