Automotive Brake Lining Characterization

A number of brake lining materials representative of original equipment in US, Japanese and European automobiles were characterized in order to determine their composition and microstructure. Their frictional performance was subsequently determined using the Friction Assessment and Screening Test (FAST machine). The goal of this work was to identify each constituent of the friction material, to deduce their individual role in the friction process and to determine the effect of the microstructure on the wear properties.