Evaluation of Compression Moulded Composites of Oxidised Polyacrylonitrile Fibres as a Friction Material for Automotive Brake Pads

Composites of oxyPAN and phenolic resins, with and without additives, were moulded by hot compression and used as friction material for automotive brake pads. Moisture content, relative density and ShoreD hardness measurements and Krauss Friction tests were performed with the prepared samples. The composites seem to be strongly influenced by the temperature, with friction coefficients out of the target range (0.30-0.35). However, the friction levels of the composites formulated with metallic and ceramic additives (a total of only four constituents) were comparable to commercial brake pads, with an average coefficient of 0.34, a minimum of 0.26 and a maximum of 0.58.