Influence of Brake Condition on the Friction and Wear Properties of a Low-Metal Formulation

Friction and noise properties of an asbestos-free low-metal type automotive friction material were evaluated on a brake dynamometer at different sliding speeds and various brake conditions such as burnish, fade, and stability. The wear properties of the brake pad and rotor were also investigated at different initial brake temperatures. The sliding surface was analyzed by using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The thermal property of the friction material was tested by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). These results showed that the wear surface morphologies which were generated by the brake temperature influences the pad wear rate, and the disk thickness variation (DTV) will influence the wear rate of the brake rotor.