Sensitivity Study on Brake Cooling Performance

Recently, an increased emphasis in reducing brake rotor temperature in an effort to increase brake pad life and to reduce brake fade and “hot judder” has been observed. This study examined the effects of changes to a brake system and its environment on the brake equilibrium temperature rise. Initially, a baseline thermal model was correlated to physical test data from a cyclical braking test. This correlated model was then used to study the effects of modifying the rotor, dust shield, wheel, and air deflector on the brake equilibrium temperature rise under the cyclical braking during simulated mountain test schedules.