Thermally Sprayed Coatings for Lightweight Brake Rotors

Thermal spray technology has been successfully applied to brake discs used in motorsport and road vehicles. This technology has helped to improve the performance and reduce the cost of braking systems.

A lightweight brake rotor has been developed based on a metal matrix composite (MMC) disc. Its surface is normalised by the application of a thermally sprayed coating that is compatible with current brake pad technology. This paper discusses optimisation of the spray material and sprayed coating

Coated MMC discs have been evaluated in extensive dynamometer and in-vehicle testing and these results are reported. The cost-effectiveness of coated lightweight brake discs has been an important consideration.