TIBREX AFA - A New Non-Fibrous Potassium Titanate for Disc Brake Pad Manufacture

Conventional fibrous potassium titanate typically used in the manufacture of disc brake pads is composed of ceramic fibers which are classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B) by IARC. Of specific concern are the respirable fibers contained in the material since these can easily enter the body through inhalation. To address this concern a new non-fibrous potassium titanate product, known as TIBREX AFA, was developed. TIBREX AFA is a potassium octatitanate (K₂O·8TiO₂) composed of fine, irregular shaped particles with a mean size of 0.5 μm (laser diffraction technique). SEM image analysis verified that TIBREX AFA does not contain particles which fall into the respirable fiber range since lengths are below 5 μm and L/D ratios are maintained between 1 - 3. NAO prototype brake pads made with TIBREX AFA and the conventional fiber-type product showed similar frictional characteristics during standard dynamometer testing (JASO C406, P1 category).