External particle shape analysis and its effect on tribological performance of disc brake

The open design of disc brake and its location close to the road surface may lead the road particles of various sizes and shapes to enter in between brake pads and disc rotor. This study presents an experimental approach to determine the particle shape effect on friction and wear characteristics of OEM disc brake under different operating condition. Two types of external particles which are road particles and silica sand with two range of size of 200 μm and 400 μm were used. Testing was conducted for variable load and sliding speed. Presence of external particle with various size and shape affect the wear rate, friction coefficient and surface topography of the brake pad. Smaller particle generated more wear. Moreover, the particles which have sharped shape or high angularity resulted in higher weight loss of the pad and contribute to greater formation of compacted wear debris. Wear rate and friction coefficient also increase with contact pressure