About the influence of automotive brake pad composition on frictional performance. Results of nano-scale modeling

Abstract

The main problem in manufacturing friction materials is still a lack of sufficient information about the processes occurring in the surface layers of contacting bodies. This is due to the complexity of the processes which are taking place during friction and wear and by interdependency of mechanisms at various scale levels. This also may partly explain the complexity of structure of the composite materials which are used as brake pads, because a wide range of requirements have to be satisfied for modern braking systems. How variations of material composition affect the frictional characteristics of the friction pair is still an area of intense research. The present study used a computational method of the discrete approach — a method of movable cellular automata — to investigate the interaction of nano-scale features which are typical for the pad-disc-interface during automotive braking. The results can be useful for understanding the features of interaction of materials and control their performance properties.