Enhancing Brake Pad Materials within Braking Systems

This study examines the enhancement of brake pad materials within automotive braking systems, with emphasis on improving braking performance, thermal stability, wear resistance, and operational safety. Brake pads remain critical components in vehicle safety because they convert kinetic energy into heat through friction, thereby influencing stopping distance, braking efficiency, durability, and user protection. Conventional brake pad materials, particularly asbestos-based formulations, have been associated with health and environmental concerns, creating the need for safer and more efficient alternatives. The study developed and evaluated a new semi-metallic brake pad material composed of copper, graphite, steel, brass, and resin binder. The material was designed with dimensions of 277 mm length, 104 mm width, and 24 mm thickness. SolidWorks was used for three-dimensional modelling, while ANSYS Workbench was employed to simulate the thermo-mechanical behaviour of the brake pad under braking conditions. The simulation focused on deformation, pressure, equivalent elastic stress, equivalent elastic strain, and rotational velocity over selected time intervals. Results showed that the minimum deformation ranged from 5.24 × 10⁻⁷ m to 1.02 × 10⁻⁷ m, while maximum deformation ranged from 6.35 × 10⁻⁴ m to 0.44981 m, indicating improved deformation behaviour compared with conventional brake pad materials. A prototype was fabricated through casting, cooling, drilling, polishing, and finishing processes. The findings suggest that the developed semi-metallic brake pad material offers improved structural stability, heat resistance, and braking reliability. The study contributes to ongoing efforts toward safer, durable, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible braking system materials for modern vehicles.