Tribological Properties of Brake Friction Materials with Steel Fibers

Abstract

The tribological properties of brake friction materials with and without steel fibers were investigated. The focus of this study was determining the effect of steel fibers on the speed sensitivity of the friction coefficient. The speed sensitivity of the friction coefficient is closely associated with the stick-slip phenomenon. The results indicate that the friction material containing steel fibers was more sensitive to sliding speed, exhibiting a highly negative mu-v relation. In particular, the friction material with steel fibers showed a larger vibration amplitude during brake applications, suggesting that the mu-v relation was strongly related to the friction-induced vibration. On the other hand, the wear resistance of the friction materials containing steel was significantly better than that without steel fibers, suggesting longer service life. A possible mechanism of the stick-slip by the steel fibers is discussed in terms of the physical properties of-the steel fiber and the gray iron rotor.