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- Third body (7)
- Tribofilm (5)
- Movable cellular automata (4)
- Dry friction (3)
- MCA-modelling (3)
- Sliding simulation (3)
- Automotive braking (2)
- Friction layer (2)
- Modelling (2)
- Nanocomposite (2)
Copper is one of the most important components in brake pads and its amount can reach up to 14%. In spite of a number of positive features copper usage in brake pad formulations has recently become the subject of considerable discussions, primarily due to concerns about potential risks related to environmental impacts of copper particles. So, for developing new pad formulations with possible replacements of copper content, it is very important to understand the functionality of copper additions to brake friction materials. In the paper theoretical investigation of the role of copper as a pad ingredient was carried out on the basis of modelling by the method of movable cellular automata (MCA). Our previous studies show that copper as a constituent of the tribofilm formed during braking provides smooth sliding by forming a granular layer of mechanically mixed materials from the friction layers. In the present study the concentration of copper particles in a Fe3O4-matrix was varied systematically in the range 5.5-28 vol. % and compared to mixtures with the same amount of graphite nanoparticles. The sliding simulations were performed while assuming material properties at 500°C in order to assess the beneficial role of copper during severe braking conditions corresponding to fading cycles during dynamometer testing.
This work focuses on surface changes induced by repeated brake applications and tries to provide explanations, how such material modifications might affect friction and wear properties of automotive disc brakes. Surface films were investigated locally by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) after having prepared thin cross-sections with a focused ion beam instrument (FIB). Since the observed friction layers revealed a nanocrystalline structure, modelling with the method of movable cellular automata (MCA) was performed by assuming an array of linked nanometer-sized particles. In spite of complicated material combinations at the pad surface, two very characteristic features were always observed at both the pad and disc surface, namely a steel constituenteither ferritic (pad) or pearlitic (disc), partly covered with patches of nanocrystalline iron oxide, on a zone of severe plastic deformation with fragmented grain structure. When using an automata size of 10 nm, reasonable values for the mean coefficient of friction (COF) were obtained, namely 0.35 and 0.85 for oxide-on-oxide and metal-on-metal contacts, respectively. Immediately after brake application mass-mixing and bond-breaking was observed within a narrow zone at both surfaces.
A modified pin-on-disc test was applied to determine tribological properties of typical brake pad constituents. Ball-milling of these ingredients together with iron oxide and graphite provided model materials displaying the main features of real third bodies. Solid lubricants like graphite affected the friction and wear behaviour of Fe3O4 powders considerably whereas further addition of hard nanoparticles induced only minor effects. This was corroborated by comparison with modelling results. MoS2 played a dual role. Depending on special conditions, this ingredient either reduced or increased friction. The latter could be explained, after nanoscopic characterization, by oxidation and destruction of the wear-protecting tribofilm.
A model based on movable cellular automata has been applied to study the sliding behaviour of tribofilms formed during automotive braking. Since it is not possible yet to determine the composition of real tribofilms quantitatively, final verification of modelling results is needed. This was done by preparing artificial third bodies with compositions and nanostructures matching the ones assumed for modelling. Pin-on-disc tests were performed while applying the artificial third bodies to the contact. The results revealed that not only the structure of the third body but also the amount of the applied normal pressure determines the COF obtained by modelling and that much better correlation between experimental and modelling results was obtained while assuming high normal pressures at asperity contacts.