Automotive braking is based on dry friction between fixed pads and a rotating disc. Besides macroscopic thermo-physical properties, the development of topographic features on the mesoscopic scale and the nanostructure of the third body formed by wear processes, determine brake performance properties. Whereas modelling on the atomistic scale is suitable to understand mechanisms leading to nanocrystalline surface films, the properties of such films can be assessed best with a model based on movable cellular automata (MCA). It turned out that the presence of at least 10% of soft nanoinclusions is most essential in respect to smooth sliding conditions. It made no major difference whether graphite or copper particles were assumed as soft nanoinclusions. The third body material is not only the stuff which spreads over contact areas, but it also contributes to contact size by wear particle compaction and formation of secondary contact areas. The evolution of contact size is the major feature of mesoscopic modelling and thus it is capable to model and explain dynamic changes of the coefficient of friction (COF) during certain brake operations. Although it is still ambiguous in many cases which feature has the major impact on friction behaviour, the following conclusions can be drawn. The reinforcing ingredients of the pad material serve as primary contact sites and thus define the starting condition for mesoscopic simulations. A certain amount of wear is necessary to provide a third body which is capable to form secondary contact sites and friction layers screening the first body materials. The composition and nanostructure of the third body is important as well, because it determines the friction level and is responsible for smooth sliding conditions.
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.
In part 1 it was shown that tribofilms usually are 100 nm thick and exhibit a multiphase nanocrystalline structure. The objective of our modelling efforts was to obtain a better understanding of the sliding behaviour and associated friction properties and to study the impact of internal and external parameters on these properties. The method of movable cellular automata (MCA) was used. The third bodies were considered as aggregates of linked nanoparticles which may decompose and form a layer of granulär material, the so-called mechanically mixed layer (MML), if certain fracture criteria are fulfilled. The basic model structure which consists of Fe3Ü4 nanoparticles with 13 % graphite inclusions was used. In order to assess the robustness of the model the following parameter studies were performed. The pressure ränge at an asperity contact was varied between 15 and 50 MPa. The mechanical properties of the oxide were varied between brittle and ductile behaviour corresponding to room temperature and high temperature behaviour. The mechanical properties of the soft ingredient were varied + 50 % of the properties of graphite. The influence