Assessment of braking performance of lapinus–wollastonite fibre reinforced friction composite materials

Brake friction materials comprising of varying proportions of lapinus and wollastonite fibres are designed, fabricated and characterized for their chemical, physical, mechanical and tribological properties. Tribological performance evaluation in terms of performance coefficient of friction, friction–fade, friction–recovery, disc temperature rise (DTR) and wear is carried out on a Krauss machine following regulations laid down by Economic Commission of Europe (ECE R-90). The increase in wollastonite fibre led to an increase in density and hardness whereas void content, heat swelling, water absorption and compressibility increased with the increased in lapinus fibre. The performance coefficient of friction, friction–fade behaviour and friction–stability have been observed to be highly dependent on the fibre combination ratio i.e. coefficient of friction, fade and friction–stability follow a consistent decrease with a decrease in the lapinus fibre content, whereas the frictional fluctuations in terms of μmax − μmin have been observed to increase with a decrease in lapinus fibre content. However, with an increase in wollastonite fibre content in formulation mix, a higher wear resistance and recovery response is registered. The worn surface morphology has revealed topographical variations and their underlying role in controlling the friction and wear performance of such brake friction composites. © 2015 The Authors